The Courtyard
Throughout the year, the ever-blooming Courtyard heart of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is transformed through a series of 10 dramatic seasonal displays that reflect Isabella’s passion for gardens as well as the skill and dedication of the Museum's horticulture team. From orchids to nasturtiums to Japanese-style chrysanthemums, stunning varieties of plants from disparate climates adorn the iconic space in imaginative ways, resulting in a transportative experience each and every visit.
Seasonal Courtyard Displays
February–March
Orchids
April
Hanging Nasturtiums
April–May
Spring Blooms
May–June
Hydrangeas
June–July
Summer Blues
August–September
Bellflowers
September–November
Chrysanthemums
December–January
A Holiday Garden
January–February
Midwinter Tropics
Horticulture at the Gardner
Long before she was a patron of the arts, Isabella loved to garden. She was fascinated with the co-mingling of art and horticulture, so she extended her unique curatorial approach to plants and flowers. This passion influenced her decision to build her Museum along Boston’s Emerald Necklace, and it would later inspire architect Renzo Piano to design the New Wing to be in conversation with the Museum's gardens.
Isabella’s Museum would not be what it is without the Courtyard. The most iconic view of the Gardner since it opened, the Courtyard has long been a source of wonder and fascination for visitors. In it, seasonal displays—some of which have roots back to Isabella’s time—of diverse plants, from tropicals to perennials native to the Boston area that couldn't live together in the same outdoor climate, complement stunning architecture. However, the plants on view represent only a fraction of the Museum’s Living Collection.
Few of the species on display can live forever in the Courtyard; most are grown at our offsite greenhouses and nursery and are trucked to the Palace in weekly and seasonal rotations. The Museum’s Horticulture team works tirelessly to nurture the plants both on and off display to create their own work of art at the very heart of the Gardner.