« Brooklyn Kids Could be Exposed to Porn, Pot Smoking Funding Secured for $36M Coney Amphitheater »
May 12, 2008
Garden of the Day: Bushwick 'English Garden'
Here's a garden report from the Bushwick front:
We moved to Bushwick in early '04. The backyard had been in shambles for years, from what we could tell. Broken down chainlink mended with shoelaces and bbq grills. Seriously. Rubble everywhere. And a 'yard' that was basically a giant weed factory. And as you can see from the before shot vs. the recent shots, part of the old pathway had been covered in a dirt slide. That was a fun discovery: I was planting something and hit concrete. I felt like an archeologist.
Besides a few key elements worth keeping: giant old hydrangea, big old rose bush, a rose of sharon bush and the center concrete planter full of a sedum variety, everything was DIY. Except installing a simple wood fence. We built the yard bit by bit due to the usual budget constraints after buying a house. Pretty much everything you see in the 'after' pictures was either bought online in bulb form (Brecks, etc.) or purchased at Home Depot. There were a few cool plants we got at the Gowanus Nursury, but a good 95% of the yard is simple, straight up plantings and varietals found at your local HD. We also prepped the soil (half assedly) and seeded grass. It's far from perfect but 100% of our own making. Our goal was to create an overrun english garden, of sorts. and by planting bit by bit over the first 2-3 years, we've really seen the garden and yard come to life.
Check out more photos in the slideshow above and in the Flickr set linked below.
Bushwick Garden Photo Set [Flickr]
Garden of the Day: Another Greenwood Heights Goodie [Brownstoner]
Garden of the Day: HGTV Does Greenwood Heights [Brownstoner]
Garden of the Day: PLG Make-Over [Brownstoner]
Submit Your Garden for 'Garden of the Day' [Brownstoner]
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-tb.cgi/4844
Comments
Very glad you're posting a gardent that looks like the owner did it themselves with resources at hand- and where the concentration is on the planting, and not expensive architectural features. I really think this is a sweet space, and it looks like an enjoyable and relaxing garden. I would aregue this is more 'Brooklyn' than 'English' and in a good way.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:41 AM
I myself can see the English elements. But I agree it's uniquely Brooklyn at the same time.
Very nice!
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 12:38 PM
A Real Brooklyn Beauty. You did a great job.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 1:34 PM
Charming! Nice hydrangea.
Posted by: Hal at May 12, 2008 1:46 PM
i really like it! Rose Bushes and Hydrangea's work well with the bad soil we have in our yard!
Posted by: gemini10 at May 12, 2008 3:16 PM
It's nice to see a garden that is more natural and doesn't look like it came out of a magazine. Nice work!
Posted by: greenebee at May 12, 2008 4:52 PM
lovely, cheery garden! congrats!
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 5:06 PM
A lovely, charming garden.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 6:10 PM
How did you revive the old hydrangea? We just bought a house and the backyard is a bit of a jungle, but there's a withered hydrangea that would be great to save.
Posted by: jurist at May 13, 2008 5:23 PM
Hey there. Owner here. Long time lurker, no username.
The hydrangea we inherited was already in good shape. No pictures on flikr from last summer but it in it's june/July glory it's a wonder to behold. We are guessing it's decades old. Lovely.
We didn't have to do anything special except trim it back to shape a bit and keep it very watered. Perhaps yours just needs a bit of TLC? We have not fertilized it but maybe your soil/roots need a little boost? Right now I'd just make sure you soak it frequently if it's not getting enough rain.
Posted by: guest at May 13, 2008 7:13 PM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.