My husband and I had the opportunity to spend a week in Washington Heights, Upper Manhattan last March 31 to April 7 to visit our son David and his family who moved to New York in the summer of 2021 to start his doctoral degree last fall.

We landed at LaGuardia Airport at 8:25 p.m. on March 31 after a two-hour plane delay (yikes). Our son David picked us up and by the time we got to their apartment the grandkids were already asleep.

We woke up late Friday morning and the kids had already left for school. It was their last day before spring break. Lukas, almost six, is a Kindergartener and Amos, 9, is a Third Grader. We did not get to see the boys until late that afternoon. They put on a show for ‘'Lolo'' and ‘‘Lola'' in the evening and we had so much fun with them.

Our first day out was around 10 a.m. on April 1. Our daughter-in-law Koritha was our gracious tour guide and host. The first thing that hit me walking the sidewalk to catch the bus was the cold. The sun was up but it was cold; we wore layers, but it was still bitingly cold especially when the wind hits the face. My second impression walking the street was, "there's soooo many people here." Washington Heights is truly a culturally diverse community.

Our first stop was THE MET Cloisters located on Fort Tryon Park, a 10-minute bus ride from their apartment. THE MET Cloisters is a beautiful museum which houses a collection of medieval art and authentic French and Spanish monastic cloisters and a Romanesque chapel and apse (a projecting part of a building [such as a church] that is usually semi-circular and vaulted).

THE MET Cloisters on Fort Tryon Park, NY, NY

Mask mandates were for all visitors over the age of two inside the building even if you are vaccinated. Everyone was mindful of the health and safety protocols.

Fodors.com aptly describes THE MET Cloisters:

"Perched on a wooded hill in Fort Tryon Park, near Manhattan's northwestern tip, the Cloisters Museum and gardens houses part of the medieval collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is a scenic destination. Colonnaded walks connect authentic French and Spanish monastic cloisters, a French Romanesque chapel, a 12th-century chapter house, and a Romanesque apse. One room devoted to the 15th and 16th century Unicorn Tapestries, which date to 1500: a must-see masterpiece of medieval mythology. The tomb effigies are another highlight. Two of the three enclosed gardens shelter more than 250 species of plants like those grown during the Middle Ages, including flowers, herbs, and medicinals; the third is an ornamental garden."

It was amazing to see the medieval collections of monastic chapels and art pieces. I was even more excited to visit the gardens and to learn about the role gardening played in medieval monastery living. "Mom, you will surely love the gardens at the Cloisters," were my son's words to me before he left for the university earlier that morning.

The first garden we visited was my favorite: the Bonnefont Cloister Garden which overlooks the southern end of Fort Tyron Park and the Hudson River.

"The gardens of the Museum, evoke those that provided sustenance and spiritual refreshment within the medieval monastery. Designed as an integral feature of the Museum, the gardens have been a major attraction of The Cloisters since its opening in 1938, enhancing both the setting in which the Museum's collection of medieval art is displayed and the visitor's understanding of medieval life. The gardens are designed and maintained by a horticultural staff actively engaged in researching and developing the living collection."

The Bonnefont Cloister Garden/Herb Garden in the Summer

Picture courtesy of THE MET Cloister

A cloister is an open courtyard with covered walkways around the sides and a garden in the center. The cloister was the heart of every monastery; it connected the places where the monks or nuns conducted their daily routine.

The design of the Bonnefont Cloister Garden is like the standard layout of a cloister garden in a religious  monastery:  square with a well head in the center and four trees around it. This is the same pattern in the garden of the Cuxa Cloister. Each garden has been organized thematically in different plots. The plots each focus on plants from a different aspect of medieval life: vegetables (that would have been eaten), arts & crafts (for example, inks and dyes), brewing, housekeeping, medicine, and magic. Garden programming and tours explain the uses of each plant.

I saw two pear fruit trees espaliered like forks standing tall behind two opposite walls of the garden. One had bare branches while the other had budding branches already coming out. All the branches on the trees grow straight out, to either side, then straight up. Like the prongs on a fork. When these pear trees were young, and the branches were still soft, the gardeners trimmed off the ones in front and back and left only pairs of branches on opposite sides, until they grew into such beautiful trees. The two trees looked old; and when I inquired about their age, I was informed the trees are at least 81 years old!

There are four plots strategically located in the Bonnefont garden each planted with a quince tree in addition to the thematic plots in the gardens. Many of plant beds looked bare and dormant as seen from the pictures I took.

The Bonnefont cloister garden is always changing according to the museum's literature depending on the time of the year. The herb garden has its own character in each season. I am sure it is always fun to visit the gardens during late spring, summer and fall seasons. 

Two espaliered pear trees growing at opposite sides of the Bonnefont Cloister Garden

Here are some of the collections of plants growing in the Bonnefont Cloister Garden (majority are not familiar to me at this time but I will be researching them later):

Plants in the Medicinal Bed:

Agrostemma githaho, Corn Cockle                Alcea rosea, Hollyhock          

Althaea officinalis, Marshmallow                   Ammi visnaga, Tooth-Pick-Weed

Aristolochia clematitis, Birthwort                  Asparagus officinalis, Asparagus

Calendula arvensis, Field Marigold                Calendula officinalis, Pot Marigold

Digitalis purpurea, Foxglove                          Ecballium elaterium, Squirting Cucumber

Ferula communis, Giant Fennel                     Mandragora officinarum, Mandrake

Papaver somniferum, Opium poppy               Rheum officinale, Medicinal Rhubarb

Rose gallica, Apothecary Rose                       Salvia officinalis, Common Sage

Symphytum officinale, Comfrey                    Tanacetum parthenium, Feverfew

Thymus officinalis, Thyme                             Valeriana officinalis, Common Valerian

 

Plants in the Household Bed:

Artemisia abrotanum, Southernwood            Artemisia absinthium, Absinthe Wormwood

Ballota nigra, Black Horehound                      Cytisus scoparium, Scotch Broom

Filippendula ulmaria, Meadowsweet              Iris ‘Florentina' Orris, Fleur-de-Lis

Lychnis coronaria, Mullein Pink                      Lavandula angustifolia, English Lavender

Melissa officinalis, Lemon Balm                     Mentha pulegium, Pennyroyal

 

Plants in the Bonnefont Cloister Herb Garden with Quince Trees:

Allium cepa, Shallot                                     Allium porrum, Leek

Allium sativum, Garlic                                  Allium schoenoprasum, Chives

Armoracia rusticana, Horseradish                  Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima, Wild Sea Beet

Borago officinalis, Borage                             Brassica nigra, Black Mustard

Brassica oleracea, Kale                                 Calendula officinalis, Pot Marigold

Centranthus ruber, Red Valerian                    Cichorium intybus, Chicory

Coriandrum sativum, Coriander                     Crambe maritima, Sea Kale

Eruca sativa, Rocket Arugula                         Eryngium maritimum, Sea Holly

Lactuca virosa, Wild Lettuce                          Levisticum officinale, Lovage

Lupinus luteus, European Lupine                   Myrrhis odorata, Sweet Cicely

Ocimum basilicum, Basil                               Petroselinum crispum, Neapolitan Parsley

Pisum sativum, Common Pea                        Rumex acetosa, Garden Sorrel

Silybum marianum, Milk Thistle                    Taraxacum officinale, Dandelion

Thymus serpyllum, Creeping Thyme              Vicia faba ‘Martock,' Broad Bean

Plants in the Magic Bed:

Achillea millefolium, Common Yarrow           Achillea ptarmica, Sneezewort

Adonis aestivalis, Pheasant's Eye                 Alchemilla vulgaris, Lady Mantle

Artemisia vulgaris, Mugwort                        Arum italicum, Italian Arum

Atropa belladonna, Belladonna                    Catananche caerulea, Cupid's Dart

Colchicum autumnale, Autumn Crocus         Consolida regalis, Larkspur

Hypericum perforatum, St. John's Wort         Papaver rhoeas, Corn Poppy

Plantago major, Common Plantain                Sempervivum tectorum, Houseleek

Salvia glutinosa, Jupiter's Distaff                  Verbascum thapsus, Mullein

 

Plants in the Love and Fertility Bed:

Aquilegia vulgaris, Columbine                        Fragaria vesca, Wild Strawberry

Lilium candidum, Madonna Lily                      Hyacinthoides non-scripta, English Bluebell

Viola odorata, Sweet Violet                            Rosa alba ‘Semi-plena,' White Rose

 

Plants in the Arts and Crafts Bed:

Anthemis tinctoria, Golden Marguerite          Carthamus tinctorius, Safflower

Chelidonium majus, Greater Celandine         Crocus sativus (dormant), Saffron Crocus

Dipsacus sativus, Teasel                              Equisetum hyemale, Horsetail

Indigofera tinctoria, Indigo                           Iris germanica, Flag Fleur-de-Lis

Reseda luteola, Weld                                    Onopordum acanthium, Cotton Thistle

 

Plants used in Medieval Brewing:

 

Humulus lupulus, Hops                                  Tanacetum balsamita, Costmary Alecost

 

It is interesting to note that the many plants depicted in the art exhibits including the profusion of flowers in the Unicorn tapestries are brought to life in the gardens. Two hundred fifty kinds of plants are grown in the Bonnefont cloister garden, each of them used in the Middle Ages.

As an extension of the museum itself, the gardens are a living history for visitors to see, learn, and experience how and what people grew during the medieval times. And to know that these plants and flowers continue to be cultivated and planted in the 21st century and that some are growing in our gardens today is absolutely amazing!

Given another opportunity, I would like to revisit THE MET Cloisters again in the summer or early fall to experience the beauty of the gardens at their height of splendor. And add the New York Botanical Garden to the itinerary too. Just saying…

References:

THE MET Cloisters website page:  metmuseum.org

THE MET Cloisters Museum Guide

Fodors.com

Gardencollage.com