This is really a not-so-secret garden, except that so few people know about or appreciate it. The Roosevelt Island Garden Club blesses the community with peaceful floral graces and silence.
by David Stone
Note: The garden of 132 individual plots is open to the public on weekends from April through October “Enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural world.”.
Members get their hands, heads, hearts and souls into assisting nature as it sculpts plant life. You see it as soon as you step through an opened gate.
Walking the Secret Garden
Find the secret garden immediately north of McManus Field. Members have exclusive access during the week.
Inside, the spray of plant life spreads in every direction.
And it’s not just small plants. Among other trees, a black locust presides over the blossoms.
There are surprises. In Southpoint, a mini urban forest is taking root, but here, you find a different cluster rising.
A trail leads through a small bamboo forest.
Follow it and find something hidden you don’t expect…
A lily pond is home to goldfish, and fountains trickle safely away from the urban noise just across the river.
A Buddha garden brings spirit among flowers and grasses.
Rhododendrons align a paved path.
Fig trees overlook an array of grasses and flowers.
Snowy illusions open your eyes to unexpected possibilities.
Before you’re done, an escort of irises along the path…
A last word…
Hectic lives in a speeded-up city need the gifts this secret garden offers. An intense sensory bath in nature’s gifts awaits.
Don’t miss out, and remember to thank the careful gardeners. This is a gift. All it demands in return is your appreciation.
You Can’t Be All Three
April 9, 2026, during the full board meeting of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, Fay Christian said something that should have landed harder than it did. She wished RIOC were not responsible for the tram. Then she asked what it would look like if it were given to the MTA. That was not a passing comment.
