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PROJECT:
The renovation of an Arts and Crafts four - foursquare in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago .
SUBMITTED BY:
Megan Wade , main landscape architect atFieldwork Design Group .
See below for the 5 head Megan enquire during the process of design a garden infinite .
When my husband Dave and I first acquired our city lot in the Albany Park neighbourhood of Chicago , the backyard was a white slate . The 30- by 25 - foot outer space was a carpeting of lawn with a crushed concrete walkway and a perimeter planting of old hostas . The empty canvas confront us with an chance to reimagine the railyard to suit our needs .
We wanted to create a private outdoor room with areas for grilling , dining , and lounging . The size of gatherings would place from our family of three to dinner party gatherings for eight and the episodic large gather , so we wanted the space to be flexible .
As we project , we depend at garden imagery for inspiration in helping us define what we skip to achieve esthetically . We had already planted a parkway garden in the front of the dwelling ( see : Perennial Parkway in Chicago ) . While we know this naturalistic , full - sun prairie - corresponding garden , the backyard would need more shade for the backyard to be a pleasant piazza to gather on blistering summer evenings . We were drawn to images of exuberant , foliage - forward plantings with delicate , windy flower umbels floating above ( guess dill or Queen Anne ’s lacing ) . These type of planting signal a drop curtain in temperature which made them appropriate for a secret , metropolis oasis .
This private backyard designed for gatherings — openhanded and small — is located on a city lot in Chicago ’s Albany Park neighborhood , Zone 6a . photograph by : Megan Wade .
Having settled on a desire esthetical , we essay the edges of the thou . How could we create the “ walls ” for our outdoor room that would provide a sentience of enclosure and concealment ? On the neighboring lot to the E is an enforce two - story deck of cards , so we planted three Regal Prince ® oaks ( Quercusxwarei’Long ' ) at the eastern border of our attribute to reclaim our backyard as private space .
Three extra coordinated oaks were place on the western sharpness of the property to keep the evening sun out of our eye while boom . The walls of our house and garage create the other two walls for our outdoor room . Since they were painted a stately dark gray , we know we needed to consider this when determining the color of our plant pallette .
In keeping with the “ elbow room ” doctrine of analogy , we created a rectangular patio while making sure the surrounding garden beds would be deep enough to accommodate layering perennials in combinations . We divided the paved area into two discussion section with piece of furniture for dining and for lounging . The neighboring space allows us to reorganize the furniture to meet the needs of the size of the gathering . Prior to planting , a rectangle of pavement can seem stark , but we screw that a garden of loose perennials would yield the edges .
Under the tree diagram , we planted boxwood for wintertime green . florescence shrubs were sited at the two short ends of the terrace , and then the rest of the garden consists of perennial imbed in drift that reiterate throughout the space .
In a metropolis garden , space is precious — we do n’t have room for plant that blossom in the spring and then count terrible , such as daylily . rather , our repeated pallette consist of sturdy plant with foliage that looks adept throughout the turn time of year .
Ultimately , this backyard is a endearing position to be , to watch as it changes over time , to watch the birds and bees nourish themselves , and to relax . Of course , the most significant element in our backyard is what we find in the mall of the terrace : the people we love the most , the time and laugh that we share , and the memory we make together . The garden is the perfect circumstance for such things .
Before construction , a canvass of lawn look a young visual modality . Photo by : Megan Wade .
After pass completion , the backyard is lay out in a agency that ’s perfect for assembly , all while enjoy the lushness of the out-of-door space . Photo by : Tricia Koning .
The kitchen window of the Arts and Crafts four - substantial look out into the backyard . For the patio , large concrete pavers were lay in a running bond normal to echo the shingle pattern on the home . The light gray coloring of the pavers works well with the gray color of the home , while also process to reflect the sun ’s heating system and reset the space in the evening . Photo by : Megan Wade .
5 QUESTIONS TO HELP DEFINE & PRIORITIZE YOUR GARDEN DESIGN
A blank slate can seem overpowering , even for professional designers ; however , it is also a wonderful chance if you are willing to take on the challenge . Here are five questions to ask yourself in the process to assist keep you focalise and accomplish your overall goals :
The trees put up a mother wit of formality , launch the wilder perennial plantings that palisade them a sensory faculty of intentionality . Photo by : Megan Wade .
WHAT IS THE DESIRED FUNCTION OF THE SPACE?
When tackle a large out-of-door project , I first expect my clients , “ Big Picture , what are we seek to achieve ? ” landscape painting project goal vary found on the homeowner ’s desire , along with the constraints and opportunities the site present . Are you creating a elbow room to be inhabit ? Is this the lieu for dinner party political party ? A rich vegetable garden ? A space to take a Bible ? A play area for kids or pets ? Or a place you will simply traverse regularly or see from indoors through a window ?
WHAT ARE THE EXISTING CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE SITE?
In plus to climate , lightheaded conditions , and soil type , each web site has its own set of conditions to view . It ’s crucial to line up your sight for a space with the reality of the site . Will the internet site underpin the goals you are trying to achieve ?
WHAT IS THE DESIRED GENRE OF AESTHETICS?
In plus to fix the pragmatical questions , it is also important to establish an esthetic focussing that will supply a filter while make decision about textile , trappings , and the plant palette . When I mold with clients , it ’s not rare for them to start these discussions with specifics , such as “ I really like echinacea . ” However , I encourage them to soar out further to contemplate the overall artistic they want to achieve .
In many style , garden design is similar to culinary fine art . While I bang the sweet taste of cocoa palm milk in a Thai curry , I would not love it as a part of an Italian repast . And the same is honest for gardens . For example , echinacea would make good sense in deal of garden — an prowess and crafts cottage garden , a timberland edge garden , or a prairie - style planting . However , if the finish was to create a Japanese - style garden to complement a 1920s brick bungalow , echinacea may feel out of billet .
In other word , knowing the garden style you are attempting to create will conduce you to sure plant combining . sealed plant run to rise together because they have evolved together in shared consideration — both in nature and in more cultivated gardens .
This is not a limit and there is plenty of room for experimentation . However , when we respect the relationship between these works , the garden may be more visually cohesive , even to those who are not zealous gardener .
HOW PERMEABLE SHOULD YOUR BOUNDARIES BE?
It is important to study the site ’s edges and beyond . Where do you need spectre or screening ? If you are creating an outdoor room , how can you produce privacy and a sense of enclosure ? At the same metre , is there landscaping offsite that involve to be considered ? Are there views that should be preserved ?
HOW DOES INTENDED FUNCTION IMPACT THE HARDSCAPE DESIGN?
Clients incline to take that if they want a space to feel naturalistic , there should be curve in the paving . But I find that on a city lot , this can lead to uneasy geometries that are difficult to furnish . If the goal is to cumulate or dine in the space , rectilinear terraces work well and provide more options in terms of furnishing . As an added bonus , rectangular bench demand less cuts in the cloth and less wastefulness which can lower the costs .
On more spacious parcel , a arc course for meandering may make sense . However , paths should always take you somewhere . On smaller stack , circulation paths should be absorb into the independent bench as much as possible . The terrace will feel more spacious and there will be more way for planting .
STRATEGIC PLANTING
Below are some vignettes that sport the plants we chose and how they add to the aesthetics of the space .
We plant ‘ Bloomerang ’ lilac under our service department window for other bound prime we can view from our kitchen windows . Photo by : Megan Wade .
Including hydrangea in the shaded areas give us mid - to - late summertime flowers and wintertime interest . Photo by : Megan Wade .
We get to enjoy green for most of the year thanks to many of our works whose foliage remains intact . Juno stand in the pathway between profuse greenery . To her left , unaccented bluish - purple bloomingAmsonia‘Blue Ice ’ , variegate hosta ( salvaged from the original yard ) , Pennsylvania sedge ( Carex pennsylvanica ) , and a fortunate Nipponese woods gage ( Hakonechloa aureola ) . To her right , is Scottish lovage ( Ligusticum scoticum ) . Photo by : Megan Wade .
Planting in combination can check visual pastime throughout the season . In this planting , Amsonia‘Blue Ice ’ blooming in the spring , lady ’s mantle ( Alchemilla mollis ) blossom in the former summertime , and coneflower ( Echinacea ) blooms later in the summer . Japanese forest supergrass ( Hakonechloa aureola ) adds brightness throughout the season and bear on to reckon great in wintertime . photograph by : Megan Wade .
We used Scots Levisticum officinale ( Ligustrum scoticum ) in areas of the garden that were too cheery for lady ’s mantle . Both have ruffly leaves that carry the textural radical throughout the garden , in addition to flowers that go up a foot or so above their foliage . The two plants blossom at different times , extending the “ umbel ” effect we were go for . Photo by : Megan Wade .
Calamintha(shown at left , behind the outdoor lounge ) may have low flowers , but they render effervescence , peculiarly in evening light . With its tufts of white that salad days in summer , it ’s never the star of the show , but an important substantiate grapheme for many other plant . pic by : Megan Wade .
The soft hues ofAgastache‘Blue Fortune ’ , Joe Pye Mary Jane ( Eupatorium purpureum ) , and the dried blossom of Queen of the Prairie ( Filipendula rubra ) usher in the previous summertime . The small white-hot flowers ofCalamintha nepetassp.nepetaand waste quinine ( genus Parthenium integrifolium ) give the planting an airy flavour . Photo by : Megan Wade .
plant with chartreuse foliage or flowers became the backbone of the planting , seeming even brighter paired with the grey walls of the home and service department . Photo by : Tricia Koning .
COLOR CONSCIOUS
Because we would chiefly be using the space in the evening , we selected a few dissimilar white - blossom plants which can brighten up a garden at dusk :
Other colour seem at time , such as the blue / purples in the natural spring viaAmsonia‘Blue Ice’,Nepeta‘Walkers Low ’ catmint , andSalvia‘Caradonna ’ , which work nicely with chartreuse . In mid - summer , fateful - eyed Susan ( Rudbeckia ) picks up on the jaundiced coneheads of the coneflower ( Echinacea ) . Dustier tones usher in late summertime via Joe Pye mourning band ( genus Eupatorium purpureum‘Little Joe ’ ) andAgastache‘Blue Fortune . ”
you may follow Megan@fieldworkdesigngroupon Instagram .
