• Strawbale Troll House
• Gaia the Turtle Wetlands Edible Garden
• Sod Salamander
• MeadowLabyrinthBird Habitat Reading Tree Links

The Garden

Come visit us and explore!
View the 2009 Photo Gallery

Things to know about the Garden:

• We are a public garden located at the southern end of Cass Park on Rt. 89 in Ithaca, NY.


• We are conveniently located near the Waterfront Trail.


• The Garden is open dawn to dusk


• There is no admission fee


• Wheelchair accessible pathways that connect all of our garden features.

This year we collaborated with Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Celebrate Urban Birds Program. Check out the partner spotlight on their webpage!

In 2009 numerous garden features and whimsical landscape elements were added. Here is the 2009 timeline.

March:
Bulbs planted in Fall 2008 provided a showy pathway border in our labyrinth which made it easy to find the way from beginning to end.

April:
A group of Cornell volunteers built two elongated teepee trellises in the Edible Garden from donated willow branches.  The trellises supported several varieties of beans and peas this year and left the center open so children could walk through.

Trees were planted throughout 2009 but ten were planted by community members and the local Urban 4H group to celebrate National Arbor Day.

Two gorgeous, hand-crafted iron benches were built by local artist-blacksmith Durand Van Doren and installed facing the Edible Garden. 

May:
An 8 post locally harvested Black Locust arbor was installed by five volunteers marking the Garden's official Entryway. 

An ornamental planting surrounding the Entryway draws visitors in.   Display cabinets along with new garden benches share information about the Garden and upcoming programs and events.

June:
Twelve Leopold Benches are built from local Black Locust.  Garden seating has always been limited, but visitors can now get comfortable and stay for a while.  Most of these benches were added beneath the Story Tree where our most popular program, Summer Sprouts, meets.  

July:
Two decorative gates were built on the north and south end of the Edible Garden.  The salvaged doors with trowel handles make it easy for families to walk into our tasting garden and enjoy all the fruits and vegetables. 

A Bird Garden, funded by the John Ben Snow Foundation, was designed and installed by the Youth Horticulture Apprentice Program.  This garden includes a whimsical kid-sized bird nest for creative play.

Approximately 100 plants were added to Meadow to help provide an extended bloom season.

The deer fence surrounding the edible garden got a face lift.  Ash and Black Locust branches were harvested and attached to our split rail fence to reinforce our Garden’s rustic appeal and provide some much needed deer protection.

August:
A large pergola fashioned with bench seats and four raised, handicap accessible garden beds was added to the Edible Garden. 

The existing water line was extended creating three new spigots and drinking fountains.  This garden feature is imperative to the expansion of the Garden as new areas are designed and installed. 

A 10’ wide, 200’ long accessible pathway was installed.  This pathway connects all of the Garden features and helps visitors navigate between.

The garden swings were renovated and rebuilt with paint donated by Sherwin Williams.

Our Strawbale Troll House was installed in 2008. Read about its construction here (pdf).

See how the Troll House was built in this short video.

Gaia the Turtle and the Wetland Habitat Gardens

Located at the southern end of the Garden, you can't miss Gaia and her wetland. Gaia is a 30' by 60' snapping turtle built in 2005 by Bo Atkinson. Feel free to play on Gaia but be careful of the construction to the plates on her back. We are in the process of replacing the soil and plant material so visitors can play more comfortably. Another feature on Gaia's shell is the lunar calendar. Can you find the full moon on Gaia's back?

Edible Garden

The Edible Garden had its permanent design installed in 2007. The Youth Horticulture Apprentices installed the split rail fence that defines the Edible Garden during the summer of 2007 and in November 2007 construction began to shape the pathways and beds of the new area. View the design (pdf). There is an herb garden lush with several varieties of sage, thyme, oregano, and mint as well as medicinal herbs such as pennyroyal and bee balm. The Edible Garden also includes a perennial fruit garden with June bearing strawberries and asparagus. Themes within the Edible Garden change each year. Past features include an Old World/New World Pizza Garden, Salsa Garden, Pickling Garden, Ugly Vegetable Garden, and Alphabet Garden.

Sod Salamander

In May 2007, Cornell student and ICG intern, Danielle Hodgins led a living sculpture workshop at the Garden. Participants learned the techniques to create sod sculptures and ICG gained a great addition to the wetlands area.

Meadow

The Meadow is lush with flowering perennials Spring through Fall. The Meadow provides a rich habitat for numerous insects and birds and is incorporated into many education programs.

Labyrinth

Our labyrinth is 60' x 60' across. It is virtually hidden in the summer, but it is located due east from the Edible Garden. In the spring, the labyrinth is bursting with daffodils.

Bird Habitat Garden

Installed in 2009, the Bird Habitat Garden includes three separate garden beds planted with trees, shrubs and perennials chosen to attract several local species to the Garden. See the Children's Garden's Partner Spotlight on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Celebrate Urban Birds website. If your group would like to participate in a Celebrate Urban Birds citizen science activity at the Garden, contact us at 272-2292 or ithacachildrensgarden@cornell.edu.

Story Tree

A large Pin Oak near the labyrinth is affectionately called the Story Tree as it has become the favored spot to gather during our most popular summer program, Summer Sprouts. There is seating for more than twenty with views of the inlet and East Hill.

615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14850-3555. 607 272 2292, fax: 607 272 7088