Behind the Scenes of a Rooftop and Backyard Garden Makeover

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    Final rear garden in Upper West Side apartment, roof garden with foot misting stone pool

    Hauling a 600-pound panel of weathered steel, by hand, from the street through the parlor floor of a brownstone, is no easy feat. That was just one of the many challenges faced by Groundworks Inc., a Brooklyn-based garden design-build firm, during a recent Upper West Side garden installation. Nina Kramer Landscape Architecture, RLA, and Anne Berman, RLA, had designed roof and backyard gardens and a green roof for a residence, and Groundworks Inc. was charged with the task of making their design a reality.

    Following is a detailed look at the project, with photos of the construction.

    groundworks-landscaping-gardening-project-rearHand-selected, lilac-colored bluestone laid as the rear garden patio

    Groundworks managed all aspects of the installation, from a stone misting pool for soaking feet, to plantings of meadow wildflowers on the fifth floor roof. The latter needed to be installed once the renovation was complete, by carefully walking all the materials up five flights through a completed interior, or lifting them via an electric “winch” to the rear garden (shown below).

    groundworks-gardening-upper-west-side-roof-ipe-woodRoof deck platform made of ipe wood and winch in background 

    The two women behind Groundworks, Carmen DeVito and Alice S. Marcus Krieg, met while working at The Horticultural Society of New York, where they immediately discovered a kindred spirit in one another. Collectively, they have worked on a number of high-profile public green spaces and gardens, from a garden at the United Nations to the temporary site of the 9/11 memorial garden.

    groundworks-inc-brooklyn-nyc-gardening-stucco-wallColor choice progress of stucco wall

    Groundworks calls upon DeVito’s and Krieg’s expertise in choosing plants that can thrive in the city, as well as maintaining a garden long after it is complete. Groundworks assists and guides designers with the right plant for the right place as they have 30 years of plant knowledge from scouring nurseries and working closely with growers. They use native blueberries, asters, echinacea, coreopsis, native grasses, and more. All of their work is done using organic practices, no pesticides.

    groundworks-landscaping-gardening-roof-nycPlanter install for blueberries, native perennials, and trees

    There’s a lot more to high-end garden construction than planting flowers and building decks. Closing traffic on a West Village block, for instance, or craning gravel, sand, soil, seven-foot evergreens, and 250-pound apple trees up eight stories. Knowing precisely where water lines should go, the optimal spots for state-of-the-art audio systems, when and how to haul in hardscaping materials — these are all reasons Groundworks is often called in to oversee major garden installations. The process is puzzle making on a grand scale with dedicated, specialized, and necessary white glove precision.

    groundworks-gardening-nyc-residential-apartment-rear-garden-patioFinal rear garden

    For the rear garden, Groundworks oversaw the installation of four 600-pound COR-TEN panels to hide the barbecue and HVAC system, the lilac-colored bluestone that would complement the plum-colored stucco surrounding walls, and the ipe wood seating, complete with waterproof storage and overhead lighting helps create a forest inspired, multi-seasonal relaxing space. Now that the project is complete, Groundworks will continue to maintain the garden and service the client for all planting needs.

    groundworks-gardening-nyc-residential-apartment-roof-gardenFinal roof garden

    The ultimate goal of any green space is to provide a place to rejuvenate and escape. Inviting Groundworks, Inc. to help create yours guarantees that the construction process is as stress-free as your garden will be.

    groundworks-inc-brooklyn-nyc-apartment-garden-green-roofFinal green roof

     

    Visit Groundworks, Inc. to view more of their projects.

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