If you are in the plant world there are few more glamorous nights than Wave Hill’s al fresco gala, which sends paper lanterns into its dense greenery and fairy lights across its lolling hills. This year’s edition landed on a perfect not yet fall night—the sunset went down over the Hudson River while well-heeled guests like art collectors Philip and Shelley Fox Aarons aerated the great lawn or else ambled through the Bronx garden’s maze of overflowing green houses with cocktails in hand. In the background buzzing, there were crickets, a DJ set, and a silent auction for rare bulbs and plants. The funds raised at the annual Gardener’s Party go towards the care of the world-class gardens, grounds and horticulture program.
Things got more heated when guests sat down for the live auction and rousing speeches on the evening’s honoree, celebrated urban designer and landscape architect Signe Nielsen. If you’ve spent time in New York, you’ve surely experienced her handiwork, which has shaped the city from the ground up, including, most recently, its expansion: Little Island. Nielsen also played a hand in the current iteration of Wave Hill, which has become more accessible in all its emerald dimensions under her guidance. Seeing stars peeking in above the din of city lights as dessert rolled out, one got the feeling that this idyll has a bigger role to play in the city fabric. With revelers like these behind them, that next chapter can’t be far away.
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