Hidden AC Units

Although upright and space saving, the new air conditioning units didn’t provide an aesthetically pleasing backdrop to the garden’s dining area. The solution was to design and construct an open-backed faux shed to conceal them from view while still allowing adequate air circulation per the HVAC contractor’s specifications.

The shed details are harmonious with both house and garden, featuring weathered wooden pickets inset into functional doors. This repurposed wood was salvaged from a decades old fence on the property.

Seating Nook

This corner of the property had become a depository for left-over construction materials and building cast-offs including an iron gate original to the house. The salvaged antique was affixed to the newly installed fence helping to create a discrete garden room gently shaded by the overhanging tree branches.

Contrasting perfectly with the green planting palette and fence, the orange chairs provided a bold burst of color and additional seating. Glazed pots holding tropical plants—intended for the summer months, accessorize the area, while the large urn on the lower level holds a second climbing hydrangea to add verticality and visual interest.

Garden Wall

A tangle of wires that stole focus from the richly textured rear wall of the garden needed to be relocated so the beautiful patina of the brick could be in view. Now, the wall can play a vital role in contributing to the majestic feel of the garden.

Softening the transition between wall and fence, a strategically planted climbing hydrangea provides year-round interest (a necessity in four season New York) with lustrous green leaves, graceful summer white blooms and beautiful bark exposed in winter. In front of the wall, low growing perennials and groundcover plants provide a natural path to another significant focal point: the antique bench.

Main Planting Area

Seeing beyond the overgrown brambles and debris, I identified the existing plants that could be preserved in the newly designed garden. A large flowering crabapple tree and mature multi-stemmed privet shrub each needed corrective pruning but proved to be strong assets in the new planting scheme. Additionally there were a few healthy perennials on site that could be saved and relocated.

A subtle but strong design element used here is the dark green choice of fence color which gives the illusion of a more mature garden by augmenting the plant foliage colors and textures.