This foliage-forward garden demonstrates how a small space can be transformed into an immersive, serene oasis
I was painfully diffident as a baby , often taking refuge in the forested greenbelt adjacent to our suburban backyard . It was the early 1970s , before small fry were kept on a forgetful leash , and I was allowed to wander so long as I was home before dark . I would explore paths and climbtrees , collecting nature and memory as I cash in one’s chips . The forest of my youth was mostlyconifers , where an episodic mother Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree would establish her dominance , reaching out with a large protectivecanopyunderneath which little could grow . I would adopt the ground beneath and “ park it out . ” This intend removing debris and create a garden of collected flush and plant ( sometimes with roots still intact ) , along with lay small circle of stones . I would sit in the mossy solitude on the forest floor with my back against the body , sense safe in thedappled luminousness . It was an idyllic sanctuary of my own creation , all done on a five - year - old ’s remuneration .
I maturate up to become a painter , a sculpturer , and a curator . And with adulthood come the realization that a garden could be a work of art as well as a recourse — a phase where I could create a movie , a mood , and a floor . Over the course of action of 20 years I ’ve transformed my smallurban lotinto a living art installation . It is filled with an raiment oftexturesandforms , with visual jewels around every corner and the peaceful repose that makes it a straight haven . ( Does n’t everyone want that from their garden ? ) And it has all taken chassis under the canopy of a female parent tree reminiscent of my youth .
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Create a backdrop of green to foster complete immersion
The property I buy two decades ago to make my populate art installation is a strange cutout from the metropolis around it : a narrow , lambert - shaped strip show of Edwin Herbert Land holding its breather between three normal - shaped deal . When I first obtain it , all that was there was a hobbled - together theatre ( once a garage ) under the canopy of a monumental century - former cherry tree ( Prunuscv . , Zones 3–8 ) . There was no garden , only hardscrabble ground between patches of god-awful bamboo and blackberry . One can recreate a house and make a garden , but the magnificent scale of measurement of that Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree take generations to realize . So I corrupt the tree .
To filter out the beleaguer world , to create privacy , and to bring home the bacon a substantial sail upon which other plants could smoothen , a solid green backdrop was instal along many of the place lines . But due to the size of the monolithic tree ’s canopy , the plant beneath needed to be ghost loving and unforced to put up with lot of theme competition . Several long time ago I plant a hedging of Leyland cypress ( ×Cuprocyparis leylandii , Zones 6–10 ) to render privacy between my residence and the neighbor ’s house to the north ( picture above ) . It runs along from the trunk of the cerise tree to the westerly property line , turning the corner until it meets the ending of my detached garage . Now about 10 foot mellow , it makes a wonderful unripened foil for an raiment of architectural containers and textured leafage as well as create a comforting garden room . ‘ Teddy Bear ’ rhododendron ( Rhododendron‘Teddy Bear ’ , Zones 6b–8 ) is a broadleaf evergreen that offers a velvety backdrop elsewhere , while a grove of limbed - up lilacs ( Syringacv . , zone 3–7 ) with zag trunks contributes a mundane yet protective canopy in another arena . These deliberate measures give the garden a protective womb tone that allows me and others to be mentally present within the garden .
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Several thuggish plant tend to acquit well when starve for nutrients and resource like sparkle and water . For instance , butterbur can run rearing if given its favourite moist , rich soil . In my garden , however , it stay a fraction of its mature size and politely remains in check . I have opt many racy plants , some of which would be infrangible thugs in more favorable weather but are subdued here due to the extreme root competition .
Forget the flowers—they’re not the point
My garden is n’t about blossom ; it ’s foliage - first . Therefore , I choose plants that exhibit sheer texture , color , and pattern . Relying on those traits , I position the plant in a salmagundi of means to create rhythms throughout the space , or to create complements and contrast — much as you would with an artwork that purpose to produce a certain mood . For example , I adore the color of ‘ Wolf Eyes ’ kousadogwood(Cornuskousa‘Wolf Eyes ’ , zona 5–8 ) . Its precipitously variegate leaf let it to be a focal head , particularly when it is skirt by plants with leaf of a contrast coloring material . You ’ll also find drifts of Japanese forest pasturage ( Hakonechloamacraand cvs . , Zones 5–9 ) along thepathwaysof the garden , and the texture it provides is especial . The repeating of this amercement - bladed plant provides rhythm and move to the art of the garden . For form , it ’s hard to beat the imposing complex body part of butterbur ( Petasites japonicus , Zones 5–9 ) . Most of the flora I bank on sparkle regardless of the time of year .
My garden is not completely devoid of flowers , however . I do have some seasonal stars that help to complement the surrounding foliage at specific time of the year , adding interest to an arena that might otherwise be lacking . With its curl wax - paper - like party blossoms , ‘ Jelena ’ hag hazel ( Hamamelis× intermedia ‘ Jelena ’ , Zones 5–8 ) is the first in my garden to herald in the new year . Fothergilla ( Fothergillagardenii , Zones 5–8 ) has delicate , airy flower that seem to blow severally of the bush itself in springtime . Martagon lilies ( Liliummartagon , Zones 3–8 ) also disperse the canvass at the peak of the season , their hues glint out against the foliage mosaic beyond .
Root competition from the giant cherry is a pregnant challenge , but I have adapted several strategy for dealing with it : I opt perennials that thrive in dry nicety , use containers to maximize planting space in area with heavily etymon - bound territory , and appropriate aboriginal mosses to take over in some spots . I ’m a fastidious gardener . I preen and sportsmanlike . Even the bare earth is swept clean . In a refinement garden that ’s on a regular basis water and rarely top - dressed , this promote moss . Here in thePacific Northwestthe mid - light-green hue of rough-cut garden moss make a web of wool easily rolled back or picked asunder by birds and squirrels looking for insects , worm , or a scrap ( photograph below ) . For class I ’ve maintained this carpeting because its color and grain add undeniable interest across the lowest layers of the garden sheet .
Paths and patios encourage lingering and an intimate garden experience
Within this tiny landscape are a small court , a brickpatio , two concrete tract , and even a serial of granite pavers laid atop the cerise Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree roots to create an extra entertaining quad . All of thesehardscapeelements encounter different roles in the garden : some are locate in areas that are extensions from the house to the garden — such as an subsist concrete digs that I turned into a patio ( photo below ) . The pavement pathways and other hardscape elements are used to string people deeper into the landscape — all while sacrifice the fantasy that they are journeying through a much larger space .
All of the hardscape in this garden is laid out dependable to the horizon . When you stand with your back to the house , the main path ( and hem in garden ) unfolds in front of you , until it disappears at a vanishing period in the distance . The same effect take office when you stand at the front of the dimension and take in the sight down the alleyway between the mansion and garage to the terrace beyond ( photograph right ) . This predilection form a creation . A horizon melodic phrase lets viewers know where they are in copulation to the picture and lend to the dynamic , immersive eccentric of this space .
Over the years , I have transformed the pouch of nation beneath the cherry tree into a garden that I love ; it ’s a place of safety and retreat . Nothing is ever static in this blank , and that make it genuinely transformative for all who step inside it . It is constantly evolve , like a live carving . make this space was a challenge , but I am a gardener and creative person , so of course I like a good puzzle .
Art as inspiration
What I be intimate about a garden is that it is constantly changing . I am always pruning down and thinning out . The plants are always growing up , seeking light , dropping blossoms and farewell , changing their coloring and forms . The artwork is never complete . But on social occasion the garden inspires me to create a work of art , or a work of art inspires me to try a raw planting in the garden . Here is a recent object lesson .
Photo : courtesy of Curtis Steiner
Curtis Steiner is a professional artist and avid gardener from the Pacific Northwest .
Photos , except where note : Danielle Sherry
Find more design brainchild from garden where foliage is the whizz :
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An array of colorful, deeply textured foliage provides an enveloping experience.This tiny urban garden is visually arresting, yet it manages to convey a peaceful, womblike feeling to those within it thanks to the rhythm and repetition of the plant palette.
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A stage backed by a dark green curtain allows the plants to stand out.Granite pavers cover the surface-level cherry tree roots and give a flat area for various pots to perch. At the back, a cypress hedge expands along the property line, turning this area into a cozy garden room.
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When root competition is severe and plantable ground is at a premium, containers are the answer.The lack of ideal planting space starts at the front of this property, where an array of eye-catching containers surrounds the gravel path that marks the way to the main garden (below). In the back landscape, a patio expands out underneath the giant cherry tree. More vessels fill this area with rooted treasures of every imaginable color and texture. Given the extreme conditions, none of these plants would survive if they weren’t potted (above).
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Color, texture, and form—combined to perfection.Most gardeners know the three tenets of good design, but the array of contrasting hues, fine and bold foliage, and eye-catching silhouettes in this area is a master class in artistic gardening.
Bold forms are essential in foliage-first designs.Large and impressive leaves stand out even more when surrounded by neighboring plants that echo the shape—but not the breadth—of the star. Here, butterbur takes center stage while a hosta helps it shine.
An expansive tree sets the tone.The mature cherry creates challenges for this garden, but it also fosters opportunity. Without it, the naturalistic ecosphere of mosses and ferns below would not be possible.
A balance of hardscape and plants is always a challenge in a small space.Patios and pathways were not thrown by the wayside in this tiny plot. They help define garden rooms, draw visitors from the house out into the garden, and give a spot for the eye to rest.
Straight lines give order to the space.The paths and patios throughout this landscape are laid out along the horizon line, which allows visitors to identify clear points of entry, assembly, and exit.
Photo: courtesy of Curtis Steiner
Photo: courtesy of Curtis Steiner
