History of Queens Botanical Gardens
The Queens Botanical Garden was founded in 1939 as a cooperative effort between the New York City Parks Department and the Queens County Farm Museum. Initially, the garden was only a small plot of land used for gardening demonstrations and horticultural education.
In the 1970s, the garden began to expand and develop new features, including the Rose Garden, the Bee Habitat, and the Butterfly Garden. In the 1980s, the garden underwent a major renovation, which included the construction of a new Visitor & Administration Building and the expansion of the garden’s educational programs.
New York City took control of the Queens Botanical Garden in 1992 after the previous board of directors was asked to leave owing to dereliction of duties. The Queens Botanical Garden Society ran the show till 1993, after which Susan Lacerte was appointed the director. Soon after, the garden started offering programs to the Korean, Chinese, and Spanish populations in the city. In 1997, the garden inaugurated its Korean garden, which was planted in recognition of the Korean population in Flushing. At that time, there were 60k Koreans living in the area.
