Creating uber-cool urban gardens
Elegant ideas turn small spaces into blissful escapes
Urban gardens offer themselves up to the most imaginative designs. Generally, the small dimensions of these spaces is a challenge, but with a little knowledgeable planning they can become tiny Edens that offer blessed escape from high-density living.
The compact size and proximity to neighbours calls for ingenuity, a trait that the landscape architects at Earth Inc. have in large supply. I was thinking about city gardens and the options for building in privacy without distracting from the lush views of trees, bushes and flowers for me or the neighbours. What I was searching for was a garden wall that was appealing as well as practical.
Garden structures that demarcate boundaries vary from ancient dry stone walls to picket fences, from latticework enclosures to plantings of high shrubbery. In the backyard shown here, Earth Inc. designed and built a different kind of garden wall — a large outdoor screen from wood and glass.
The framework is composed of 6-x-6-inch posts of pressuretreated wood. The wood is covered with a ¾-inch veneer of Ipe wood, a very strong hardwood that grows in South America.
Ipe wood is a top choice for exteriors as it is highly resistant to decay and termites, has no splinters and stays smooth.
The panel’s tempered glass, which should be 3/8-inch thick to withstand various weather changes, is frosted or acid etched to provide privacy, however, the translucent finish allows light to flow through.
To avoid high maintenance — from having to clean dirt that splashes onto the lower sections of glass — panels are either built on a deck or raised on a wood or stone foundation.
Another option for creating your own personal Eden is to install a water feature. But be advised they do require maintenance. Circulating water requires a pump, and the water vessel will need to be emptied and cleaned in the winter months.
They are a soothing addition to any garden or deck as long as they are designed in such a way that the sound of the water is controlled and subtle.
In this city garden, a water feature is built with three spouts. The concrete basin sits in a long, Cor-Ten steel trough along the perimeter of the deck. Cor-Ten steel oxidizes to a rust-coloured appearance, and the protective coating slows down corrosion.
By combining old and new built-in features with ivies and lush greenery, this garden is a haven during the day and long summer evenings.
Where privacy is not an issue, rather than building a solid wall, you can define garden spaces with an oversized wood frame as Earth Inc. did for a second city garden that was long and narrow. The frames are built with pressuretreated wood clad in MDO, which is similar to MDF but for exterior use, and stained a dark grey.
The L-shaped structure acts as a focal point designed to draw your eye in two directions — into the back garden where a Tiger Eye Sumac catches the morning sun, and to the entrance to the garage through a bright orange door.
Finally, urban fire pits are very trendy now, but be sure to check your local fire codes before lighting any fires. And even though high-end garden furniture is pricey, you may want to splurge on one great chair or lounge and surround it with more affordable pieces.