Not soon enough, we will be rewarded with the wonderful sights and sounds of springtime in New England. There is no better place to experience this than in Boston’s Public Garden. An oasis in the middle of the bustling city, the first public botanic garden in America is known for its array of beautiful plantings. Other points of interest such as the lagoon, suspension bridge, and monuments add to the allure of this park. Year after year, the colors of the cheerful pansies, tulips, hyacinths, and budding trees replace the anemic winter landscape. - Leanne Burden Seidel and Lisa Tuite
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Boston Globe Archive
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.
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Boston Globe Archive
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.
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Boston Globe Archive
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.
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Charles McCormick/ Globe Staff
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.
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Thomas O'Connor/ Globe Staff
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.
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Edmunds E. Bond/Globe Staff
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.
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Boston Globe Archive
May 4, 1936: Ellen Colpoys McDonough posed by the tulip bed in the Public Garden.
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Boston Globe Archive
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.
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Joseph Runci/Globe Staff
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.
