New York Manhattan Gardens

View atop the Metropolitan Museum of Art

A recent trip to Manhattan in New York City gave me the opportunity to see so many wonderful gardens.  My last trip to the city was in the 1980s and Manhattan seems to be cleaner, warmer, and a little greener.

Riverside Park volunteers keep the flower beds beautiful.

I stayed a few blocks from Riverside Park with a longtime friend that I'm selling items for in my Etsy shop.  We took a quick stroll my first night in the city to this lovely waterfront park.  It has a historic feel to it as many monuments and older apartment buildings dot one side of the park.  The other side is on the Hudson River which divides Manhattan and New Jersey.   Several large flower beds containing an array of colorful and often unusual species are maintained solely by local residents.

I had read online about the transformation of an elevated rail bed into glorious gardens. I couldn't wait to go check out the High Line.

It was wonderful.  We walked for probably 2 hours on a Saturday and it became more and more crowded as we strolled. This project, which was probably once looked upon as a little crazy, has shot life back into the historic Meat Packing district. There are housing and retail projects popping up all around this popular walking trail.

Battery Park Flowerbeds

Another green area that is in the process of being transformed is down on the southern most end of Manhattan.  Battery Park is experiencing a lot of construction but the parts that were open were beautifully landscaped and the park also offers a side view of Lady Liberty. I could have stayed in this park all day, sitting among the gardens with a view of the water.

Unitarian Church sweet Statue.

As we explored Manhattan, I found myself trying to discover little secret gardens.  There was a welcoming respite from the city traffic at the 1819 historic Unitarian Church of All Souls. I also enjoyed spotting the balcony gardens that I so wished I could see closeup. Beautiful entryways are often landscaped as were the small beds around trees on sidewalks.

Of course there is "the park" of Manhattan and that would be Central Park. I only had time to explore the section around the lake near Columbus Circle.  I encountered, of all things, a Heron!  I never expected to see that in Manhattan.  The Elderberry, wild Raspberry, Daylily, and Bottle Brush Buckeye were in full bloom.

I was so impressed with the few gardens I visited over 4 days.  I know there are many more.

I LOVE NY - the city of GREEN.

-Rebecca