What a winter this is so far!

Karin Kiontke

It is February 2026, not quite too late to wish everyone a healthy, peaceful and joyous new year.

Last year, we had been wondering if this winter would bring us more snow than the previous years. If this was a wish, it was surely granted. In January, it snowed multiple times. We had to deal with nasty sleet and ice one weekend and the following week (on January 25), we got as much as one foot of snow. Our snow team was ready and came out to shovel four times on this Sunday and again the next day. We can be proud of doing a better job than many home- and business owners. Fortunately, the snow was at first light and fluffy and could even be removed with a broom.

This snow came during a long cold spell, which means that now, two weeks later, it has not yet melted. While the stubborn snow banks at the road sides are quickly becoming an ugly grey eye sore, the snow in the garden is still white and pristine.

We know that under this blanket, life is stirring. The snow drops, here photographed just before the snow fell, will continue to open their buds once the sun and the heat they produce themselves have melted the icy cover. Soon they will be joined by crocuses and lenten roses. It may be hard to believe on a day with temperatures in the teens, but spring will come before we know it.

The first snow

Karin Kiontke

This morning, it snowed for the first time this season. As usual, a gardener snow team got the shovels out shortly after the last flake fell (a friendly super from a neighboring building usually helps with a motorized plow).

The sidewalk is clear!

During the last two years, we got very little snow. In 2023-2024, only a little more than 2 inches fell over the entire winter. Last season was not much better. Maybe things will be different this year. Snow is good for the garden. It covers the sleeping plants with a relatively warm blanket and it provides water once it thaws. Lets hope for more of it, we’ll be ready!

Francine Demeulenaere’s artwork “Ladder of Peace” in the snow.

A Little Free Library

Karin Kiontke

In June, the membership of LaGuardia Corner Gardens agreed to get a Little Free Library. Who has not heard of Little Free Libraries or hasn’t seen one, they are public boxes through which people can exchange books free of charge. There are thousands of these libraries in many countries. We wanted to add one at our garden as a way to give back to the community.

It took until this weekend to finally set up our new library. Laine, our wonderful volunteer, received it, put it together and installed it at the back gate of the garden (on the outside to make it available at all times). We still have to do a bit of paperwork to add it to the map of libraries, but it is ready to receive books. I heard this morning that some books already made it on its two shelves. Yay!

Laine and Gabrielle put the last screws in. We chose sky blue for our library to match the color of the labyrinth.

Update: A couple of days later, Kermit moved into the library 😂.

Late fall with cookies

Karin Kiontke

Last weekend demonstrated what is most likely to get many of us to the garden on a chilly and windy day: cookies! Two garden members had the wonderful idea of organizing a cookie exchange. Many gardeners obliged and brought cookies of many kinds: There were three kinds of home-baked chocolate-chip cookies, cat-tongue cookies, green-tea cookies, almond crescents, lemon-marmalade cookies, ginger snaps, cardamom pistachio cookies some chocolate bombs with dried cherries and more. We ate ourselves to a sugar high. It was so delicious and so much fun! We decided to make this a tradition for a late fall get-together before the winter break.

A few days later, it got quite warm again and it finally rained a bit. Our garden is still not ready for winter. See for yourself: Roses, Dahlias, and asters are still blooming. There was even a sunflower and some tomatoes, as well as marigolds, usually the first to succumb to the lightest frost.

Next week is Thanksgiving and the Christmas tree vendors have set up shop in front of the supermarket. Winter will be coming eventually. It just seems that it is coming later and later every year.

The Seed Labyrinth looks fresh again

Karin Kiontke

More than 10 years ago (in 2011), our then-chair Sara Jones painted a labyrinth on the large empty patch of pavement next to the garden. We always see people of all ages walk (and sometimes run) through this labyrinth. It has become a beloved fixture in our neighborhood.

To keep it visible, the labyrinth has to be freshened up regularly. This year, it was really faded until Halloween weekend, when our wonderful volunteer Laine repainted it in the original sky blue.

We gardeners and our neighbors are happy that the labyrinth looks so beatiful and bright again. Thank you Laine!

Walk a labyrinth for reflection and relaxation. If you want to find other labyrinths in NYC and elsewhere, check out the labyrinth locator.