Bloomingdale Garden – Sidewalk Greenspace on New York's Upper West Side

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Welcome to the Garden!

Bloomingdale Garden is a tiny patch of green in public space on New York City’s Upper West Side. (The garden’s name pays homage to a traditional moniker for this area that dates back more than three hundred years.)

Located in containers and tree beds along the sidewalk of 219/217/215 West 106th Street, the garden only occupies about a hundred square feet, but provides a welcome splash of color to the neighborhood.

Scroll down for more photos and updates, or follow the garden on Bluesky.

My name is Matthew Cavalletto, and I’ve created this site to showcase the flora and fauna that make their home in and around my garden, and to answer some common questions asked by passers by. I’ll also share some notes about my experiences as a gardener, in hopes that this will encourage other people to create their own pocket gardens anywhere they can.

Spring Cleaning

After a long winter, and a couple of weeks out of town, I finally spent a few hours out in the garden getting ready for the growing season: cleaned up a bunch of last year’s foliage, mixed in two cubic feet of compost, and planted two flats of colorful annuals.

I was super pleased that two neighbors jumped in to help — one aerated the planters behind the fence and dug in some flower seeds, while another cut and attached new pieces of bamboo to reinforce the outdoor bench. (A third had swept up trash and dried leaves while I was out of town last week.) So nice to have the community support!

First Snowfall

Winter has come to the sidewalk garden.

Late-Blooming Geranium

The growing season is drawing to an end, but this colorful geranium on the steps of 217 W 106th doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo and is putting on a show amidst the drying grass and slowly-yellowing leaves.

Pink and Purple Blooms

Our garden got badly parched this summer, but it’s managed to bounce back a little as temperatures have dropped from their peaks.

Budding Hibiscus

Our hibiscus shrub (aka “Rose of Sharon”) is getting ready to flower for the first time this season.

Burdock In Bloom

I love the thistle-like flowers on our burdock plants!

Blazing

A nice fiery set of pansies has popped out following today’s rain.

Oleander Aphids

These bright-yellow oleander aphids are growing fat and plentiful on the sap of a dogbane plant. In agricultural settings, aphids are almost universally viewed as a pest, but I’m pleased to see them here in our tiny habitat, because I know they’re a favorite food for ladybugs and other insectivores whose numbers will be growing in the coming weeks.