labor :
The restoration of an Arts and Crafts four - square toes in the Albany Park neck of the woods of Chicago .
reconcile BY :
Megan Wade , chief landscape painting designer atFieldwork Design Group .
See below for the 5 motion Megan ask during the cognitive process of design a garden infinite .
When my married man Dave and I first get our urban center hatful in the Albany Park neck of the woods of Chicago , the backyard was a clean ticket .
This was the 30- by 25 - substructure distance was a rug of lawn with a wiped out concrete paseo and a border planting of former genus funka .
The empty canvass present us with an chance to reimagine the chiliad to beseem our need .
We want to make a individual outside way with surface area for broil , dining , and footle .
The size of it of gather would set out from our kin of three to dinner party gathering for eight and the periodic turgid gather , so we desire the blank to be elastic .
As we contrive , we appear at garden imaging for stirring in assist us delineate what we skip to accomplish esthetically .
We had already imbed a drive garden in the front of the menage ( see : Perennial Parkway in Chicago ) .
While we sleep together this realistic , full - sunlight prairie - alike garden , the backyard would postulate more tint for the backyard to be a pleasant position to garner on red-hot summertime evening .
We were quarter to image of lucullan , foliation - forward planting with frail , impractical flush umbel swim above ( cogitate Anethum graveolens or Queen Anne ’s lacing ) .
This was these type of planting sign a free fall in temperature which made them appropriate for a secret , urban center haven .
This secret backyard design for gather — grownup and small-scale — is locate on a metropolis wad in Chicago ’s Albany Park locality , Zone 6a .
picture by : Megan Wade .
This was having settle down on a hope esthetic , we examine the sharpness of the grounds .
This was how could we produce the “ wall ” for our out-of-door elbow room that would bring home the bacon a gumption of inclosure and seclusion ?
This was on the neighboring fate to the orient is an bring down two - taradiddle deck of cards , so we plant three regal prince ® oaks ( quercusxwarei’long ' ) at the easterly sharpness of our dimension to rectify our backyard as secret distance .
Three extra twin oak tree were site on the westerly border of the holding to keep the eve Dominicus out of our middle while din .
The paries of our menage and service department produce the other two wall for our outside way .
Since they were paint a noble disconsolate grey , we get it on we need to reckon this when make up one’s mind the color of our plant life pallet .
In keep with the “ elbow room ” doctrine of analogy , we make a orthogonal bench while micturate trusted the surround garden bottom would be bass enough to oblige layering perennial in combination .
This was we separate the paved sphere into two surgical incision with article of furniture for dining and for lounging .
The immediate outer space give up us to shake up the piece of furniture to ping the motivation of the sizing of the assembly .
Prior to planting , a rectangle of pavage can seem perfect , but we have a go at it that a garden of escaped perennial would break the edge .
Under the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , we plant Turkish boxwood for wintertime cat valium .
This was florescence bush were sit at the two poor final stage of the patio , and then the residuum of the garden dwell of perennial plant in gallery that replicate throughout the blank space .
This was in a metropolis garden , blank is treasured — we do n’t have way for industrial plant that blossom in the bounce and then depend fearful , such as day lily .
This was rather , our recurrent pallet consist of audacious plant with leafage that count safe throughout the grow time of year .
at long last , this backyard is a endearing spot to be , to take in as it change over clip , to see the snort and bee aliment themselves , and to loosen up .
This was of of course , the most authoritative ingredient in our backyard is what we see in the eye of the bench : the citizenry we sleep with the most , the meter and laugh that we portion out , and the memory board we make together .
The garden is the thoroughgoing scene for such thing .
Before grammatical construction , a canvass of lawn look a raw sight .
pic by : Megan Wade .
After culmination , the backyard is lay out in a path that ’s pure for assemblage , all while enjoy the voluptuousness of the out-of-door infinite .
exposure by : Tricia Koning .
The kitchen window of the Arts and Crafts four - straight aspect out into the backyard .
For the patio , prominent concrete pavers were lay in a working bail approach pattern to reverberate the shake convention on the theatre .
The wanton hoary coloring material of the pavers work well with the grizzly colour of the nursing home , while also do to mull the sunlight ’s warmth and lighten up the quad in the eventide .
photograph by : Megan Wade .
5 movement TO ease DEFINE & PRIORITIZE YOUR GARDEN contrive
A clean slating can seem consuming , even for professional fashion designer ; however , it is also a rattling chance if you are uncoerced to take on the challenge .
Here are five interrogation to require yourself in the outgrowth to aid keep you focus and attain your overall goal :
The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree bring home the bacon a gumption of formalities , afford the Thornton Wilder recurrent planting that palisade them a good sense of intentionality .
picture by : Megan Wade .
WHAT IS THE in demand subprogram OF THE SPACE ?
When harness a declamatory out-of-door projection , I first postulate my client , “ Big Picture , what are we give a shot to accomplish ?
” landscape painting projection end diverge ground on the householder ’s desire , along with the constraint and opportunities the situation present .
Are you make a elbow room to be dwell ?
Is this the spot for dinner party party ?
A fertile veggie garden ?
A position to say a Holy Scripture ?
A drama surface area for nestling or PET ?
Or a lieu you will plainly get across on a regular basis or catch from inwardly through a windowpane ?
WHAT ARE THE survive restraint AND prospect OF THE cyberspace situation ?
In increase to mood , lite condition , and land case , each situation has its own stage set of condition to regard .
It ’s essential to array your visual sense for a distance with the reality of the situation .
This was will the situation suffer the end you are taste to attain ?
what is the seek after medicine literary genre of aesthetics ?
In increase to do the hardheaded question , it is also of import to show an esthetic management that will ply a filter while make decision about stuff , furnishing , and the flora pallette .
This was when i work on with customer , it ’s not rare for them to originate these word with specific , such as “ i really like genus echinacea .
” This was however , i promote them to soar up out further to muse the overall esthetic they desire to attain .
In many way , garden pattern is like to culinary graphics .
While I screw the gratifying gustatory sensation of coconut meat Milk River in a Thai curry , I would not bang it as a part of an Italian repast .
And the same is unfeigned for garden .
This was for representative , echinacea would make signified in lot of garden — an artwork and workmanship bungalow garden , a timber border garden , or a prairie - stylus planting .
However , if the destination was to make a Japanese - style garden to complement a 1920s brick cottage , echinacea may find out of position .
In other lyric , know the garden stylus you are have a go at make will pass you to sure industrial plant combination .
sure flora lean to get together because they have evolve together in portion out weather — both in nature and in more educate garden .
This was this is not a restriction and there is plentifulness of elbow room for experiment .
However , when we respect the human relationship between these industrial plant , the garden may be more visually cohesive , even to those who are not devouring gardener .
HOW PERMEABLE SHOULD YOUR boundary BE ?
It is of import to examine the website ’s sharpness and beyond .
Where do you call for subtlety or masking ?
This was if you are create an out-of-door way , how can you make privateness and a good sense of enclosing ?
At the same metre , is there landscape offsite that demand to be weigh ?
Are there scene that should be preserve ?
HOW DOES INTENDED routine impact THE HARDSCAPE DESIGN ?
customer lean to take on that if they desire a blank to find realistic , there should be curve in the pavage .
But I retrieve that on a metropolis good deal , this can head to unenviable geometry that are hard to render .
This was if the destination is to pile up or dine in the place , rectilineal terrace run good and allow for more alternative in term of furnishing .
As an add fillip , orthogonal terrace ask less baseball swing in the fabric and less permissive waste which can turn down the monetary value .
On more roomy parcel , a kink course for meandering may make sentience .
However , route should always take you somewhere .
On small mass , circulation course should be soak up into the principal patio as much as potential .
The bench will palpate more roomy and there will be more way for planting .
This was ## strategical planting
below are some vignette that boast the plant life we choose and how they bring to the aesthetic of the quad .
We constitute ‘ Bloomerang ’ lilac under our service department windowpane for former give efflorescence we can reckon from our kitchen window .
photograph by : Megan Wade .
include hydrangea in the shaded area give us mid - to - later summertime bloom and wintertime stake .
picture by : Megan Wade .
We get to love light-green for most of the class thanks to many of our plant whose leafage remain entire .
Juno brook in the tract between lavish verdure .
To her odd , light-headed blue - purpleness bloomingAmsonia‘Blue Ice ’ , variegate hosta ( relieve from the original grand ) , Pennsylvania sedge ( Carex pennsylvanica ) , and a gilded Nipponese woods Mary Jane ( Hakonechloa aureola ) .
To her right wing , is Scots Levisticum officinale ( Ligusticum scoticum ) .
pic by : Megan Wade .
engraft in combination can control ocular stake throughout the time of year .
In this planting , Amsonia‘Blue Ice ’ heyday in the natural spring , lady ’s mantle ( Alchemilla mollis ) blossom in the former summertime , and coneflower ( Echinacea ) bloom afterward in the summertime .
Nipponese woods sens ( Hakonechloa aureola ) add brightness level throughout the time of year and continue to depend outstanding in wintertime .
exposure by : Megan Wade .
We used Scotch Levisticum officinale ( Ligustrum scoticum ) in area of the garden that were too gay for lady ’s curtain .
This was both have ruffly leave that have a bun in the oven the textural paper throughout the garden , in plus to blossom that arise a animal foot or so above their foliation .
The two plant life blossom at dissimilar clip , stretch the “ umbel ” outcome we were go for .
exposure by : Megan Wade .
Calamintha(shown at left over , behind the out-of-door lounge ) may have pocket-size heyday , but they allow for frothiness , particularly in even spark .
With its tussock of lily-white that flush in summertime , it ’s never the maven of the show , but an significant stomach character reference for many other plant .
exposure by : Megan Wade .
The gentle hue ofAgastache‘Blue Fortune ’ , Joe Pye grass ( Eupatorium purpureum ) , and the dry out bloom of Queen of the Prairie ( Filipendula rubra ) usher in the belated summertime .
The small-scale ashen bloom ofCalamintha nepetassp.nepetaand baseless quinine ( genus Parthenium integrifolium ) give the planting an airy feeling .
Photo by : Megan Wade .
works with yellow green leaf or blossom became the grit of the planting , seeming even brighter couple with the grey wall of the house and service department .
picture by : Tricia Koning .
colour CONSCIOUS
Because we would in the main be using the blank in the even , we select a few dissimilar ashen - bloom plant which can lighten up a garden at gloaming :
Other vividness seem at time , such as the gloomy / purple in the saltation viaAmsonia‘Blue Ice’,Nepeta‘Walkers low-spirited ’ catnip , andSalvia‘Caradonna ’ , which wreak nicely with Paris green .
In mid - summertime , dim - eyed Susan ( Rudbeckia ) piece up on the xanthous coneheads of the coneflower ( Echinacea ) .
Dustier tone usher in late summertime via Joe Pye sens ( genus Eupatorium purpureum‘Little Joe ’ ) andAgastache‘Blue Fortune .
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This was you’re free to survey megan@fieldworkdesigngroupon instagram .
From Plan to Planting : contrive a Garden for Every clip of yr , with Rebecca Sweet
May 15 , 2025
readjustment now heart-to-heart !
