Tag Archives: Heather Garden

Shearing of the Heathers

The three-acre Heather Garden is the site of our annual rite of spring – the Shearing of the Heather parade and community celebration in Fort Tryon Park.

Bring your musical instruments and join in our community parade through the Heather Garden led by traditional bagpipers. Learn why Fort Tryon Park has the largest heath and heather collection in the northeast. Make flower-themed crafts, take home your own propagated heathers, get your face painted, and celebrate spring while enjoying the garden’s beauty and panoramic views of the Hudson River and Palisades! Fun for all ages!

Photo credit: Aliza Holtz, 2023.

Fort Tryon Park: AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS TOUR OF THE HEATHER GARDEN

November 5 @ 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Join public garden designer Ronda M. Brands for a behind-the-scenes look at the particular design emphasis on the Heather Garden’s autumn assets, and the plant selections made to ensure a remarkable blend of fall colors throughout the three-acre site with its 600+ varieties of plants, trees, and shrubs.

Brands and colleague Lynden Miller have served as garden consultants to the Fort Tryon Park Trust since 2009. Learn how they worked with the park’s gardeners and the Olmsted Brother’s original 1935 plant list to strengthen and rejuvenate the Heather Garden to make it a destination with horticultural interest in every season. Their Framework Plan also equipped the Fort Tryon Park Trust and NYC Parks gardeners to best sustain the garden for future generations!

This program is made possible in part by the Greenacre Foundation.