Thank you for being a friend of the Liz Christy Garden!

The Liz Christy Garden, located on East Houston Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery in Manhattan, has offered visitors an oasis from the concrete jungle since 1973. It's the oldest community garden in New York City and is maintained and run entirely by a group of dedicated volunteers.

The garden's story began in a very different East Village. The lot, abandoned and full of bricks and other debris, attracted the attention of Liz Christy and a group of urban gardeners known as the Green Guerillas who aimed to bring trees and other bits of nature to what was then a fairly neglected area. The city of New York allowed them to lease this lot for $1 a year, and the garden was born with the mission to give the community a place to relax, reflect, and grow.

Over the years, the volunteers planted trees, including the iconic dawn redwood, one of New York City's designated Great Trees, and created a lush landscape through hard work and no small amount of compost. In 2005, after the construction of the residential building next door, the eastern section (near Second Avenue) was added to the garden, and the gardeners added a second pond, fruit trees and new places to sit back and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

We receive no funding from the city. As a volunteer-run community garden, we depend entirely on donations from the public to buy and maintain necessities like benches, tables, gravel for the paths, hoses, and of course, the beautiful flowers and trees. Please consider giving to help us keep the garden beautiful. No amount is too small. Honestly.

We look forward to seeing you at the garden sometime soon.