This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and recently the Bowery Boys took a look back at its history — which begins with an ash dump. They recall: "the Garden was created out of an ash dump, landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers (later of Fort Tryon fame), 'for the advancement and diffusion of a knowledge and love for plants.' The garden's patron saint is most certainly Alfred Tredway White... an enlightened Brooklyn tenement owner and philanthropist who lobbied for and later helped fund the garden's creation and maintenance."
The Garden provides a nice timeline (with visuals) on their own site... it doesn't look like there were any cherry blossoms until 1941!
