Steal This Look: Modern Brooklyn Backyard on a Budget - Gardenista
A common dilemma after you renovate a house? The garden has withstood the test of time–and long been one of our favorites (we first spotted it in Domino Magazine)–so we asked Welti to tell us how you can adapt it for your space. “It’s a simple idea, with an interior grid, a bluestone patio. and a hedge on the perimeter,” says Welti. To unify the space on a budget, work with what’s already there. An existing bluestone patio inspired Welti to set pavers in crushed bluestone. Vintage butterfly chairs belonged to the clients, a graphic designer and an architect. A red Butterfly Chair, made to the specifications of the original BFK, is $350 from Circa 50. The rose on the fence is New Dawn, a vigorous climber. Welti’s design calls for six identical planting beds–each measuring roughly 5 feet square–placed equidistant from one another. Image by Judy Craghead, via Flickr. In the back corner, Welti planted a Japanese maple for the clients. The vintage patio table and wire chairs belonged to the clients. For a similar look, a set of two Biscayne Wire Chairs is $490 at Iron Accents. For the beds, Welti chose plants–boxwood clipped into balls, Solomon’s seal, Russian sage, Mexican feather grass, and hydrangeas– that would co-exist harmoniously and stand up to heat. To shape boxwood, consider Topiary Trimming Shears by Burgon and Ball; available in two sizes, for $23 or $46.20, from Garden Tool Co. Image via Wilkerson Mills. Hydrangea ‘All Summer Beauty’ will bloom blue in acidic soil, pink in alkaline. For modern inspiration, Welti turned to Russell Page’s The Education of a Gardener, first published in 1962.