Garden of the Day: Rocking in Rockaway
[nggallery id=”22975″ template=galleryview] Today we veer a little outside our normal geographic bailiwick to check out a garden near the ocean…My wife and I moved to Rockaway from Brooklyn where we could afford a home. We got super lucky and found a place with a big (22×30) yard with full southern exposure; a block from…
[nggallery id=”22975″ template=galleryview]
Today we veer a little outside our normal geographic bailiwick to check out a garden near the ocean…My wife and I moved to Rockaway from Brooklyn where we could afford a home. We got super lucky and found a place with a big (22×30) yard with full southern exposure; a block from the beach. Some of our surfer friends had recently started a landscaping design company called Local Office so we asked them for help. I did most of the labor, but I used countless six packs of beer to get my friends to help with some of the bigger, heavier shrubs. Two years into it, I realize I spend much more time in my garden then at the beach, unless the waves are working.
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Yeah, looks like reefer to me too.
Seriously though, I liked the use of the plants to cover up the AC units and, hopefully, suppress the noise. Great garden.
Regarding the bamboo: BlueBerry has it right — the most important part of the equation is choosing a bamboo that spreads in clumps instead of by runners. The internet and/or your garden center can help you figure out which varieties fit the criteria.
We wanted to use the bamboo to create a ‘scrim’ between the sunny kitchen garden and the shadier deck area, to make the garden feel like a series of outdoor rooms. Even clump bamboo is very aggressive, so when it went into the ground, we advised the homeowners to plant it right in the pots and to prune it mercilessly every year. You can’t be too precious with a plant like that!
In response to the question about some of the plants not in the ground, yes, that’s a progress shot, as are all of these shown here. Below are links to the project description on our firm website, and a few pictures of the garden that we shot this season that show how it has filled in. The majority of the plants are native to the coastal dune ecosystem so they are right at home here at the oceanfront, and they have done really well under the care of BlueBerry’s Green Thumb.
http://www.localofficelandscape.com/aquatic.html
http://www.localofficelandscape.com/Aquatic08
Just joking! There’s a thread on Forum where someone wanted to know if he needed a permit for a 4×5′ platform at the bottom of 4 stairs. Had to laugh, especially considering all those I know who do actual decks w/o you-know-whats.
I’m not sure I need a permit for the deck (it’s not really a deck) because it basically 4×4 on the bottom and 2×4 and 2×8 on top. It’s not a real deck, deck, it’s just a floating deck.
The first picture is of the finished job and the other pics are the build up to finish.
I’m a bit oc a hack gardener with very little experience. This was a fun and perfect project.
Very pretty and good use of space. Thanks for sharing.
HOw come some of the plants not in the ground? or is that still a wip? We have some pots outside and have been doing the burlap and insulation thing for fear of the plants dying in the winter due to being exposed. Is that a concern? (We’re novice gardeners.)
Apropos of another thread…you got a permit for that “deck”, didn’t you ;)?
Wow, I’m really happy to have my Garden on Brownstoner. This made my week!
My friends Jennifer and Walter at Local Office Landscape are really the plant experts, I’ll send them this link for a more technical answer but basically; we made sure we got clumper bamboos. They are not invasive and are very easily managed. The bamboos are great for a millions reason but the reason that matters most to me is that they look freaking cool. They went into the ground plastic pot and all. They look amazing in the summer (super green) and in the winter (dirty blond).
If you send me a message I can direct you to a website I made showing how it went from a-z last year and how it looks now in 08.
I have a question for the garden owner – what are you doing to keep the bamboo in check? I’m interested in putting some in to create a screen like you did, but I understand that it can be unruly and spread quickly where you don’t want it to. Would love to understand more how to keep it under control.
Thanks!
Man, I wish ~my~ pot plants got that tall…