I don't generally count community gardens as part of this blog's quest to visit every park in New York City. There are six or seven hundred such gardens all over the five boroughs, and they're fundamentally different from parks. A park, for my purposes, is a space free from motorized traffic and intended at least in part for passive enjoyment. A garden is for growing things, whether for consumption or beauty or education.
I've made exceptions in the past when a community garden has something special about it or something that just appealed to me. The Liz Christy Garden in Manhattan's East Village is special, if only for the distinction of being the city's very first community garden.
Originally the Bowery Houston Community Farm Garden, the Liz Christy Garden was founded in 1973 by urban designer Liz Christy, who headed the city's Open Space Greening Program, and her Green Guerillas community activist group. They went on to create more green spaces around the city.
As City Lore explains: "Three decades into the movement, both the Liz Christy Garden and the Green Guerillas are established organizations that continue to provide leadership. Both welcome new gardeners and guerillas, for, as the gardeners’ orientation brochure so aptly states, 'In the dog-eat-dog world of Mother Nature, the weeds usually win.'"
Original founding member Donald Loggins recounted the garden's origin story to NY1 back on 2021.
When Christy died in 1985 the garden was renamed in her honor.
Community gardens often have charming disjunctions, like a path where brick-shaped blocks give way to larger, square slabs of bluestone or just find themselves in a bit a jumble. These bricks were repurposed from the buildings that once stood on the plot.
Unexpected details, like a dollar bill posted on a birdhouse or an antique birdbath on a stump, contribute to the character of places like this.
Wildlife is limited in community gardens because of their small size. Mostly you'll come upon birds, chipmunks, and squirrels. (And rats.) But if you're lucky you may come upon a human perched on a bench concealed by the dense flora. And if you're quiet you might even spot an individual maintaining the garden. Take photos and tread with caution, though, as these creatures are often shy.
The Liz Christy Garden also has a pond that is said to support fish, turtles, and frogs.
With its lush plantings and surprising seclusion this garden can offer a few minutes of nature and whimsy – things we city folk can all use more of.
All photos © Oren Hope
