
Springtime in the Public Garden

April 29, 1910: Plants grown in the city of Boston greenhouses located on East Cottage Street in Dorchester got their first showing for spring at the Public Garden. The hyacinths were carefully spaced between the tulips. The Public Garden was created in 1837.
Boston Globe Archive
| March 20, 2013

May 11, 1911: Looking north across the pond from the suspension bridge on a typical weekend, one saw rowboats and swans. Renting and rowing small boats across the Public Garden's lagoon was a favorite activity of many Bostonians as was riding in the Swan Boats, which began operation in 1877.
Boston Globe Archive
| March 20, 2013

Undated: This vintage photo shows boxes of pansies and other flowers ready for planting in the Public Garden and women who stopped to admire the array.
Boston Globe Archive
| March 20, 2013

July 22, 1923: The equestrian statue of George Washington in the Public Garden is seen through the gate opening from Arlington Street. The bronze statute by Thomas Ball, a sculptor from Charlestown, was dedicated on July 3, 1869. The Custom House Tower stands out in the background.
Charles McCormick/ Globe Staff
| March 20, 2013

June 20, 1926: Students at the Rice School located at Dartmouth and Appleton streets studied one of the beautiful pansy beds in the Public Garden under the instruction of R.B. Smith, curator of the Barnard Memorial Branch Museum on Warrenton Street. This branch, part of the Children's Museum, opened in 1919 and closed in 1926.
Thomas O'Connor/ Globe Staff
| March 20, 2013

May 10, 1925: A couple strolled across the artistic iron suspension bridge that was built in 1867. The bridge spans the pond on which the youth of Boston skated in winter and rode in the famous Swan Boats during the summer.
Edmunds E. Bond/Globe Staff
| March 20, 2013

May 4, 1936: Ellen Colpoys McDonough posed by the tulip bed in the Public Garden.
Boston Globe Archive
| March 20, 2013

May 23, 1948: Averting a potential flower attack, a mother grabbbed her son's arm before he made a wild dash to join his curious brother (right) who is already down on his knees in the flower bed.
Boston Globe Archive
| March 20, 2013

April 21, 1971: School vacation week drew crowds to the Public Garden for photo opportunities. Earth Week in Massachusetts started the next Sunday and you can see shovels and picks to the right in preparation for a big Public Garden planting.
Joseph Runci/Globe Staff
| March 20, 2013