Can it be a space for entertaining; for morning coffee; for storage; for a garden? Can it be a place of music?
Even the smallest gardens deserve great landscape architecture. This urban courtyard reclaims a space leftover when an infill townhouse was built. The garden reveals the potential of a space that is only 8’ wide. Welcome to the 8’ Garden!
Photos by Allen Russ
Architecture & Garden Connections
Vertical layers, depth through lighting, and an open view to the sky create a rich experience despite the modest size of the space.
Detailed vertical layering maximizes the space.
Soft Fascination
The fountain and bronze backdrop are visible through the length of the townhouse. Bronze is incorporated into the custom fountain & entry gate and will patina as the garden ages. The plant textures and moving water provide experiences of “soft fascination” from the house and garden.
Dimmable lights in the overhead planters, behind the panel, and above the water feature allow the garden to talk in varied tones.
A thirteen-foot privacy screen is used in the corner that abuts a neighbor’s deck. The height and location of the screen allow for built-in storage benches and overhead planters. Shade tolerant perennials and hanging plants provide texture, color, and a break from the horizontal lines of the privacy screen.
Garden as a Music Box
The garden was envisioned as a music box. Wood screens enclose the space and, like an instrument, reflect the sounds of the fountain. Plants break the horizontal planes. A downlight highlights the movement of the water at night.
Plants, stone, wood, and metals were selected to provide textural variation and depth.
[vine]
Hydrangea petiolaris
Climbing Hydrangea
[perennial]
Astilbe chinensis
'Visions in White' Astilbe
[Perennial]
Tiarella cordifolia
'Elizabeth Oliver' Foamflower
[Perennial]
Polystichum acrostichoides
Christmas Fern
[Perennial]
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' Creeping Jenny
[Perennial]
Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'
Japanese Forest Grass
Living
N/A
Oldetowne Historic, Landscapes, Inc.
112 SF
2015 - 2016
Washington, DC
609 H Street NE
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 543-1286
info@moodyarchitecture.com
1318 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 543-1286
info@moodyarchitecture.com
Moody Graham Landscape Architecture
Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.
Moody Graham Landscape Architecture
Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.