The Toyota Children's Learning Garden

Overview

The Toyota Children's Learning Garden is another garden that was rescued in 1999, this one by the New York Restoration Project (NYRP was founded by Bette Midler) with the land being safeguarded in perpetuity through its New York Garden Trust. NYRP states on their website “Like other greening organizations, NYRP understands the important social, environmental, and even economic roles that community gardens play in New York City...Our goal is to help neighborhood residents develop these shared patches of green into beloved institutions that bring beauty, joy, health, and revitalization to struggling communities across the city.” Nothing was spared when it came to creating the tasteful, understated elegant look of this green space. This is an designer garden done by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh from the Harvard Graduate School of Design that can certainly be placed into any horticultural garden competition. Winding marble pathways, shaded arbors, benches, bamboo groves, are all designed to make it an inviting yet chic place for children and NYRP will be running science and other programs to serve the over 22,000 children in the immediate area, 26% of whose families according to 2000 census data fall below the poverty line. Children will be learning composting as well as other garden maintenance techniques.

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