Yarmouth Street Garden . 1 | Garden Gates

---

Yarmouth Street is a quiet side street lined with Victorian bowfront brick houses fronted by small gardens tucked between what may be the tallest stoops in the South End, the despair of all postmen. We've been hired to design and build one of these gardens by a client who has been enjoying a garden we did around the corner on Carleton Street. Above is a frontal view of the existing space as seen from the curb.

This is a before view from the left corner of the space as seen from the sidewalk. At the right rear of the image you'll notice a small door under the stoop. This is the way that many South Enders enter their homes which are often now configured with an open plan kitchen - living space opening out onto a garden or deck in the back of the building. The garden will create a strong first impression and set the tone for entering the house.


Here's another before view, this from the right, standing in the narrow walkway that leads to the door under the stoop. At the rear of the image, between the window and the fence, you'll notice a slab of concrete at the base of the brick wall pitching down toward the yard. It's certainly not an original part of the house. My guess is that this was added to divert water away from the house to prevent flooding in the basement. The slab is in need of some repair and part of the garden's design will be determined by the need to maintain the flow of water away from the foundation.

Here, in another before view, we're standing by the door under the stoop looking through the gate into into the garden toward Yarmouth Street. This angle clearly reveals the current miscellaneous mess (nice fence though). We'll be starting over from scratch. But with a great space - and that's what counts.

Image ... Yarmouth Street garden. Before views: front, left, right, back.

Article continues here.

June 30, 2010

---

Quote of the Day
After all is said and done, more is said than done.
Aesop

Image ... Back Bay garden, Boston.

May 11, 2010

---

Working at Kelly's Underground Dog Grooming doing some remodeling at this fine canine beauty salon, Best of Boston 2008. Kelly's away on vacation so I have the run of the place which is good because it's usually utter chaos. She doesn't cage the dogs so it's always one big fun party. Kelly's part-time assistant, Lindsay, trains seals at the New England Aquarium, things like teaching them to recycle. Her ambition is to open a dog hotel. My clients do have interesting lives.



Image ... Path into the Japanese garden at the Museum of Fine Arts.

March Square Foot Gardening Tips | Garden Girl TV

---

Patti Moreno, The Garden Girl, and Mel Bartholomew, author of Square Foot Gardening, team up monthly to offer timely garden tips. For March they talk about getting your garden going and compost.

January 26, 2010

---

FatCow is now advertising with Roofscape in both the magazine and Garden Journal. Located in Burlington, Mass., FatCow is a consistently top-rated Web host serving individuals and small to medium size businesses. Plus their operations are entirely powered by the wind. They also host Roofscape and we've had a great experience with them, so we're happy to have them as advertisers. Now you can also support Roofscape by hosting your site with the best in the business ... FatCow.



The tomatoes (Mexican Wild, seeds saved from the garden the year before last, 4/5) and eggplant (Burpee Garden Blend, 3/5), planted on 1/19, just germinated over night, 8 days from planting. The hot peppers and kale remain. I'm surprised the kale isn't up by now. Moved the seedlings into the big bright office window and bottom watered.

The weather continues warm, a welcome respite after all the wickedly (or wicked, if you're from Boston) cold days we've had.

Checked later in the morning and the kale (Specialty Toscano, Johnny's, 1/5) had sprouted.

Pete and I wrapped the job on Isabella Street. I did PR in the lower South End. Visited client on Beacon Hill to arrange projects for next week. Biking here and there, walking around. Low 40's with a sometimes stiff west wind.

Chinese takeout from New Garden on Dudley. My experience with restaurants is that for each of them there are a few things that they do well, most with mediocrity and another few awfully. It's just the unavoidable bell curve shape of things. The question, therefore, is - what can they do well? And that's not always easy or obvious.

Image ... Procession over mountain pass. Japanese wood block print.