NYC Soil

In this backyard, three trees were removed, clearing the way for a new garden. The trees were large and at first we worried about how much time we would have to spend to remove the roots. But roots were the least of our problems.

Not only was this backyard used as a garbage dump (before the days of regular garbage pickup), but apparently it had also been an old graveyard: not only yards of bricks & glass, dishes, & utensils, but also large pieces of plumbing pipes & fixtures.

The soil was wet & incredibly compact -- not much good for health root development. We added

perlite, soil perfector, peat moss, compost & fertilizer. The more we added, the more it wanted. Finally, the ground was ready for us to plant. We added a beautiful trellis from Trellis Structures in MA (they deliver!) -- covered it with Sweet Autumn Clematis.

Two dwarf japanese maples, hosta, hydrangea, tree peonies, azaleas, rhododendron, ilex crenata, viburnum several varieties), and a ton of bulbs and groundcovers.

Proof that the we did right by the soil -- four years later, the garden is thriving.