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According to a new survey by Good Plant Care, the New York Botanical Garden, where the infamous smelly Armorphophallus titanum flower is about to bloom, is the sixth most popular public garden in the country.
Given its National Historic Landmark status and the diverse collection of plants it lays claim to, the ranking doesn't surprise us. It's a 250-acre plant oasis, after all!
To come up with the list of 200 must-see public gardens, the website polled a total of 3,000 respondents, asking them which destinations they would most like to visit in their lifetimes.
Although New York is certainly well-represented, with four local destinations included in the top 100, it is the state of Hawaii that seems to reign supreme, earning the top three spots in the overall ranking (Koko Crater Botanical Garden in Honolulu tops the list).
In addition to the New York Botanical Garden, the survey, which you can find in full right here, includes the Central Park Rose Garden, open daily from sunrise to sunset and free to the public, at spot number 10; Innisfree Gardens, the nonprofit destination influenced by Chinese style in Millbrook, at spot number 87; and Old Westbury Gardens, the former estate of businessman John Shaffer Phipps that was converted into a museum home in 1959, on Long Island, at spot number 91.
Not too shabby, right?
The study also shed light on how Americans interact with nature.
"The average family visits their local [public garden] nine times per year, and would be happy to drive a three hour round trip just to access one," the website reports. "A whopping 91% of respondents said that public gardens have a positive impact on their mental health, and over half (56%) believe more investment should be made in our public gardens."
One more interesting finding: most Americans gravitate towards flowering plants—think African Violets and Bromeliads—when choosing what to keep in their homes.
Whether you belong to that category of people or not, we suggest visiting plant whisperer Ched Markovic at Noble Planta in the heart of the NoMad neighborhood to get some tips on how to properly keep all plants alive and thriving within the confines of a usually tiny NYC apartment.