New Eco: Urban Landscape Design

We have been getting a lot of calls this year for organic topsoil, mostly from customers that want to grow vegetables and are worried about the high levels of lead we have in much of the soil here in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

But what is "organic" topsoil?  I know when people hear the word "organic" they think it must be better than something that is not, but isn't dirt pretty organic already? How do you make something that is already organic, MORE organic?

When people talk about organic topsoil, I think what they are really referring to is loam, which is actually different than topsoil.  Loam is soil composed of sand, silt and clay in relatively even concentration (if you actually care, find out more about loam here).  What we really are looking for is a soil that is as fertile as it could possibly be. 

Vegetable plants grow best in well-drained, "sandy loam" soils that are rich with organic matter.  Unfortunately, most gardens around here do not contain that type of soil.  This is where the "organic" part comes in.  Our organic topsoil means that it is soil that has been enriched.  It means the soil is:

• screened
• modified by the use of soil conditioners such as course sand and organic matter such as compost
• peat free
• analysed for chemical levels 
• contains a minimum amounts of rock or stone
• has a pH range between 6.5 - 7.2
• has an organic content between 2-9%

Got it all? Good.  This should be enough to hold you over for now but if you are "loam"-ing at the mouth (sorry) for more information, check out this link and this link.  

Springtime in the garden for many usually means staring out their window at a mess of three months worth of winter neglect and thinking, "Do we have to?".  

Unfortunately the answer is "Yes" but I am totally understanding of the dread.  Even in my own garden, the fun part for me is NOT spending hours taking out nature's trash, but in the end I have my new, clean canvas to work on and that's the part I look forward to. 

There are many benefits to doing a real spring cleanup.  Here are a few to get you motivated:

What Needs to be Done and the Benefits

1.  Clean out the garden beds

Doing this will give you hope for the future and put your mind at ease.  Any leftover annuals need to come out.  Dead branches, leaves and any other unwanted organic matter on the ground needs to be removed.  This will allow for better ventilation and removes hiding places for bugs and other critters.  The debris needs to be composted to be used as organic mulch later. 

2.  Trimming and pruning

If you forgot to take of some things that needed to get trimmed last year, now could be the time to do it.  Any dead branches or twigs that are on plants need to be removed.  Getting rid of dead and diseased wood encourages new growth but be careful, some plants should not be trimmed or pruned this early.  It is important to have someone who knows what they are doing take care of this stage.  

3.  Till the garden

The garden and soil need to be aerated for health.  This is a good time to start adding organics for better soil conditions and increased plant growth and health. 

4.  Mulch

I think that mulch is one of the most important things in a garden and I am always disappointed when I don't see any in a garden.  Mulch retains water (to lower your water bills during the sprinkler months) and is healthy for plants, as you see in the wild.  In nature, nobody comes along and removes all the leaves.  Trees naturally "mulch" themselves for many reasons (ever see whats under a pine tree?) but I won't get into that now. 

5.  Plan ahead

Now is also a great time to plan for any new additions or changes you want to make to your garden this season.  This is the year to do it! You've worked hard and deserve that garden you've always dreamt of...plus we wouldn't mind doing it for you!

Feel free to contact us with any other questions about spring cleanups that you might have. 

Here are some more photos of a project we did this spring/summer.  We used mainly native and adaptive plants for this modern garden such as Mountain Laurel, Inkberry Holly, an Eastern Redbud tree and a number of native ferns.  We took these photos as we were installing the low-maintenance lawn that will be done entirely out of Pennsylvania Sedge.  Look for final photos of the project soon.

Here is a nice shot of the cedar fence we built. 

We also installed a gravel path around the perimeter of the garden for easy access.

Hey Friends! We were just featured and interviewed for a feature piece in New York House Magazine for our recent landscape design projects.  You can read the New York House Magazine Article here or by clicking on their logo below and thank you all for the support!!

This is a full backyard renovation that we recently did in Fort Greene.   Our client came to us with the idea of a U-shaped retaining wall with a water feature and a large enough patio space to entertain plenty of guests.  Here are some pics of how it came out.  Below you will find the before shot.

And here is the after...

Here is the outline of the waterfeature in-progress.

During the renovations, the homeowner found this ornate, iron fireplace plate and wanted to incorporate it into the design somehow...

So we decided to make it the face of the weeping wall waterfeature we installed, pictured below.

And here are a few more pics just for fun.  The site had three existing River Birch trees and a Japanese "Bloodgood Maple" that the homeowner wanted to keep, so they acted as the backbone of the garden as we worked around them and incorporated them into our design.  We also installed a number of drought-tolerant and native species including an Eastern Redbud.

Here is a sneak peak of a cedar fence we are currently doing for a design/build project in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.  Before we got there the backyard was truely wild, with a large mosquito population that was calling it home (the majority of them have since relocated).  For this project we are building a custom red cedar fence, recycled bluestone patio and installing an almost fully native landscape (the only thing that will not be native is a Japanese "Bloodgood" Maple, which is a fully adaptive tree for the New York City area.  Keep you posted on the end result soon...

I haven't blogged in a bit and here is why, we've been busy making people happy.  We got this note from a big fan of ours and it really means so much to us when we receive these tokens of appreciation. Thanks Joan!

Here are ten of our favorite low-maintenance, water efficient plants that we have had much success with.  We chose these specifically for their beauty, since having a sustainable backyard or front yard in New York City doesn't mean it has to be an eye sore.

1. Creeping Phlox 

Excellent ground cover in lieu of  a grass lawn.  Comes in a variety of colors.

2.  River Birch   

This excellent shade tree does well in wet soils and in dry summers.  Great choice when you are looking to add a "speciman" plant to the garden.

3.  Lily Turf (Liriope) 

Lily Turf is one of those plant that you might not be able to kill even if you tried (we havent).  Makes for a great ground cover, looks great all year round as long as you give it a trim in early spring and shows a beautiful flower from August through September. 

4. Deer Fern 

Perfect for neutralizing the garden and good for the shady areas.  We like it better than Lady Fern (they tend to attract slugs). 

5.  Stonecrop

A great drought tolerant plant and little care is needed in general.  Plant the "Autumn Joy" sedum for a spectacular show of the colored, puffy flowers that bloom in mid-to late summer.

6.  Butterfly Weed 

If you want some friends in the garden, this is the perfect plant that butterflies cannot resist.  Needs a little bit of TLC here and there but we think it is well worth it.

7.  Japanese Wisteria 

Great in full sun or partial shade, this drought-tolerant climber produces bunchs of flowers that can be up to 18 inches long depending on the species.  Great over a patio or trellis but don't let it get too close to your house, it might tear it down. Seriously. 

8.  Japanese Black Pine 

One of my favorites, maybe because we had them around my yard as a kid and I loved collecting the pine cones.  Like with a lot of Japanese plants, they inherintly give off a sense of stability and calmness and grow unbelieveably well in the New York climate.  Don't plant near a patio or where any cars are present, you'll never get the sap off either.

9.  Highbush Blueberry 

Some people might not think of the blueberry plant, which can grow wild, as "beautiful" but we certainly do.  Not only are they native, provide habitat for birds, attract other wildlife and provide excellent fall color...they also produce blueberries!

10. Cherry Blossom 

This is truely my favorite on the list.  We have one hanging over our pond and in spring when the Cherry Blossom blooms it makes a for a photo scene that is worthy of a magazine cover.  They can grow quite large but need little care, the three in our yard have been growing wild for 25 years.