Garden Diary: Brooklyn garden progress
The fence is in.
Now what color? I'm thinking of Charleston Green, a green so dark it's almost black, a color I love in gardens. You see it all over Charleston, South Carolina. My one reservation is that such a dark color will absorb a lot of light, so possibly a stone color instead? I definitely don't want to leave the wood bare. Suggestions welcome.
This was the view toward the new extension a couple of weeks ago.
Now I need the contractor's help with more of the "heavy lifting." I gave him the rough plan below as a guide to installation of a few garden basics: a 5-foot by 14-foot bluestone paved area outside the glass doors to capture drainage water, a start on the garden pool, a hole roughly 3.5 by 8.5 feet (in which I'll build the pool when spring comes), and a plan to lay geotextile fabric for weed suppression under a 3-inch gravel layer as the base of the garden floor (the gridded area on the plan).
The ground elevation rises a foot or more from the house to the back of the yard (there was an 80-foot-tall mulberry there until hurricane Irene came through last fall, so the high elevation at the back can't be changed). I asked the contractor to "step up" the fence if necessary, and to add timbers to terrace the garden, thus accommodating the changing elevation. I'd actually prefer two 6- or 8-inch rises, front by back, but I'll live with what is necessary to avoid the cost of moving a large volume of soil through the house for disposal. The black dots are likely locations for trees--probably Sunburst Honey Locust, but that still may change.
Next week I'll get my first look at the space from outside. With luck and good weather, the initial paving may be finished too.
No planting plans yet. I've thought over numerous design and planting options (here and here and here), and I believe I'll go with the grove of box woods under the trees with random, modular perennial plantings (exactly what that is will remain to be seen once I've had the opportunity to experience the garden in its formative stage). Of course, there may be new ideas, surprises.
Of course, I need to improve the soil (an entirely different approach from my Federal Twist garden), and I need piles of compost. But that's well in the future.
Now what color? I'm thinking of Charleston Green, a green so dark it's almost black, a color I love in gardens. You see it all over Charleston, South Carolina. My one reservation is that such a dark color will absorb a lot of light, so possibly a stone color instead? I definitely don't want to leave the wood bare. Suggestions welcome.
This was the view toward the new extension a couple of weeks ago.
Now I need the contractor's help with more of the "heavy lifting." I gave him the rough plan below as a guide to installation of a few garden basics: a 5-foot by 14-foot bluestone paved area outside the glass doors to capture drainage water, a start on the garden pool, a hole roughly 3.5 by 8.5 feet (in which I'll build the pool when spring comes), and a plan to lay geotextile fabric for weed suppression under a 3-inch gravel layer as the base of the garden floor (the gridded area on the plan).
The ground elevation rises a foot or more from the house to the back of the yard (there was an 80-foot-tall mulberry there until hurricane Irene came through last fall, so the high elevation at the back can't be changed). I asked the contractor to "step up" the fence if necessary, and to add timbers to terrace the garden, thus accommodating the changing elevation. I'd actually prefer two 6- or 8-inch rises, front by back, but I'll live with what is necessary to avoid the cost of moving a large volume of soil through the house for disposal. The black dots are likely locations for trees--probably Sunburst Honey Locust, but that still may change.
Next week I'll get my first look at the space from outside. With luck and good weather, the initial paving may be finished too.
No planting plans yet. I've thought over numerous design and planting options (here and here and here), and I believe I'll go with the grove of box woods under the trees with random, modular perennial plantings (exactly what that is will remain to be seen once I've had the opportunity to experience the garden in its formative stage). Of course, there may be new ideas, surprises.
Of course, I need to improve the soil (an entirely different approach from my Federal Twist garden), and I need piles of compost. But that's well in the future.
James Golden