After attending the tour in the Botanic Gardens, I found out I have been missing out the beauty of nature at Cornell. I grew up in big cities, with only green plants and flowers for decoration. It was something novel to me because of the diversity of flowers, and number of stories that the guide has to tell about the history of Cornell in just a little corner of Campus.

Over Homecoming weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the Cornell Botanical Gardens. While I have passed by the botanical gardens on the way to Stocking Hall many times, I didn’t visit before, or knew that there was a path from Tower Rd. to the gardens. Usually, when I visit gardens, I don’t attend guided tours, as I normally just look at the flowers and take pictures. However, on this guided tour, it was fascinating to hear the tour guide explain the history of the gardens, as well as what the flowers were and how the gardens were arranged. Visiting the botanical gardens has increased my appreciation for nature and Cornell, as we have one of the best botanical gardens around. I will definitely visit again with my friends in the future.

I’ve been to the botanical gardens various times during my time at Cornell, but last Saturday was the first time that I’d ever been on a guided tour. I can honestly say it provided me a whole new perspective on plant sciences. You could tell that the professor who was giving the tour was passionate about the gardens and the Cornell history that is behind them. I had no idea that the current location of the gardens were formerly Ezra Cornell’s personal farm. This new information certainly helped to paint a more thorough picture of what Cornell (the university) and the academic endeavors of this institution meant to Ezra himself. I enjoyed the tour very much because it gave me different things to think about that I would not have considered going there by myself, such as the the reason for certain cultivated species and the various purposes of different aspects of the gardens. I was impressed that they made use of some of the land to address runoff from the nearby parking lot. I really suggest finding time to take one of these tours. You can really get as much out of it as you’re willing to invest. However, if you’re interested in checking the gardens out yourself, there are information booklets on the plants grown in each different flowerbed. I suggest looking for the edible plants!

It was on the walk to the Botanical Gardens that I realized how little of the campus I had seen. Once we passed Ives Hall it hit me. If it wasn’t for the other people who knew where to go I would be lost. I had done a bit of exploring of the campus lately but it was on this walk that I realized I had so much more of the campus left to see. I am in ILR and sometimes I get so caught up in my classes and my daily routine that I forget how big Cornell is and all the places on campus that I have yet to see. I am glad I can check the Botanical Gardens off of my list of places on campus that I need to see. The Botanical Gardens were very peaceful and very beautiful. I am so happy I got the chance to go there and explore the area a bit. I have definitely found a place where I can escape from things for a while and just surround myself with nature. It is a great place to walk around, explore the wildlife, and take some time to reflect. As the semester progresses I find that I do not have enough time to just sit and think. There is always something going on and while I do like having things to do, I also like having some time to reflect on what I have done. I know I will definitely find myself back at the Botanical Gardens very soon.

Last saturday I was able to go to the Botanical Gardens with my fellow Rose Scholars. I learned so much more about the Botanical Gardens during my time there. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and told us everything he knew about the place. I learned how the place gave work to young men during the Great Depression through the programs of the CCC and how the stone used for the building is called llenroc, cornell spelled backwards. My favorite part of the garden is the medicinal area. I love looking around and learning about the healing powers of the plants in the garden. I even recognized some from my own home and remembered how my mother would always give us teas that made us feel immediately better. The botanical gardens are so beautiful and I have taken note of some areas where I can go to study or to just relax. I look forward to visiting the place again. 

My first visit to the Cornell Botanical Gardens, on some random day during this summer when I didn’t have much else to do, was interesting. I walked down from the dairy bar and wandered around a bit, enjoying the herb garden, reading about roses, and studying a bit inside the summer house near Comstock Knoll. On my second trip to the botanical gardens last Saturday, I went to all the same places i had seen before, but I was able to get more out of it, not only because this was an official tour containing knowledge that I wouldn’t have been able to pick up on my own the first time around, but I extremely enjoyed going with a group of fellow scholars instead of just by myself. I liked learning about all the herbs i had been fascinated by the first time around and finding out about the llenroc limestone that makes up many of the buildings on campus. Between smelling the fragrant chocolate mint, walking up the knoll and sitting on the benches atop its peak, and trying out some of the plants that our guide, Peter Davies, told us were safe to eat at the herb garden, I really felt like part of the group, even though I didn’t especially stand out. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stick around for the whole tour, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience the Botanical Gardens with all of my five senses in a deeper way, even if it was only for a little bit.

The Botanical Gardens is a true work of art available for all Cornellians (and locals!) to visit. Located just a short walk from the Ag Quad, it is a remarkable place to walk around and relax. Upon arriving, we met our tour guide Peter Davies, a retired professor from Cornell. We learned about the history of the garden, including the fact that the land that the university sits on was indeed Ezra Cornell’s farm. He mentioned that corn was likely grown where we stood and that the rest of the land was probably flat, as opposed to all the trees we see on campus now. It was interesting to find out that the garden came about through the CCC, information that I had not known prior. In addition, I found out that the rock near the welcome center is named llenroc, which is actually just Cornell spelled backwards!

I found it funny when our tour guide kept mentioning all the buildings that were built for the university, taking away some of the open green space. I do appreciate the fact that we have so much nature within and around our campus because it provides a place to relax and not have to worry about the stress of school. The convenience of the gardens was also appealing, as finding something similar at Harvard would require a longer drive.

I loved seeing the variety of plants in the botanical gardens. I was surprised to hear that the plants near the entrance of the welcome center are all tropical plants, the banana tree among them. I plan to come back to the gardens before it gets too cold and also in the spring to see the flowers bloom.

When I signed up to attend a tour of Cornell’s Botanical Gardens, I had full intentions of enjoying all the scenery and horticulture that the establishment had to offer. And indeed, I admired and observed many fascinating plants from all around the world and learned a great deal about a variety of species up close and personally. However, what piqued my interest most was the people of the botanical gardens – those of the past, present, and future. Our charismatic elderly tour guide was happy to go into great detail about the group of individuals who made the gardens possible in its history. For example, the land was originally part of Ezra Cornell’s farm and likely was planted with corn. The infrastructure for trails of the botanical gardens can be attributed to President Roosevelt’s CCC that helped men during the great depression. I was astounded when I found out that current benefactors give approximately 5 million dollars a year for the gardens, and they are maintained by approximately 50 staff members. Many other interesting facts were presented during the tour, and I was so surprised to learn of all the effort, money, and green thumbs that go into the endeavor. I came to the gardens for the plants, but I think I will likely return to learn more about the history and people.

I was given the chance to explore the Botanical Gardens here at Cornell with my fellow Rose Scholars, and what can I say. It was an amazing experience that I will definitely do with my family when they come here.

The tour guide was a very friendly former professor here who I would love to tour again with when I do so with my family. It’s nice to see the passion that Peter had when talking about plants and their history on campus and arrival to campus. I do agree with his idea that Uris Hall is a pretty wacky looking building.

My favorite experience was finding out that they had edible plants. For some reason to me, it feels weird to just pluck a leave from a plant and just eat it straight up. I don’t take a cabbage off the plant and eat it right then and there. I strongly recommend eating some of the plants there to just get that offsetting thought in your head.

I don’t recommend eating the garlic chives though, they taste like garlic and affect your breath like garlic (unsurprisingly!)

I had the opportunity of going to the botanical garden on Saturday and I have to say I had such an awesome time! Peter was our tour guide, and he was the first interesting thing about the trip to the garden. He was a professor here at Cornell for 46 years in the plant sciences department and is now spending his retirement years talking about the beauty of the garden to any interested in learning. One really interesting fact I learned is that the botanical garden was previously a farm that belonged to Ezra Cornell. Another cool fact is that it takes about $5 million to run it each year! I got to meet a few new people too. Overall, it was an awesome experience and if you haven’t visited the garden yet, you should totally take some time to, it’s right by Mann Library on the Ag Quad.

If you haven’t made your way to Cornell’s Botanical Garden, you are truly missing out. The event hosted by Rose Scholars was a wonderful treat and a lovely chance to visit one of the university’s best offerings. Once we arrived, we were greeted by retired Professor Peter Davies, who provided our group with the history behind the garden. I found it quite interesting that the garden had been a part of the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) initiative, a piece of history I am familiar with but didn’t know had presence here at Cornell! Another fun fact we learned was that the name Llenroc is Cornell spelled backwards! Until it had been spelled out loud, however, I had not picked up on the significance.

It was lovely to see the plethora of plants that make up the garden. In particular, it was quite interesting to see a banana plant in up-state New York! I am glad that the gardens are so close by and plan to go back for some peaceful study time before the weather turns cold. I also can’t wait to see what the garden has to offer in the spring time after the long winter ahead!

Cornell has a beautiful campus with gorges and rustic buildings wherever you look. I have certainly not felt that Cornell could be more beautiful, but my walk to the botanical gardens definitely made me enjoy Cornell a lot more. The Botanical Gardens are such a great place to relax and study on an already beautiful campus that makes Cornell such a unique place to be for college. Being able to connect with nature on such a daily basis is something that I think students take for granted and should cherish the experience while they can.

Taking a tour of the Cornell Botanic Gardens was an enlightening experience. As we strolled through, Professor Davis provided interesting facts and insight that I had not known on my previous trips to the Gardens. I learned about its history and evolution through the years which was fascinating to envision. It was a reminder to appreciate the beauty of nature.

Arriving in the Botanic Gardens and learning that the plants are arranged in such a strategic manner was amazing because I never thought about how much planning, work, and money was needed to maintain the Gardens. There was definitely a lot of attention to detail which manifested through the overall lovely landscape. My favorite thing that I learned was the fact that the Nevin Welcome Center was designed and built with the intent of blending into the landscape and accenting it as opposed to having an obstructive presence. Its green-top ceiling added to this effect. I also appreciated that the Nevin Welcome Center uses solar power to heat its water. In addition, it has built-in blinds on the outside that are meant to let in sun, especially in the winter, to provide a more immersive experience for visitors inside the center. I very much enjoyed seeing how the engineering behind the Center contributed to the experience of enjoying nature at the Botanic Gardens.

I do not know why I still chose to linger in the Botanical Gardens with so much work on hand.

Maybe it’s the longing to commune closer with nature, even though it’s half man-made.

The most impressive part of the guided trip was in the herb gardens. For the first time in my life I got to go near the herbs that I’d only seen on the scent bottles, in poetry, or in ancient myth. It was a strange feeling, as if the fairy-tales are actually tangibly true, and as if the herbs acted as an Einstein-Rosen bridge (forgive me on the somewhat fancy words, but I really prefer a bridge than a hole here) that connected the ancient times to what we are in now. For the first time I got to pick some tips of the leaves (after begging the pardon of the poor plants), crush them between my fingers and savour the scent. Through the scent my mind wandered to what the ancients thought when they are facing the fragrant herbs.

I came to the Botanical Gardens for the love of plants. But this trip brought me to history. The words from one of my professors were right. History is not just a process of accumulating knowledge. We were just like the bear in the cornfield, gaining as we go along, but losing in the same time. The plants, exploited by us, have stored their memory from generations to generations, but they still grew so tame–but maybe this is another strategy in the battle of survival. This conflict! This co-existence of law of the jungle and so-called poetic beauty! Lost pondering on our reasons of being born.

Quite unsure what I have been writing. Let these insane little articles exist.

Every time I visit Cornell Botanic Gardens, there is always something new that I can learn. I have visited the Botanic Gardens multiple time for my classes and learned about the various herb gardens and the start of the Botanic Gardens. Similarly, today, I learned more about the history of Cornell and the Botanic Gardens, various types of plants, and how the gardens are organized. However, the most valuable lesson that I learned is that the Botanic Gardens provide such a peaceful environment and that it isn’t a place just for course usages. There are many outdoor areas with tables that allow students and visitors to study or relax while being surrounded by nature. I definitely appreciate that this precious location is near me and that I should more often visit to discover the hidden treasures of Cornell Botanic Gardens.