Midtown Greenscape Habitat

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THE BRIEF:

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• Modernize the garden and take it from heavy and drab to gentle and serene

• Successional plantings with year round interest, despite the shady, dry site

• Increase curb appeal but deter local dogs 

• Very low maintenance

• Lots of nectar plants for pollinators, spaces for over wintering, and berries for birds

• Consideration for heavy mosquito pressure

• Limit colors to yellow, lavender, and blue

 

THE FUNCTION

 

To increase the site's usefulness as a habitat year-round, the site includes a large variety of native plant species offering nectar and blooms throughout the year for visiting bees, wasps, and butterflies.  There are overwinter nesting spaces like ornamental grasses, shrubs, and small trees including fruit bearers for the clients' young children to pick. We carefully sourced drought tolerant shade loving plants and we removed the existing plants that mosquitoes love and added native plants that repel them.

 

THE LOOK

 

We took out all of the old garden but the trees, as it was full of heavy looking shrubs and weeds. The client hoped for a natural shades of green look, using just 3 colors sparingly, focusing on the ecological usefulness of the site over the human gaze. For a cohesive and welcoming look to boost the curb appeal, we added blocks of color as well as block areas of textural greens.