Read about two lovely little urban garden spaces in this article in the New York Times.
"But in 2006, when the rent on his own micro-pad rose to $1,200 from $800 and the landlord began charging for electricity, which averaged an alarming $250 a month, Mr. Aguilar left Manhattan and became the third roommate in a three-bedroom apartment in a rowhouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (Before that, there was an unhappy rental in the South Bronx, but that is another story.) Since he was the third and most recent roommate, he drew the smallest, worst room, next to the kitchen. It looked out on a grubby tar roof walled in on three sides by his own building and the two that flanked it.
In May 2010, he laid down a deck with timber he cut in varying lengths to make a pattern like a Mondrian painting. He built one raised bed, then another. He hung containers up the wall, proceeding vertically, as he had in his bedroom. He worked instinctively, making assemblages that pleased him visually, buying plants for their color and shape, and learning the names as he went along.
"But in 2006, when the rent on his own micro-pad rose to $1,200 from $800 and the landlord began charging for electricity, which averaged an alarming $250 a month, Mr. Aguilar left Manhattan and became the third roommate in a three-bedroom apartment in a rowhouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (Before that, there was an unhappy rental in the South Bronx, but that is another story.) Since he was the third and most recent roommate, he drew the smallest, worst room, next to the kitchen. It looked out on a grubby tar roof walled in on three sides by his own building and the two that flanked it.
In his 10-by-12-foot room, which he rents for $1,000, Mr. Aguilar
constructed a storage and living system of built-ins, curtains, mirrors
and lighting, drastically altering the feeling and functionality of the
space. Then he tackled the roof.
In May 2010, he laid down a deck with timber he cut in varying lengths to make a pattern like a Mondrian painting. He built one raised bed, then another. He hung containers up the wall, proceeding vertically, as he had in his bedroom. He worked instinctively, making assemblages that pleased him visually, buying plants for their color and shape, and learning the names as he went along.
He planted a dogwood, a plum tree and lilac bushes. He put begonias in
tiny containers that fit together like a puzzle, so the begonias
wouldn’t grow any bigger. He planted vines like moonflower and grapes,
roses and clematis. And as they began to climb, he built a ladder for
them out of metal sign holders (in the winter when the leaves are gone,
the grid they form looks like a Mondrian painting as well).
When the vines reached an upstairs neighbor’s window, he wove a net of
twine and threw it down from the roof, so the vines could latch onto it
and skirt the windows above.
All in, he has planted more than 300 plants (and spent about $8,000), a
tally that does not include the seeds from a wildflower mix he tipped
into a planter last May, the progeny of which is now waist high."
Check out the article for the full story.
Check out the article for the full story.
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