Magnolia Plaza & the Armillary Sphere in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Nov. 2006

Judith D. Zuk Magnolia Plaza

From March-blooming star magnolias (Magnolia stellata) to saucer magnolias (M. x soulangiana) in April, Magnolia Plaza is sweetly scented with 17 varieties.

Magnolia Plaza is an elegant formal garden of magnificent trees spread in front of the beaux arts Administration Building. The sweet scent and showy blossoms of magnolias are among the early signs of spring at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. In March, the star magnolias (Magnolia stellata) bloom, covering the trees with millions of lacy white flowers. In April the Plaza is splashed with the ivory, yellow, pink, and rich purple of 17 varieties of magnolias. The last of the collection, the sweet-bay magnolia (M. virginiana), reveals its fragrant, creamy white flowers in June.

Magnolia Plaza is only the most visible evidence of the Garden's work with these spectacular trees. Important new hybrids have also been developed at the Garden, including 'Elizabeth', a vigorous tree with clear yellow flowers that is a favorite of home gardeners.

History of Magnolia Plaza

Magnolia Plaza was first planted in the spring of 1932. It was designed by Harold Caparn, the Garden's landscape architect from 1912 to 1945, and funded by the BBG Auxiliary, which raised more than $1,500 for the project. The first planting included 80 magnolias, 5,000 ivy plants, 650 euonymus, 450 California privet, 60 barberry shrubs, 20 akebias, and two tulip trees.

In 1933, the compass and armillary sphere were added to Magnolia Plaza, the bequest of A.W. Jenkins, a member of the Garden's governing committee. The sphere is made of bronze bands representing the principle celestial circles and constellations. A thin bronze rod, or gnomon, passes through the center of the sphere, pointing north and casting a shadow on the inside of the sphere, which can be used to tell the approximate time.

During that same year, it was also decided to include Magnolia Plaza in the Plant Family Collection (then called the Systematic Collection). Since that time, the Plaza has been planted only with trees and shrubs from the Magnolia family. To keep the Plaza's formal look, the euonymus and privet hedges were retained, and the ivy remains as a groundcover.

Text from: www.bbg.org/exp/stroll/index.html