Brownstoner Reader Photos Reveal Creative Urban Garden Design, Clever Plant Pairings, Lush Lawns

Gardens have been a respite for many during the pandemic. Brooklyn gardeners sent us their photos and told us how they have improved their outdoor spaces. Here’s what gardeners in Gowanus, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights and East New York have been up to, in their own words.

A Dramatic Transformation in East New York.

Here is our garden in East New York. We redid it last year from a messy overgrown place to an oasis that has been a godsend during COVID-19. I did the planting with the help of a friend, Peter Rosenbaum, who is a retired landscaper. We had to couple the garden work with some foundation waterproofing so it worked out beautifully. — Molly Caldwell and Maureen Catbagan

An Herb Garden Grows on a Fence.

Creative Container Garden Surprises in Clinton Hill.

I wanted to share some of the containers in my front yard in Clinton Hill. I had never seen a red and white lily like that, so I thought it would be good to share. — Chris Henry

A Gowanus Backyard Packs in a Pond, Bench and Tree.

I’m renovating the house, so I need a place to go where I’m not sucking in plaster dust, so one of the first things I concentrated on was the garden. There is a difference in heights between the two yards, so I had to put in a retaining wall. Since I had always wanted a water feature, I figured I might as well put in a Koi pond. Not to everyone’s taste, but I’m happy with it. Everything, including the willow, was planted in the last four years. — Brian Walls

A Lush Lawn Blankets Crown Heights Backyard.

This is my garden in Crown Heights. I planted that Japanese maple tree back in 2016 and laid the sod myself. I have a sprinkler system which helps a lot, but don’t ever use any nasty chemicals for pests or fertilizer. It’s south facing so that makes it easy to grow stuff. — Ben Badger

Cucumbers Sprout in a Sunny Window.

https://twitter.com/DannieSea2/status/1273643099730972672

A Vegetable Garden Grows on a Gowanus Deck.

It’s an experiment every year. But this year the back deck gardening outposts are bigger, weirder and woolier than ever before. For the one pictured, I cut an old pallet into a rough planter. It’s exploding with purple tomatillo and patty pan squash, along with Kentucky pole beans, rosemary, bachelor buttons, morning glories and cardinal climber. The little flanking pots are attempts at American Chestnut, pin oak, live oak and lime. We shall see! — Brad Vogel

A Backyard Oasis Replaces Concrete in Crown Heights.

Showing you two pre-reno pics from three years ago and now. We expanded our beds and hauled in about 50 bags of soil during the quarantine. We also planted a Japanese black pine, a magnolia in the large Italian urns with an assortment of vegetables, perennials and annuals from local and online nurseries. — Owners of a Crown Heights brownstone

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