The owner of this property wanted to transform the overgrown portion of the rear yard into a fun, colorful oasis. Also desired were a dramatic entry, intimate paths, seating space, and an over long blooming season. The rear neighbor’s patio wall and unused lawn presented an interesting opportunity: rather than screen it fully, creating a wall at the garden edge, was it possible to “borrow the view” and visually incorporate it into the garden?

The result was this cottage garden. An entry pergola and two flanking raised vegetable beds form a boundary between the lawn and garden spaces. The roof line of the pergola echoes the roof line of the rear neighbor's house, and shrub roses planted along the property line will soon grow to hide views of the lower portion of the rear neighbor's patio wall, blurring the visual distinction between the two properties and making it appear as if the garden extends out to the wall. Within the garden space, an old wood swing's structural supports form the bones for an arbor, on which hardy kiwi vines were planted. A gravel path, edged in places with upright bricks found on the property, loops throughout, linking all elements together. The planting design uses a combination of larger-growing shrubs for central focal elements and limited screening, such as blue-leaved Fothergilla x 'Blue Shadow' paired with 'Black Diamond' crape myrtle (a purple-leaved series). Perennial vignettes line the path, expressions of color combinations and texture contrasts: studies in orange-yellow using several different species, riotous groups of warm-colored flowers, combinations of blue and pink, or blue and yellow. The bloom season extends from March (daffodils and Fothergilla), to spring (irises, roses), to summer and late fall ('Terracotta' yarrow, silver lavender, coneflower mixes, daylilies).