Sustainable Homes + Yards holistically assesses your environment, from how your home is sited with regard to sun and neighboring buildings, to superior landscaping and planting selection.
Minimizing the use of hardscape—impermeable surfaces that don't allow rainwater to be absorbed naturally — and maximizing the use of native plants are the bedrocks of a sustainable garden.
Rowhouses provide a slice of country air in the city. The shaded garden on the ground level is lush and green. Roof gardens provide ample sun for tomatoes, bright flowers and vines. Our favorite vine—the passion flower—wended its way over and around a fence and bulkhead.
Seeing Green Enhances Life Quality
New York City's 53,000 acres of residential yard space can provide cumulative environmental benefits. Often tucked behind row houses and apartment buildings, if unpaved, yard space can absorb stormwater at its source, reducing sewer overflow events in which untreated sewerage mixes with rainwater through underground pipe systems.
Trees Provide More than Shade
Everybody knows that trees provide shade—a respite from hot summer days—but have you ever thought about what kinds of trees to plant, depending on your specific needs and location? For instance, planting deciduous trees—which are green and full in summer and lose their leaves in fall—provides shade in summer without blocking the warmth of the sun’s rays in winter.
The Power of Flowers
Flowers—perennials that come back year after year, and annuals that provide constant color all summer long—provide pops of color and a constantly evolving landscape. Herb gardens can be established by installing a small raised bed with clean soil (separated from soil on the ground which might be contaminated) in window boxes, on the roof, or in a backyard.
Townhouse Roof Re-Design
Since the roof is sunny, flowering plants could be used—including hydrangeas, forsythia, and succulents around the perimeter of the roof. Creeping thyme was chosen as a border as a green way to cool the top floor and manage stormwater. Passion flower vines covered the bulkhead and vegetables and herbs were planted seasonally.
For information on how urban yards can contribute to a cleaner, healthier water supply, please see my article in Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability: The overlooked role of New York City urban yards in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Townhouse Backyard
Rowhouse backyards on the north side of New York City streets are often shady, so shade-tolerant plants were chosen for ease of maintenance. Leaf colors that provide interest and flowering plants that are do not need too much sun created an urban oasis for the owners. The sound of water trickling from fountain at the back completed the meditative environment.
TOWNHOUSE BACKYARD, BEFORE
PASSION FLOWER ON THE ROOF