Although I overheard many in the Azalea Garden at the NYBG say “It’s like I died and went to heaven,” the title is not about gettin all existential or offering a reminder of Hamlet's Soliloquy. The phrase enters my head when walking there just because of the color and light of the movie of the same title. When I enter the Azalea Garden I know I’ll enjoy dreams that night as colorful as I did after seeing that movie.
The Azalea Garden of the NYBG includes nearly a mile of woodland paths that meander through a collection of 3,000 azaleas and rhododendrons from around the world. In this forested area you can find more than 70,000 plants, including 40,000 bulbs, over 28,000 flowering woodland perennials and ferns. Planted beneath majestic tulip trees, ancient native sweet gums, oaks and maples, the feel is more like a spectacular northeastern forest with a painted understory than a garden. It really is like a dream.
Perhaps these photos of the Azalea Garden will improve your dreams too. Only eleven months to the next show.