Garden of the Day: Cemetery Views

I'm loving the lettuce in the bottle racks. Great idea. Did you line the bottoms? I can't quite picture what the bottom of those look like normally - maybe wire mesh.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 10:46 AM

Diggin all the coverage of greenwood lately!!!!

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 10:47 AM

What a huge terrace! Any more apts like that in greenwood???

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 10:48 AM

Beautiful!

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 11:06 AM

It's very fun and inviting. That's a nice open sunny space to work with when you want a garden for the kitchen, with vegetables and herbs.

My humble suggestions: do more with scale. Splurge on a beautiful tall large scale planter or two. Place a potted tree next to the pillar in the center of the patio. Right now you have all small short containers and everything is low to the ground and pushed against the walls of the patio.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 11:16 AM

Is that a firepit?

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 11:34 AM

Nice deck, nice table, nice view, lucky you.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 11:53 AM

Looks like you have great harbor views too! I recognize the Bush terminal warehouses in the B.G, so I'll guess this place is on 5th ave in the high 20's...Wow - I'm envious.

Enjoy!

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 12:00 PM

Can u see the ghosts at nite

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 12:12 PM

Thanks for all the great comments and advice with the planters!

Yeah, the views are amazing, and the sunsets too. One side of the deck overlooks the cemetery, which is amazing at this time of year, and the other side overlooks the array of 20 or so water towers and then a hazy view Manhattan.

The table is from Crate & Barrel and the chairs are from Ikea and Pottery Barn. The yellow bubble couch is a Philippe Starck that we found on sale somewhere a couple of years ago, it's not the most comfortable thing to lay on though.

The bottle racks as lettuce planters are lined with newspaper on the bottom so by the time the newsprint disintegrates the roots will be strong enough to hold the soil together.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 12:18 PM

You can attach the container and tree to the pillar if you placed one there. Also just don't use narrow bottom or pedestal style containers. Use a box style. It won't tip over.

Take a look at NYT listings for upscale apartments in Manhattan that have outside patio gardens. You'd get some ideas from those photos. And those apts would be more prone to potential lawsuits than you would.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 12:42 PM

Kensington Gal,

Tomato hornworms. Ewwww! Is that what those things are? I was just digging up the bed on my roof that had tomatoes in it last year. I kept coming across all these totally creepy worms deep down in the soil. They were translucent whitish, 1 in. long, with a dark end, lots of legs, all curled up like they were waiting for the season to start so they could eat what I planted there.

I was planning on putting beans and maybe peas in that bed this year and putting my tomatoes in a different one.

Any advice on how to kill them other than picking and throwing them over the edge of the building like I did?

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 12:52 PM

the view is very reminiscent of one of mark bittman's minimalist cooking videos.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 12:52 PM

I would kill for those views, but living so close to the cemetery would only be done over my girlfriend's dead body.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 1:14 PM

Very nice.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 1:14 PM

Correct... This is where Mark Bittman's outdoor videos were shot. I work at The New York Times and we used our roof deck for the video grill series. Impressive that you recognized that.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 1:32 PM

I'm worried about your cat. I'm such a nervous nelly I couldn't handle a balcony.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 2:03 PM

hey brownstoner, i think you should change the way you post photos. why can't you make it a rollover or something so that that page doesn't reload each time you click on one? or if it is going to reload, at least make the pictures bigger?

that's all. thanks.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 2:30 PM

it's frankly, not too great. could use some professional help - you need perhaps both a landscape artist and maybe a consultation with a decorator for this to become better. don't think you have a very good eye. poor furniture arrangement. ugly pots, absolutely no attention to scale.

sure you are enjoying your space, but uninspiring.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 2:47 PM

Could the OP please tell us the dimensions of this deck? It looks awesome.

Also are those slate or glaced porcelain tiles? They look like they've held up well thru the winter weather.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 3:07 PM

So mean, 2:47. And really, where else would you put the furniture? The arrangement is fine. But sure, it could use more refined design with the containers and plantings.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 3:48 PM

The deck dimensions are 30 feet wide by 22 feet deep (approximately) - I think it works out to about 650 square feet. And yes, they are slate tiles that have held up very well through the winter months... although the building is only 2 years.

If anyone has anymore thoughts on container gardening please let us know. We've only been at it for 2 seasons so a lot is learn as you go and reading lots of gardening books, but it's great to hear from people that have been doing it for years.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 3:48 PM

Could you please post about how you did the flooring? Our roof is just tar paper, and the landscape designers we spoke to quoted 60/ft, which is out of our price range by far!

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 4:39 PM

2:47, please post the link to your garden so we can see a truly inspiring space with an impressive furniture arrangement, wonderful pots, and impressive attention to scale.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 4:48 PM

2:47 is bitter and jealous - their mean words prove it.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 4:59 PM

Yeah 2:47. What is your idea of 'impressive furniture'? It's a gorgeous wooden table that seats 12 people and plants in clay pots? You sound very bitter and rude.

I think it's a great space. Such a nice garden! And the views!!!

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 5:21 PM

Is this the Simone building?

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 5:23 PM

Nope, it's not the Simone. This is on the other side (west side) of the cemetery.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 6:32 PM

To die for :) lovely, ignore the haters

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 9:25 PM

4: 48 - I may. it's fantastic. this is below average. sure they like it, but not worth posting. the brownstoner crowd shows it lack of taste over and over again. what's new.

sorry to speak the truth.

Posted by: guest at May 17, 2008 12:38 AM

12:30 / 2:47 - you sound incredibly bitter. I feel really bad for you that you think your taste is better than everyone else and that you also feel the need to berate other peoples lovely homes with undue course. You should be ashamed of yourself, but, you won't because you hide behind the anonymity of commenting on the internet.

Show your 'fantastic' garden so others can learn from your unique wisdom, or, shut the heck up!

Posted by: guest at May 17, 2008 9:24 AM

Someone who can't find a single spot of delight or inspiration in any interior or garden they look at is not truly talented at design. Big fat phony. Sorry to speak the truth, 12:38.

People who are the real thing will see potential in anything; their minds immediately start working that way - they embrace what they like in a space and excitedly suggest ways to improve what they don't like. You have nothing of the personality or abilities of a design genius, that's very clear. So stop pretending.

Posted by: guest at May 17, 2008 11:09 AM