Amid the noisy teeming streets and crowded sidewalks that form the gray and brick grid of lower Manhattan lie a surprising number of lush green spaces that harbor winding garden paths and leafy amphitheaters. These are the Neighborhood Gardens of the ‘Loisada’ in the Lower East Side. Started by local initiatives, often decades ago, they have been supported since 1978 by the city’s Green Thumb Project.
Hidden amidst the dense vegetation are tables and benches, composting areas and tool sheds, fountains and play areas, all inviting spaces where one can find refuge among trees that block out any hint of the surrounding buildings. The gardens are as diverse in use as they are diverse in character. In some gardens the plant beds and open space are a communal endeavor, with volunteers taking on the tasks of planting, weeding and maintaining the shared infrastructure. Other gardens offer private sections showcasing individual horticultural expression. Everywhere is an abundance of flowers, bushes, herbs, and vegetable plants that create sheltering spaces for meditation, reading or sitting with friends.
We chatted with an electrician repairing the wiring in a small reading room in a cozy treehouse gazebo. He had moved to the neighborhood recently and cherished the community he found in his garden. Nearby, we met a man whose bedroom window has, since childhood, overlooked the narrow alley that he and his neighbors have transformed into a green oasis of grape vines, hardy basil and tomato plants, and a carrier pigeon coop.
In all of the gardens, one can participate in vibrant activities that arise wherever people gather in community: discussions, music, dancing, harvest festivals. The gardens are de facto fair weather community centers where local organizations spread word of their activities. If you happen to stumble into one of these gardens, feel free to sit, to stroll, to enter into conversation with the diverse community of people: gardeners, caretakers, local organizers, artists, musicians, poets and fellow visitors. Everyone is welcome in these vital urban jungles!
For more information: Loisada United Neighborhood Gardens
Lisa Ann Fried, a close friend and a fabulous photographer, has spent many hours exploring these gardens. Click on her photographs below for a slideshow that captures the unique beauty of the Neighborhood Gardens of the Lower East Side.
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