by Tracy Kaler
| The 91st Street Garden in Riverside Park seems to become more lush with each passing day. |
Just when I thought it couldn't be any more lovely than it already was, the 91st Street Garden in Riverside Park came into full bloom over the past week. With winter far behind us and spring's chilled air on hold in New York City, the lush greenery and multi-colored varieties of flowers have quickly taken over the two sculpted parcels between 90th and 91st Streets. Each day I walk by in disbelief, snapping yet another photo for the blog; the garden appears more full, more colorful, and more exquisite than the day before.
The Garden People are responsible for these two little slices of heaven on the Upper West Side. In 1981, a group of volunteers began planting in this location when their previous 96th Street garden was demolished for a new building. Since then, they've encouraged the revival of a distressed, Riverside Park from the 1970s and '80s. The Garden People brought color and vitality back to the park, and by the late '90s, it was ready for its screen debut landing a supporting role in the well-loved film, You've Got Mail, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.
Today, more than 40 people tend to their individual plots, working regularly to maintain the garden and enhance this promenade section of the park.
I'm sharing a few of my most recent photos with you. I'll return to the garden later this afternoon, and it will most likely be more gorgeous than yesterday.













