El Sol Brillante

Overview

A veritable garden of delights, El Sol Brillante (located closer to Avenue B than Avenue A). With its knock-out Julie Dermansky wrought-iron fence of whimsical animals, its stunning garden is in a league of its own. Replete with fig, peach and kiwi trees, flowers such as oak hydrangeas and roses, vegetables, herbs, a solar powered pump, numerous shady spots to rest in, this garden which is under a Land Trust has been around for over thirty years and grows better and better each year as a horticultural favorite. It manages to provide a good balance between individual plot beds and communal areas that include comfortable spots to sit, eat, drink and admire the landscape which includes bees in the daytime and fireflies at night. Cobblestones have been cleverly used to create a quiet stepped pathway in the rear of the garden. Like many of the best gardens, El Sol Brillante is composed of multiple city plots that were combined together after adjacent buildings burnt or fell down. The very density of gardens in this area is a strong indication of just how badly this part of the neighborhood was affected when it was burning down. The longevity of the garden is attested to by the size of its trees, including one which is taller than the neighboring seven-story tenement.

NYC East Village-Loisaida Community Gardens
updated 12/2012 by NYC Lower East Side East Village Community Gardens