Year: 2023

Location: Astoria, Queens

Scope: Garden and drainage design, project management, custom woodwork, masonry, planters, planting, irrigation, lighting, maintenance

Peace of mind was the heart of the brief for this design-build project. In that spirit, our approach focused on both improving drainage and redirecting stormwater to dramatically reduce the likelihood of flooding.

Beneath the Surface
A catchment basin at one corner of the garden catches run-off from the walkway between our client’s home and the neighbor’s. It is tied-in to a pair of 50-gallon dry-wells set in a deep gravel pit that augments their capacity significantly. 

A network of French drains and perforated pipes at the center of the garden collect and direct additional stormwater into the pit, allowing it to percolate back into the earth.

At the front right corner, beneath the back door landing, a second catchment basin ties in to the sewer line – an extra measure to prevent stormwater from entering the house.

In the garden
Mature, white-flowering crape myrtles anchor opposite corners of the space, soaring above a  bright, modern garden perfect for dining, entertaining, and family relaxation.

At the back, stucco-finished planting beds frame one corner of a bluestone patio, supporting a row of carpinus betulus (European hornbeam) that will grow into a dense, screening hedge over time, and a row of spirea prunifolia ‘Bridal Wreath’ that burst with tiny white blooms in early spring. Massed underplantings of rubus calycinoides (creeping raspberry) and hakonechloa macra (Japanese forest grass) add color and texture, spilling over the edges of the beds.

In the center, a layered swath of large, medium, and small boxwoods and white-flowering hydrangeas, interplanted with unique white iris, hardy geranium, and pink-flowering gaura, defines the edge of the dining patio and wraps around a lounge area, gently creating two distinct rooms.

An extra-tall cedar fence, treated with a silvery pine tar vitriol, encircles the entire space, setting off the varied greens and offering a sense of privacy and calm – as well as driveway access through a 12-foot gate.

In the front yard, generous stoop-side planting beds bursting with buxus, colorful hostas, autumn bride heuchera, hakonechloa (Japanese forest grass), dryopteris erythrosora (autumn fern) polystychum polyphlebarum (tassel fern), liriope, hardy geranium, and asarum europaeum (European wild ginger) and additional buxus in powder-coated cylinder planters line the stoop.

Photos courtesy of Jake Salyers