Landscape designer Joanna Pertz continues to document a new garden project in Prospect Heights. You can view the first post here.
When I look at a space I think of the Geometry first, then the Program (or what the family wants to do in the space) second and finally what Plants will thrive. I roll through these criteria again and again as I develop a design. Soon I will fix on a specific material that I want to see in the space and never forget the budget that I must work within.
The geometry:
The shape of this garden is a challenge. It's like a railroad apartment, rooms are interrupted by circulation space and neither feels open. The right geometry will inspire you or your eye to move thru the space, experience a change and have a place to rest. Curving paths in small gardens are tempting and tricky- they are often too busy and do not embrace the size of the garden and how many curves it can hold. I recommend one or two wide curves, if any. This design will try and get away from having a real path by blurring the line between planting and path.and creating rooms with fluid circulation by introducing topography. I am proposing a planted mound to offer a strong change in the ground plan and bring the garden abit closer to the deck above. I want to bring movement as well as a unifying architectural element into the space, this element will be a wide horizintial board fence, like ribbons, built on site.
