Inner City Sanctuary
When Nishant moved to the busy pedestrian neighborhood next to Hawthorn, he knew he needed to create a sense of enclosure so his home wouldn't feel so on display. The only problem was that a massive maple ate up almost his entire front garden. We found a creative solution to plant around the maple by building up the soil with boulder-lined raised beds to create planting pockets. A new fence and arbor now divides the garden from the sidewalk, and native plants and low maintenance evergreen shrubs and perennials fill the space for a lush woodland look, accentuated by the wooden boardwalk pathway.
In the backyard, a dramatically curved gravel patio surrounded by planting beds and a rock rain garden makes the space feel larger than it is. We've added more and more plants as the garden has evolved, including seasonal large containers for his deck, and 2 custom built raised beds for vegetables and flowers. The result is a mosaic of dense complimenting foliage for heightened privacy so Nishant can enjoy entertaining (he is a fantastic cook!) in his backyard, and eventually soaking in his future Japanese hot tub.
LOCATION
Sunnyside Neighborhood
GARDEN GOALS
- create privacy/sense of enclosure from street
- find creative solution for planting under large rooted tree
- add natives -low-maintenance
- Japanese/tropical themed plants for sanctuary feeling in backyard
![]() BEFORE | ![]() AFTER | ![]() Freshly planted |
---|---|---|
![]() Mapping out garden beds | ![]() | ![]() Ken pointing out his magical mushrooms |
![]() A happy Ken | ![]() Fly Agaric mushrooms popping up in the yard | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() A swale-like rain garden to hold water from the disconnected downspout and add a stream-like visual effect | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() Whimsical shaped rocks and uniquely colored flowers add to the magic | ![]() Stepping stones allow walking through the garden for exploration |
![]() A curved berm to add height and contour. Plants will eventually grow tall enough to hide the porch slab | ![]() Wonderful garden helper, Jackson, planting the Japanese forest grass | ![]() Laying out the mosaic of colorful ground covers |
![]() Design Concept | ![]() Plant inspiration | ![]() Plant inspiration |
![]() Plant inspiration |