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“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

– Rachel Carson, marine biologist, author and conservationist

While there’s plenty of beauty to appreciate in the Park in winter, we can’t deny that during the colder months, we look ahead to the brighter, warmer days, when our open space grows green again, bursting with joyful spring color.

This past winter, the promise of spring’s renewal felt especially life-giving. That’s why we counted down the days, here on our website, and on social media (follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter).

Below, we put together some of our favorite springtime highlights.

Gallery of 2020 Blooms

Hudson River Park experienced a record-early spring in 2020, and an especially beautiful one. As we look ahead, enjoy some of our favorite photos from the Park’s last blooming season:

A Window into HRPK’s Apple Garden

We watched the arrival of spring in the Park in one of Hudson River Park’s most beloved gardens. As the season begins, we’re beginning to see colorful hues make their appearance. Soon, this view will fill with more blooms and greenery. spring in the apple garden

plankton image from microscope at Hudson River Park

Believe it or not, one of the biggest changes that takes place in HRPK each spring happens below the surface of the Hudson River. As conditions become just right, drifting plants, animals and other organisms, collectively called plankton, begin to reproduce and multiply — rapidly!

Juneberry or shadbush plant along bikeway

As we continue our spring countdown, we’re taking a closer look at the lives of the Lenape and their ways of celebrating the passage of the seasons.

crocuses in snow

To start the year fresh, we’re looking ahead to new beginnings. As we continue our Countdown to Spring, we put together some of our favorite pieces of wisdom about looking ahead to warmer, colorful days.

witch hazel tribeca 2020

The first of our Park’s deciduous plants has emerged from its seasonal slumber, witch hazel blooms beautifully along our Tribeca parklands.

Winter jasmine with its vibrant yellow hues

Bright winter jasmine, found in HRPK's Apple Garden, are among our first blooms of the season—a herald of colorful days to come.

red maple greenwich village

Red maples are one of the first trees to blossom in the Park, and spring is beginning to offer up its first flowers in our gardens too!

Dogwood Tree Yellow Blossoms

Spring is finally gracing us with warm, wonderful weather and new blooms, and we can’t wait to see you along our riverfront to kick off the season.

Orange tulips grow in the Apple Garden in Hudson River Park

When they spring up all throughout Hudson River Park, our tulips offer the colorful promise that the blooming season is here to stay.

Orange tulips

For our team, the Park’s tulips don’t just symbolize spring renewal; they serve as a living symbol of our dedicated Park community. Read an Earth Day tribute to the hard work of HRPK's Volunteers!

Pink Crabapple Trees

As our deciduous trees spread new leaves and our tulips reach their tallest, the bright, dense flowers of our crabapple trees expand a vibrant palette.

alliums

These cheerful flowers are members of the same family as onions, garlic and shallots, though ornamental alliums like ours are a much better match for a flowerbed than a salad bowl.

Tribeca Viewing Gardens Beauty Coneflowers Echinacea

With bright, daisy-like petals and spiny, dome-shaped heads, your Park’s Echinacea—commonly called coneflowers—are some of HRPK's most iconic summer-bloomers.

Vibrant pink hibiscus bloom in the Habitat Garden

Hibiscus and black-eyed Susans are bold, blooming reminders that summer is still in full swing along our riverfront!