Shakespeare Garden in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Nov. 2006

Shakespeare Garden

This charming garden in the English cottage-garden style exhibits plants mentioned in the Bard's poems and plays. It is set on a sloping bank framed by a serpentine wall.

A special donation from Henry C. Folger, founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., paved the way for the construction of the original Shakespeare Garden in 1925. Located in the south field of the Children's Garden, it comprised a collection of herbs, flowers, shrubs, and trees flanking a flagstone path. A wooden bench nestling among the greenery completed the peaceful setting.

Over the years, the surrounding Austrian pines shaded out the garden. It was decided in 1977 that a better location would have to be found.

The new Shakespeare Garden, situated north of the Fragrance Garden, opened in June 1979. An oval brick path, lined on either side with flower beds, leads into the garden, and a teak bench and fountain help create the atmosphere of an English cottage garden of Elizabethan times. More than 80 of the plants mentioned in the works of Shakespeare grow here, with spring bulbs being the first to appear as the winter wanes. Common or Shakespearean names, the botanical name, references for relevant quotations and, in some cases, a graphic representation of the plant, are displayed on labels.

Following is a list of plants in the Shakespeare Garden:

Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)
Aconitum napellus (Monkshood)
Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert' (Anemone)
Aquilegia hybrids and sp. (Columbine)
Artemisia dracunculus (Tarragon)
Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' (New England Aster)
Astrantia major (Astrantia)
Aurinia saxatilis 'Sunny Border Apricot' (Basket of Gold)
Baptisia australis (Blue False Indigo)
Borago officinalis (Borage)
Calendula officinalis (Marigold)
Catananche caerulea (Cupid's-dart)
Chamaemelum nobile (Chamomile)
Clematis sp. (Clematis)
Crithmum maritimum (Sampire)
Crocus flavus (Dutch crocus)
Crocus korokowii 'Kiss of Spring' (Crocus)
Crocus vernus (Dutch crocus)
Cytisus x praecox (Broom)
Dianthus deltoides cv. (Maiden Pink)
Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Pikes Pink' (Pink)
Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove)
Dryopteris sp. (Wood Fern)
Echinops bannaticus 'Blue Globe' (Globe Thistle)
Eranthis cilicica (Eranthis)
Eryngium planum (Sea holly)
Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon' (Spurge)
Euphorbia characias (Euphorbia)
Filipendula ulmaria (Queen-of-the-Prairie)
Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel)
Fritillaria imperialis (Crown-Imperial)
Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra' (Crown-Imperial)
Fritillaria meleagris (Fritillary)
Fritillaria michailovskyi (Fritillary)
Fritillaria persica (Persian lily)
Fritillaria persica 'Adiyaman' (Persian lily)
Geranium sanguineum 'Johnson's Blue' (Bloody Geranium)
Hemerocallis fulva (Fulvous Daylily)
Hyacinthoides non-scripta (Hyacinth)
Hydrangea anomala ssp. Petiolaris (Climbing Hydrangea)
Ilex aquifolium (English Holly)
Ilex sp. (Holly)
Iris reticulata (Dwarf iris)
Iris x germanica (Fleur-de-lis)
Lamium album (White Dead-Nettle)
Lathyrus sp. (Pea)
Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender)
Lonicera periclymenum 'Monul' (Woodbine)
Lychnis flos-cuculi (Cuckoo-Flower)
Malva verticillata 'Crispa' (Curled Mallow)
Mentha sp. (Mint)
Mentha x piperita (Peppermint)
Narcissus 'Flower Record' (Narcissus)
Narcissus 'Queen of North' (Narcissus)
Onopordum acanthium (Scotch Thistle)
Ornithogalum oligophyllum (Star-of-Bethlehem)
Paeonia lactiflora (Garden Peony)
Papaver orientale 'Warlord' (Oriental Poppy)
Primula veris (Cowslip)
Primula vulgaris (English primrose)
Pulmonaria saccharata 'Mrs. Moon' (Lungwort)
Ranunculus acris 'Flora Pleno' (Meadow Buttercup)
Rosa 'Golden Showers' (Rose)
Rosa moschata var. plena (Musk Rose)
Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)
Ruta graveolens 'Blue Curl' (Rue)
Salvia officinalis (Garden Sage)
Salvia pratensis (Meadow Sage)
Salvia verticillata (Whorled Sage)
Santolina chamaecyparissus (Lavender cotton)
Satureja sp. (Savory)
Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue' (Pincushion)
Sium sisarum (Skirret)
Taxus baccata 'Stricta' (En