Tucked away in Oyster Bay on Long Island’s North Shore, just 30 miles from New York City, the Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park is a rare surviving Gold Coast estate where historic architecture meets horticultural brilliance.
Once the private retreat of William Robertson Coe and his wife, Mai Rogers Coe, the 400-acre property blends naturalistic woodlands with formal gardens and historic greenhouses — many of which were designed in collaboration with the legendary Olmsted Brothers, successors to Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted.
Today, the Planting Fields offers something in bloom and much to do nearly every month of the year. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener, a fan of Gilded Age estates, or simply seeking a quiet escape outdoors, this historic site is one of Long Island’s premier year-round destinations.
Here’s our guide to all that Planting Fields has to offer — and the best time to enjoy its gardens, greenhouses, and beyond.
Main Greenhouse
Best Time to Visit: Year-Round
Step into a tropical wonderland — no matter the season. The Main Greenhouse is a warm, humid refuge during the coldest months, where exotic foliage and flowering plants transport visitors far from the chill outside. But it is equally a draw in the spring, summer, and fall months.
Built in stages from 1914 to 1929 by Lord & Burnham, the Main Greenhouse was designed by the Olmsted Brothers. Private winter gardens like this were popular in Victorian Britain and crossed over the Atlantic onto many estates in the Gilded Age until the stock market crash of 1929.
The large greenhouse is one of the very few that survive from that era and remains regularly open to visitors.
Originally dubbed the Hibiscus House, it is home to collections of begonias, cacti, ferns, hibiscus, orchids, and palms. Seasonal highlights include dramatic poinsettias in winter, Easter lilies in spring, and coleus in summer and fall.
The Main Greenhouse is open year-round from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, every day except Tuesdays and Christmas Day.
Watch our video short featuring the towering Bismarck Palm, lush orchids, and more tropical wonders inside the Main Greenhouse:
Camellia Greenhouse
Best Time to Visit: Mid-February into Early March
The Camellia House is typically in full bloom mid-February to early March and hosts an annual Camellia Festival held in February.
Largely the vision of the Olmsted Brothers in 1918 to serve as a show palace for the Coe family’s prized camellia collection, the space today showcases over 200 breathtaking varieties in bloom during the coldest months.
The humid, glass-enclosed house offers a welcome dose of color and fragrance when the rest of the landscape is still waking up from winter.
The Camellia Greenhouse is open Wednesday through Monday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Magnolia and Cherry Blossoms
Best Time to Visit: Mid to late April
Planting Fields puts on one of Long Island’s most dazzling spring displays each April, when its magnolia and cherry trees burst into bloom.
The show begins with star and saucer magnolias — large, fragrant blossoms in shades of pink and white that appear on bare branches. Shortly after, the cherry trees follow with their airy, delicate petals.
Many of these ornamental trees are planted near Coe Hall and along the Great Lawn, where their blooms frame the historic mansion in a pastel canopy.
Visitors walking through this part of the estate in April will often find the lawns speckled with petals — a favorite scene for photographers and picnickers alike.
Rose and Perennial Garden
Best Time to Visit: May through September
For continuous blooms all season long, the Rose and Perennial Garden is a must-see.
In late May to early June, the garden truly dazzles with its lush displays of peonies. These fragrant, showy blossoms are among the first to bloom, with large pink, white, and crimson flowers that draw visitors back year after year.
As the peonies fade, the garden transitions into waves of color from iris, daylilies, phlox, salvia, and coneflowers. Roses join the symphony in June.
Planted in color-themed beds and bordered by clipped hedges and stonework, the Perennial Garden has a relaxed, painterly quality that makes it feel timeless.
Designed for succession planting, the beds ensure that there’s always something blooming well into early fall — making this one of the most dynamic spots in the entire estate.
North and South Rhododendron Parks
Best Time to Visit: Mid-May
Winding paths through dappled shade lead visitors to one of the most colorful corners of the arboretum in late spring.
The South Rhododendron Park bursts into bloom with dramatic pinks, purples, reds, and whites — showcasing both native and Asian varieties planted as early as the 1920s. The rhododendron show then continues in the North Rhododendron Park.
The South Rhododendron Garden at Planting Fields bursts into color each May, with azaleas and rhododendrons in every shade from crimson to blush. (Image Credit: © Mogulesque. All Rights Reserved.)
The garden benefits from Long Island’s mild climate and acidic soils, creating ideal growing conditions.
Tucked beneath towering oaks and beeches, the flowering shrubs make this garden a favorite among photographers and nature lovers alike.
Italian Garden
Best Time to Visit: Late Spring through early Fall
Behind the Coe Hall mansion, the Italian Blue Pool Garden is one of the estate’s biggest draws. A formal garden, often referred to as the Italian Garden, its design evokes beauty, symmetry, and serenity.
Originally designed by landscape architect Guy Lowell in 1915, the garden centers around a striking cobalt-blue reflecting pool, surrounded by balustrades, stone urns, and a variety of formal plantings.
Seasonal plantings change throughout the year, but visitors in late spring through early fall will find lush arrangements of annuals and perennials, such as geraniums, salvias, and petunias, arranged in geometric beds.
Fountains and classical sculptures add to the Mediterranean atmosphere.
Sensory Garden
Best Time to Visit: Late Spring through early Fall
Created in 2015, the Sensory Garden is designed to engage all five senses. But it’s also developed with accessibility in mind, featuring raised beds, wide paths, and descriptive signage in large type and braille.
The plantings are chosen for their scent, texture, color, and sound — think fragrant herbs like lavender and thyme, velvety lamb’s ear, rustling ornamental grasses, and vibrant annuals.
Wind chimes and water features round out the sensory experience, making it a favorite spot for children, seniors, and visitors with disabilities.
Benches are tucked into shady nooks, making this a restful and rejuvenating stop during any visit — and for any visitor.
Rose Arbor
Best Time to Visit: Mid-June
A classic garden showpiece and a favorite spot for wedding photos, the Rose Arbor comes alive in mid-June with climbing and shrub roses spilling over trellises and winding along walkways.
Originally installed to evoke the charm of an English country garden, the arbor offers an immersive tunnel of blooms at their peak during early summer. Look for both heirloom and hybrid tea roses — selected for their fragrance, color, and graceful form.
Framed by carefully clipped hedges and adjacent formal beds, the Rose Arbor is best viewed just before or after the summer solstice.
Dahlia Garden
Best Time to Visit: August through October
Few areas at Planting Fields offer a more exuberant display of color than the Dahlia Garden in late summer and early fall.
Located near the Main Greenhouse, this garden explodes with hundreds of blooms in every imaginable shape and shade — from dinner-plate-sized blossoms to tightly curled pompons.
The dahlias are planted each spring and reach their peak from August through the first frost. Gardeners and florists alike will appreciate the careful curation and labeling of varieties, which span the full spectrum from soft pastels to bold oranges, reds, and purples.
This is one of the last gardens to bloom before the cold sets in — making it a final hurrah for Planting Fields’ growing season.
Beech Copse
Best Time to Visit: Late October
A testament to the Coe family’s love of trees, the Beech Copse offers one of the most serene woodland walks on the estate. Featuring mature European and American beech trees, some planted nearly a century ago, this shady grove is ideal for a quiet stroll year-round, but especially magical in the fall.
In late October, the canopy turns golden-orange and bronze, with dappled light filtering through the coppery leaves. The smooth, silver-gray bark and massive trunks give the copse a sculptural quality in winter, while spring brings soft green leaves and birdsong.
This lesser-known section of the estate reveals the quieter beauty of Planting Fields and is a must-visit for tree lovers and autumn walkers.
Bird Sanctuary
Best Time to Visit: Spring through Fall
Located in the northwest section of the property, the Bird Sanctuary at Planting Fields offers a haven for both migratory and year-round species. This quiet, wooded area was intentionally left wild to attract birds and small animals, and features native trees, undergrowth, and a small pond.
The sanctuary is especially active during spring and fall migrations, when warblers, thrushes, sparrows, and woodpeckers can often be spotted by patient birders.
A simple footpath loops through the sanctuary, with benches and viewing points for those hoping to listen or observe.
Bring binoculars and a little patience. This hidden gem can be one of the most tranquil parts of the estate — if planes flying above don’t disturb the silence.
Synoptic Garden
Best Time to Visit: All Year
Tucked in the northeast corner of the property, the Synoptic Garden is a five-acre outdoor library of living plants — designed to give visitors a broad overview of trees and shrubs that thrive in Long Island gardens.
The term “synoptic” means “overview,” and that’s exactly what this carefully organized landscape delivers.
Over 1,000 plants are arranged alphabetically by genus, with each labeled by Latin and common name, plant family, and country of origin. Visitors can walk through the beds and compare plant families side by side — spotting differences in structure, bloom time, and growth habit.
If it sounds like a living library of plants — that’s exactly what it is.
Created in the 1960s as an educational tool for horticulture students at Planting Fields and Farmingdale State College, the Synoptic Garden remains one of the most informative collections on the grounds.
Many of the species featured are well-known landscape plants — hydrangea, viburnum, lilac, forsythia, witch-hazel — but others, like yellowhorn (Xanthoceras), snowbell (Styrax), and hardy orange (Poncirus), may be entirely new to casual visitors.
Because of its diversity and layout, there is something blooming or of botanical interest in every season — from winter bark textures and hollies to spring dogwoods, summer clethra, and fall fruiting shrubs.
North Border Gardens
Best Time to Visit: Year-Round
Located along the estate’s northern edge, the North Border Gardens are especially beautiful in winter, when the textures of holly and dwarf conifers come to the forefront. Appreciate the natural structure of deciduous trees, stroll among the evergreen Holly Collection, and take in the always-in-season Dwarf Conifer Garden.
The varied plant textures, leaf shapes, and shades of green provide a different kind of beauty in the colder months, making this section a must-see for year-round garden inspiration.
Woodland Trails
Best Time to Visit: Year-Round
Explore over five miles of trails through 200 acres of woodlands, meadows, and historic tree collections. These wide, well-maintained trails are open year-round and are especially peaceful in winter, when snow dusts the canopy and sharpens the forest’s quiet.
Routes wind through collections of beech, oak, maple, and conifer trees, with interpretive signs and occasional wildlife sightings. Highlights include the Pinetum and scenic overlooks from the West Lawn.
Whether you’re up for a brisk winter walk or a long summer stroll, the trails offer something new every season.
Beyond the manicured gardens, Planting Fields offers over two miles of walking trails that weave through its woodland areas, meadows, and groves of native and exotic trees. These wide, well-maintained paths make it easy to explore the arboretum’s quieter corners and are accessible in every season.
The Coes were passionate tree collectors, and the trails pass through collections of beech, oak, maple, and conifer species, with interpretive signs along the way. Highlights include the Pinetum, a small forest of towering evergreens, and the West Lawn, which offers sweeping views of the estate’s open landscapes.
The trails are especially popular in spring and fall, but they provide a peaceful retreat year-round, even in the snow. Just be sure to wear your boots.
Coe Hall
Best Time to Visit: Year-Round
At the heart of Planting Fields stands Coe Hall, a stately Tudor Revival mansion that once served as the country home of William Robertson Coe and his wife, Mai Rogers Coe.
Built between 1918 and 1921, the 65-room mansion reflects the wealth and grandeur of Long Island’s Gold Coast era, with hand-carved stonework, wood paneling, and imported antique furnishings.
Visitors can explore both the interior and exterior of the house during seasonal tours. Inside, rooms are furnished to reflect the Coes’ lifestyle and include family portraits, a preserved library, and exhibition galleries. Temporary art and historical exhibits are also regularly on view.
Outside, Coe Hall forms the architectural centerpiece of the estate, flanked by the Italian Blue Pool Garden and the sweeping Great Lawn. Whether you’re taking in the details of the stone façade or attending one of the many events hosted on the lawn, Coe Hall offers an essential glimpse into Long Island’s gilded past.
