BROOKLYN BROWNSTONES: SMALL GARDEN DESIGN

Brooklyn garden design is garden planning for a relatively small, private space. 

Typical building plots average 100’ long by 20’ wide for Brooklyn brownstone properties and Brooklyn townhouse properties. Many of these brownstone yards are 40'-55' deep.  Some have a terrace overlooking the yard. These small, but charming "jewelry box" size backyards with fences can become highly developed areas behind the house.  This private area can be designed based upon functionality and programming.  Some people want a private, serene area to use for relaxation and the enjoyment of weekend breakfast on the patio; others want a safe space for their unsupervised children to play in.  A clever garden design can usually tick all the boxes of your wish list.   Whether you create a vegetable garden or a garden retreat a garden designer can assist you.

Designing a garden begins with a plan.

Tucked away in the heart of the metropolis, these small sanctuaries of verdant nature are enclosed by fences and large apartment buildings.  Challenges such as noise, lack of sunlight (at times), pollution and the eyes of curious neighbors all make these “giardino segrettos” (secret gardens) very difficult to create without a solid garden design plan.  With a carefully designed garden plan, the lack of outward views will no longer be a limiting factor, rather an opportunity to take advantage of.  Just think of all the beautiful medieval cloister gardens!

A garden design plan takes into account the opportunities and constraints of a site.

Some design solutions for difficult environments such as intrusive neighbors would be a vertical landscape design, in essence a vegetative screen.  Harsh climates and microclimates can be addressed with native plants and understanding your plant zones. If a certain plant is “tender” it can be situated on a southern exposure close to the residence. Radiant heat of the building and obstruction of strong winds will temper freezing effects a few degrees.

Maintenance of a custom garden design.

Find garden inspiration for your brooklyn garden design by looking at contemporary garden design photos.  It’s critical to remember that the gardening design should depend upon your lifestyle.  People with hectic lifestyles may need to consider low maintenance gardens if they are not going to practice garden maintenance themselves or hire a garden maintenance company.

You can choose a garden style from among the many types, such as:

Zen garden design

Romantic garden design

Exuberant garden design

Contemporary garden design

Potager garden design

Classic garden design

Exotic garden design

Whether it’s one of these styles or a combination you should have a garden design that works!

The design should:

• Define the principal walkway and circulation

• Create transitions by variations in level or material or perspective

• Define garden rooms

• Incorporate garden “nooks” to add complexity

• Work with the surrounding landscape

• Solve existing challenges

• Address your needs and aspirations

Ideas for a Brooklyn garden design are endless.  The ultimate goal is to turn your small backyard, patio or balcony into an "oasis."

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GARDEN DESIGN IDEAS FOR PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN

A significant part of my practice in New York City is designing and installing small gardens, in particular Brooklyn brownstone gardens.  Here are a few ideas for small garden design specifically for a Park Slope Brownstone garden.

1. A small garden outside your home is an extension of your indoor space. It is an outdoor room, or rooms -- if you have the ability to create multiple levels. Inherently there should be a relationship between the outdoor space and the architecture of your home.

2. Maximize your space. In many situations designing round shapes in small gardens create leftover, wasted spaces.  Try using squares/rectangles so that every square inch can be used. Try designing with a grid. (An alternative would be laying your hardscape pavers on a 45-degree angle)

3. A Park Slope, Brooklyn garden design should plan for the most effective way to install and manage the garden before building it.  Transporting materials, equipment, plant material, soil, etc. through small spaces, basements and garden apartments needs to be thought through carefully.

4. Consider the seasonal views looking out to the garden from inside the brownstone or townhouse.

5. Keep the plant palette simple!  Repeating plants and combinations of plants bring cohesion to a design. Different foliage shapes create complexity within the planting design.  This becomes even more critical when you are designing a shade garden.  Many Park Slope gardens are shade gardens.

CONTINUED (Tips 6-9)…

GETTING STARTED: BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE GARDENS

Here's an excerpt from a 1980 New York Times article (that’s 35 years ago!) on successful design solutions for brownstone gardens.  In my practice as a New York City garden designer I design Brownstone garden designs.

“Many brownstone gardens are both an asset and a problem: they promise to bring outdoor space into the lives of nature-starved New Yorkers, but the spaces themselves are usually small and sometimes damp, and they often lack light and privacy. The high canopies of the aspiring ailanthus and other city trees compound both the promise and the problem of a back garden by providing greenery that obscures the sun.”

Interestingly, what this demonstrates is that garden designs and garden styles may come and go, but the essence of the challenges remain the same in designing Brooklyn brownstone gardens or virtually any other specific garden design.

Brownstones and their gardens have been altered so many times over the decades that many yards have unique conditions, some extremely difficult to plant and design for. If they are not carefully planned and tended, the course nature takes will not be inviting.

Designing the garden of a brownstone is something like writing a haiku: there are strong constraints, especially on space, and success can turn on a nuance, such as the proportion of light to shade. A Brooklyn Heights landscape designer, says, ‘You have a small rectangle, and it's a question of how you divide it.’

There are, however, many ways to design successfully within this constrained form. Some gardens look as though they are excerpts from a forest; others have constructions of terraces, pavilions or trellises; still others are totally decked, both floor and fence. Designing is especially difficult when the yard requires remedying problems that lie beyond the fence, in other yards. Success sometimes depends on the cooperation of neighbors.” 

10 IDEAS FOR BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE GARDENS

MOST COMMON PROBLEMS DESIGNING A BROWNSTONE GARDEN OR TOWNHOUSE GARDEN

Garden landscape design is all about space. Similar to an architect, a landscape designer works with usable and functional space. Narrow lots and limited space are challenges that are not limiting, but rather opportunities to take advantage of. Make the most of a small yard landscape, using such techniques as creating multiple focal points, designing in inches rather than feet, and indulging in high-quality materials.  Utilize the space by dividing the yard into outdoor rooms.

Garden design solutions for long, narrow side yards, include vertical planting using vines and trellises, creating beautiful window views, creating narrow planting strips, changes in grade or elevation are contributing solutions.

Too much shade is is not a problem. There are countless plants of various textures, shapes, colors and sizes that grow prolifically in zone 7 shade of a New York City garden.

Sloping terrain and backyard drainage problems can be remediated with proper materials, retaining walls, aggregates and soil remediation.  Beyond those lesser expensive solutions a dry well may be an option.

Privacy is always challenging as most urban gardens are overlooked on multiple sides by other homes. While there are code limits to the height of garden fences, tall hedges, well-positioned trees, vines on temporary structures are all possible solutions to this challenge.

Your goals for your landscape can also bring up design issues that require creative solutions. Do you want a child-friendly yard, or a private sanctuary for adults? Assessing the needs and programming for your outdoor space will lead you to establish a garden design that is practical and multi-functional.

As in many cases,.. the success lies in the planning of the garden.

©ToddHaimanLandscapeDesign2014

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TOP TIPS FOR DESIGNING YOUR GARDEN

Similar to an architect or interior designer, a garden designer can can assist you with understanding spacial relationships, aesthetics, circulation, programming, and other challenges. Remember garden designers and landscape designers are experts in their field as you are in yours.  Here are some top tips.

1. Think about how you would like to program your outdoor space. What activities would be conducted in this space? Is it for entertaining, relaxing, reading a book, al fresco dining, for your children to play in?
   

2. Don’t even think of elaborate gardening schemes if you’ve got a hectic lifestyle. Simplicity is the key!
   

3. Get rid of clutter. Stick with a couple of good natural materials – Old stone works well in traditional gardens, while contemporary styles could make use of natural hardwood.
   

4. Strike the right balance – ignoring the natural elements can leave some gardens looking cold and lifeless.
   

5. Don’t just pick a design that looks good in a brochure – it may not work for you, as every garden is individual.
   

6. Understand that just as you maintain the inside of your home, the exterior needs constant maintenance to prosper.
   

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USING THE COLOR BLUE IN YOUR GARDEN

Bringing blues into the garden is soothing.  Blue has a recessive, calming quality in the garden.

A Brooklyn garden design by Todd Haiman Landscape Design. Gathering area within a city garden property.  photo©ToddHaimanLandscapeDesign2016

Here are some tips gained from professional experience on using the color blue in your planting schemes.

1.  Blue plants placed towards the end of a border increase the impression of distance

2. Blue is enlivened when mixed with its complement orange on the color wheel

3. Combine blues with silver foliage plants to intensify the color

4. Blue has a stabilizing effect when used with “hot” or bright colors

5. In shady or low light conditions, white, dark and cool colors tend to sparkle and intensify but warm colors may appear dull