A beautiful Way to Solve Water Problems

Walls, Drainage Swells, & Drainage Areas Under the Correctly Sloped Patio

Rock lined swales direct water around the house.  A large gravel drainage field behind the back wall allows a lot of water to percolate back into the groundwater.  A drainage field under the stone patio on stone dust captures water from the correctly sloped patio.  The excess water from both drainage fields empty into the swales.  Both walls act to visually enlarge the space – creating a foreground, mid-ground, and background — making the yard feel much larger.  The front wall also acts as a sitting wall for entertaining larger groups.

 

The “Before” picture, below, shows the steep slope that brought water directly into the house — not slowed at all by the poorly sloped concrete pad.  I’ll provide a more extensive discussion after we finish the project.  

 

"Before" - Water flowed directy down the hill into the house

 

 

Gardeners call it the “hellstrip,” that skinny bit of often-neglected grass sandwiched between the street and the sidewalk. Now, some are sprucing it up, transforming it from perennial eye-sore to showpiece.
Homeowners in cities and towns across the country are seeing opportunity in these plots—also called “parkways” or “tree beds.” They occupy choice real estate in front of a home, potentially contributing to visitors’ first impressions, not to mention a resident’s own view beyond the edge of a well-tended lawn.
In Medfield, Mass., Betty and Neal Sanders have planted tough perennials such as Joe-pye weed and creeping junipers in the strip between the sidewalk and the street.
Even diehard gardeners find, though, the strips of land—surrounded by concrete and asphalt—are subject to challenges including road salt and snowplows, foot and bicycle traffic, sniffing dogs and wayward trash.

Betty Sander's Sidewalk Gardening

Betty Sanders has lush gardens on two acres in Medfield, Mass., but every time she pulled in or out of her driveway, the strip in front of her house gnawed at her. “It just looked ratty all the time,” she says.
So, she and her husband recently used compost and shredded leaves from their own property to plant flowers in similar shades of blues and yellows that echo the rest of her garden. Now, “it’s a garden that introduces the rest of my property,” she says.

Whether or not they are technically part of a homeowner’s property can vary from city to city, even neighborhood to neighborhood. Homeowners are typically responsible for basic maintenance, like mowing, whether or not they legally own the property. Regardless of ownership, the strips are typically in the “public right of way,” meaning that homeowners have little recourse against passersby who trample on the petunias, says Eduardo M. Peñalver, a Cornell University law professor who specializes in property and land use issues.

The allée I created with Crepe Myrtle Tying My City Strip to the Rest of My Garden

In Takoma Park, Md., Jackie Braitman saw the weedy strip in front of her home as a chance to visually lengthen her small front yard and create “more of a sense of welcome,” she says. While the strip is technically owned by the city, she chose to do something fairly elaborate, planting two pink-flowering crape myrtle trees on the strip directly across from two crape myrtles on her own property. The effect is an “allée” for pedestrians, she says, as two sets of tree limbs reach towards one another, forming an arch over the sidewalk. Beneath the trees, Ms. Braitman, an architectural designer, chose plants that can withstand heat and other stresses, and that still have attractive foliage even when not in flower. Many of these plants are repeated in her own yard—such as coral bells (heuchera), Thunberg spiraea (Spirea thunbergii ‘Ogon’) and “Knock Out” roses. She spent about $500—most of which went towards the cost of a professional landscaper who put in the trees, which were about $100 each.

Susan Harris uses plant divisions or extras mostly from her own yard

Another gardener in Takoma Park, Susan Harris, uses plant divisions or extras mostly from her own yard, including a nice clump of Miscanthus grass, daylillies, cone flowers, and a sedum groundcover.

Ellie Dorritie's Hell strip in Buffalo, N.Y.,

Some gardeners see in these plots an opportunity to experiment with plants that they couldn’t otherwise get to grow in their own yards. Ellie Dorritie, a retired postal worker in Buffalo, N.Y., says the full sun exposure in her planting strip allows her to garden with different plants than what she can get away with in her much shadier yard.
Her garden scheme? “Cram it in,” she says. “I ask, ‘Does it bloom? Will it fight for space?’ If the answer is yes, it goes in.”

For the most part, she says, neighbors are respectful and appreciative. There was one tiff a few years ago with cable company workers who wanted to dig up the plot for an installation. After a few tense words, “they gave in,” she says. While the entire sidewalk was ploughed up in order to make room for fiber-optic cable, “they didn’t touch my strip,” Ms. Dorritie says.
In response to what some city officials see as growing enthusiasm for gardening in hellstrips, a number of municipalities are offering more latitude for planting in them, while still requiring that certain rules are met.
Seattle last year removed its permitting requirement for gardens in “planting strips.” Homeowners must adhere to certain plant height restrictions: Plants can’t exceed two feet near an intersection; areas within 10 feet of driveways must be clear of plantings that block the view for motorists and pedestrians, says Rick Sheridan, spokesman for the city’s Department of Transportation. While he isn’t aware of any specific accidents related to overzealous gardening in the strips, his office has received complaints about plants obstructing views at intersections, he says.
In California, Santa Monica says it supports “parkway” plantings, though the city technically owns the plots, as long as certain height requirements are met. Residents must get a permit before planting anything more extensive than a few annuals, says Russell Ackerman, a specialist in the city’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment. In the last two years, his office has offered grants of up to $5,000 for homeowner water-efficient landscaping projects and most of those applications include plans for parkway planting as part of the total makeover, while about a third are focused on just the parkway, he says.

Mr. Dawson's Strip Before

Mr. Dawson's Strip After 4 years

“Space for gardening can be limited because we’re a dense urban area,” says Mr. Ackerman. “Some people really latch on to that parkway and plant it up.”

Above is a view of Francis Dawsons’s hellstrip when he purchased his home in Santa Maria, California in 2004.  By 2008, the area in front of Mr. Dawson’s house had been transformed.  The bright orange blooms of California poppies are paired with the blue flower of spikes of salvia plants.  “Once you take out your lawn, magic things happen,” says Mr. Dawson.

Horticultural experts issue a few warnings to enthusiastic hellstrip gardeners. Jennifer Britton, assistant professor of landscape design at Montana State University, cautions against planting vegetables because of contaminants that can run off the nearby road.
Nina Bassuk, program leader of the Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University, says gardeners should make sure that their hellstrip planting doesn’t interfere with established trees. Trees play an important role in urban areas, she says, for providing shade, mitigating stormwater runoff, and helping improve air quality. So be careful when shoveling near root systems.
Some gardeners say they like the social aspect of gardening next to the sidewalk. “I spend a lot of time out there futzing,” says retired anthropology professor Jane Adams, “and I got to know everyone. The kids would stop and tell me how much they enjoyed it.” Her space in Carbondale, Ill., is filled with wildflowers such as cone flowers and tickseed.
Text and images are taken directly from print and online slideshow articles from the Wall Street Journal.

Write to Anne Marie Chaker at anne-marie.chaker@wsj.com

This "Devil Man" has guarded my gardens for the past 12 years as it did my Mother's for almost 30 years

1.  Think Style & Maintenance before Digging or Buying Plants
Sun versus Shade; Formal versus Casual; Modern vs. Traditional; Symmetrical vs. Balanced, Summer vs. Spring, Alfresco Dining vs. View From the Window,
High Maintenance or Self-Caring, Dogs & Children vs. Delicate Plantings, Food Production vs. Views. 

These are not all mutually exclusive but just like any home remodeling project –  you need to start with your goals, lifestyle, and aesthetics.  Your answers will dramatically change what you plant and where you plant.   For example, the classic boxwood will rarely look as comfortable in a casual garden than a formal one.  And self-seeding annuals and perennials will make a cottage garden dramatically easier but will be the bane of a gardener who wants order.  Pressure-treated lumber works well in a casual garden as does irregular flagstone but concrete, painted wood and regular flagstone are more suited to a very modern garden. 

The Decking, Fence, Walls & Stone River were installed Before Plantings

2.  Think Structure before Plants
Structure refers walks, decks, patios, pergolas and other built items often referred to as “hardscape”.  It also refers to plants and the planting structure.  

Three examples:  First, think about planting on a hill.  Somewhat counter intuitively, your yard will feel more balanced if the plants get taller as they move up the hill.  Recognizing this requires you to select the plants you’re going to use before buying or planting any of them.  

Second, also counter intuitively, breaking up a small (or large) garden into separate (but visually integrated) areas will make it feel larger.  In all gardens, the area will feel larger and more balanced if you think structurally about foreground, mid-ground and background.  Start with this structure before you start planting.  For example, I installed a low (36”) fence inset from the sidewalk on my very small front yard in order to make it feel larger.  If I had decided to do this after I planted, I would need to remove and reinstall plants. 

Third, installing patios and other “hardscape” disturbs roots.  Ideally, you want to plan and build all your structures before starting you planting – or leave at least 8-10 feet so that you won’t need to disturb your roots while building. 

And of course, plants grow.  You need to think about the mature size of plants when planting shrubs and trees.  While they’re growing you can fill in with annuals or self-seeding or spreading perennials.  For example, in the border garden depicted in the images 2-4 below, I purposefully planted several rapidly spreading perennials (a mum, a euphorbia, and a Caryopteris) to help take over the large swaths of former lawn while the shrubs and other perennials could establish themselves.  I’m now starting to pull out (and either move or give away) the excess as other plants come in.  With this strategy, the area looks good and I have less weeding to do in the garden’s early years.  

Plants Grow over and around Fencing & Walkways; Notice Also Different Leaf Types

3.  Think Foliage before Flowers
Flowers on trees, shrubs and perennials last only weeks while foliage is visible and prominent all year – or for 7-9 months depending on your zone.   Between foliage color, texture and form, you can create dramatic vignettes without any flowers at all.  When you think foliage, you can also more easily create a year-round garden rather than one that looks terrific only 1- 3 months of the year.  Also consider what works in your climate and sun exposure.  There are lots of plants that wilt or mildew in Washington DC’s hot humid summers.  Similarly, there are plants that do well in Washington’s shade but will burn-up or become diseasedin the sun.  For example, Euonymous is a wonderful plant for the Shade but will become overrun by scale in the sun.  On the other hand, many plants will look scraggly or fail to bloom without enough sun.  Unless you want a lot of work, think about what works in your climate and sun exposure.  

Variations in Foliage Form and Color Can Substitute for Flowers

Notice How the Rocks and Fence Also Add to the Drama of the Vignette

Foliage Variation is Just as Important and Dramatic in the Sun

 
4.  Now Decorate Your Garden!
A decorated garden can fit within any style.  Rocks, Found-Objects, and Sculpture are wonderful foils for plants.  And they make your garden truly one-of-a-kind.  And you can re-decorate your garden just as you do your home.  Enjoy! 

Rejects From My Glass Studio Help Decorate the Garden As Faux Fungus Forms

Bath Tub Ducks Migrated to the Rocks Around the Pond

Stained Glass in the Garden

Abstract Art - Notice the Layers of Foliage Interest

Photo Taken by chris5aw — see her photo stream on Flickr 

Color, Structure, Foliage and Art is Equally Vital in the Modern Garden

Photo Taken by Aimee Quiggle, See Her Photo Stream on Flickr

Garden Room with Tree Canopy Ceiling & Landscaped Walls

1.  Walls & Ceiling:   

  If you only remember one thing, remember that outdoor rooms need walls and ceilings just like indoor rooms.  We crave a sense of intimacy and protection when we sit and relax or when we dine.  The walls and ceiling don’t have to feel constraining – sometimes we only need a hint – like the combination pergola/bench in the image, below, combined with a privacy fence and plants or plants alone.  [Read more about this outdoor room by Braitman Design]   

A ceiling can be as simple as an umbrella (image below) or the canopy of a tree and the suggestion of a ceiling from a pergola (like the image above). [Read more about this outdoor room by Braitman Design]   

Garden Rooms Needs Walls & Ceilings

Garden Rooms Need Privacy

 
2.  Privacy:  Garden Rooms feel best when they feel private.  Privacy can be fairly complete like the garden below where stucco and concrete wall fully block views by neighbors.  Or they can be slightly more porous, like the garden room above and to the left, where shrubbery largely blocks views and the open fence defines the border. 
    

Private Patio Photographed by Erica Marshall

3.  Extension of the House:  Have you ever noticed how often exposed decks off the 2nd floor are largely unused.  It’s often because they feel separated from the house and they usually violate rules 1 and 2, above.  Through use of more refined materials and by creating walls, ceilings and privacy a deck or patio should feel like an extension of the home – a garden room beyond the living room or family room.   

Stone Terrace acts as Extension of House

The metal balusters in the railing above, feel much more transparent than wood.  The porcelain flooring feels more like indoors.  Shrubs (not visible in this picture) will mature within abut 3 years to provide greater sense of privacy.  In the short-term, annuals hanging from baskets in the summer will help solidify the walls during the months when the owners want to be outdoors.    

Glass doors should invite you out to the garden room beyond.  The two images below show how glass doors off two different rooms beckon the family onto a private patio at the front of the house.    

Glass Doors Beckon You to Garden Room Beyond

Doors Off Adjacent Sun Room Also Open Onto Patio

4.  Outdoor Kitchen:  An outdoor kitchen can be as simple as a conveniently located grill or can be extensive with built-in sinks and refrigerators and grilling centers (like the patio, below.    

Outdoor Kitchen by Artistry in Concrete

5.  Shady Spots and Sunny Spots:   

 
If your deck or patio faces south or west, remember to include ways to shade a sitting or eating area.  In the image, above, an arbor shades the dining area from harsh western afternoon sun
   

6.  Add a Water Feature or Fire Pit:  

Water — especially running water — can transport you away from your urban or suburban spot to someplace far away.  It can drown out the noise of cars and neighbors.  Similarly, the crackle of a fire can also bring your heart to distant vacations.   

Fire Pit Beside PatioA Patio Retreat with Pond

http://www.flickr.com/photos/montanaraven/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In the backyard retreat, above, notice how planted a berm behind the pool provides privacy from the neighbors while also providing the height needed for a small water fall.  The table placed close to the pond provides a sense of separation.

7.  Lighting.  Be creative about lighting your backyard getaway.  Lighting could be as simple as porch lights (below).  

Porch Lights Are Inviting

Or you could use elaborate and creative fixtures to create a festive, inviting nighttime tableau (below).   

Inventive Patio Lighting

http://www.flickr.com/photos/secret_canadian/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

For More Ideas:
http://www.remodelingcenter.com/decks/platform-deck-design-ideas/
http://www.remodelingcenter.com/decks/deck-solutions/create-a-backyard-getaway/

Three Ceiling Fans Help Deter Mosquitoes

The pergola, above, was built by Artisan Specialties in Columbia, South Carolina, but it’s quite similar to ones I’ve designed for a clients.  The powerful ceiling fans, close together, will provide good coverage to provide cooling breezes and to keep mosquitoes and other biting insects at bay. 

What conditions do you need for a fan to work?  You need a very strong stream of air — if you don’t like air blowing on you, this solution isn’t for you.  I like the design, above, because you’re getting wind from all sides of the table.  The fans need to have strong motors and large blades.  You also need fairly open conditions.  Ceiling fans won’t work as well on a front porch that’s surrounded by shrubbery or covered by vines.  The plants provide a place for the insects to hide and protect themselves from the breeze and have only a short flight to get to your skin — especially your feet and legs.  In this setting, an oscillating fan or box fan blowing across the sitting area — at about 30-36″ off the floor — will provide better protection.

I was intrigued to also see the stand-mounted “ceiling” fan that fits in most umbrella holes by Backyard America. 

Stand-Mounted Fan

I can also recommend the OFF!® PowerPad® Lamp and Lantern.  I’ve found the product effective when I use 2 to 4 lamps — that fully bracket a sitting area on a porch, deck or patio.  I was convinced the first time when 3 of us were enjoying my patio without getting bitten.  One minute all was calm, then the repellant had burned off and all 3 of us started getting bitten.  As soon as the candles and pads were replaced, calm returned. 

Mosquitos love me and I get huge welts with every bite and I live just outside buggy Washington, DC.  So I’ll keep looking for ideas that work.  If you have any to share, please contact me.

Side Wrap-Around Porch at Dusk

I moved around a lot during the 1980′s and the first thing I thought about when I moved into a new home was how to connect the indoors with the out of doors.  This was well before the craze for outdoor living — but then again, I spent 5 years in Southern California in the late 1970′s where the weather invited everyone outside year-round.  The Porch, above, is an eastern version of California living with a deep roof to cool the house in the summer and comfortable seating to talk with neighbors [It's an addition to a 1905 home in the Takoma Park , Maryland historic preservation district that we remodeled in 2005.]

I’m sitting in another home just a few blocks away.  It was built in 1917 and I’ve been here just about a year.   And I’m frustrated beyond belief that I don’t yet have the money to build the addition in the back that will connect me to the out of doors!  My response is to spend most of my spare time working on the landscape — so when the remodeling is completed I’ll be living in a much more mature landsacpe than if I waited.

BEWARE – DO NOT LANDSCAPE WITHIN ABOUT 8 FEET OF THE PLANNED REMODELING OR ADDITION.  If you landscape and plant before remodeling, everything will just get trampled.  But for most of us, there is still a lot of room to work on the foreground or background that we can work on years in advance.

My Home After 1 Year of Planing

So I’ve spent my time in the front and the back rear of the year.  In the front, I’ve put in a low fence so my dog can be outside with me but that doesn’t say “keep out” to the neighbors.  I’ve stained it a blue/grey — a color that tends to disappear into the landscape.  I’m planting on both sides — often the same plants — to further fuzzy the line.  I’ve created an inset at the front gate — a 6 foot by 3 foot inset — to further welcome visitors.  It’s almost like a small foyer.  Concrete stepping stone — meant to look like rock — connect the new paver parking pad with the house and help create a more naturalistic planting area.  I’ve planted 7 trees in the front — 1 zelcova and 6 tall crepe myrtle that will eventually grow to create archways over the walkways and entryway.

The "Before"

In the back, I’ve planted 12 trees — 6 overstory trees including 3 River Birch, 2 Red Maples, 1 Willow Oak and 6 understory trees including 2 Dogwoods, 3 Purple-Leaf Plums, and a Stewartia.  In addition, I’ve planted probably 15 shrubs.  I’ve also created a mid-ground and back-ground by adding a swale and berm.  The berm is held back with a “wall” of very large logs.  The swale and berm help control run-off on the slope and keep water on my property. Even after only a year, I’ve created a sense of privacy that will only increase as the years go by.  I’m also creating welcoming shade that will cool my home and my life.

Background Plantings

As I started Planting

Stained Glass Window To Block View of Close Neighbor

I’ve moved to a neighborhood built at the turn of the 20th Century — houses built from about 1880 – 1920′s and protected by an Historic Preservation District.  Many of these homes, including mine, have windows that look into a neighbor’s house.  The house I moved from (3 blocks away) and the one I moved into both have windows that are 7′ to 15′ from the neighbor’s windows.  Plus the windows are aligned so we would be part of each other’s daily lives if we didn’t block the views.  The quickest and cheapest solution is often drapery and curtains which help ensure privacy but also often block light and a sense of space.    Below are some strategies I’ve used to block a view.  I would love to hear about ways you’ve successfully blocked a view while retaining daylight and airiness. 

I’m a glass artist so I’ve very successfully used art glass windows to block the view of too close neighbors.  [See above and below].  In both cases, though, skylights, windows or doors just around the corner on an adjacent plane banish any feelings of claustrophobia that come from not being able to see out.

Art Glass Windows Block View of Too Close Neighbor

In southern California, where I lived for several years, the dense semi-tropical vegetation could successfully block a close neighbor and still allow light and privacy — houses were also often 1 story which made it easier.  But in much of the country, it’s harder to block views with vegetation without also blocking light and a sense of space.  In the dining room, we used a mix of deciduous and evergreen shrubs to block the view of the alley 7 feet away. 

Vegetation Blocks the View of the Alley

In the home, below, we created a patio bounded by a pergola with foliage inside and outside the pergola to create privacy from a busy street.  In one particular place we also hung stained glass panels.  This strategy, of course, only works if you have a lot of space to work with.  But when you do, it’s a great way to keep eyes focused away from your windows and to create a greater sense of space and separation from the world. 

Using a Garden Room to Create Privacy & Block Views

Stained Glass Garden Panel to Block a View

So tell me about your ideas.  I would love to include your ideas and images in a future article.  You can’t yet upload images but I’ll definitely get in touch with you if you tell me you have images and tell you how to get them to me.

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build