More Makeovers

We're all the way up on the Upper West Side today for another Summer makeover-this time at the front of a historical landmark building.

The owners of this building are renovating it's foundation, and with that comes the need to renovate the planters that flank its entrance.

First, we had to spend about a week completely digging out the entire box. This was no easy feat, and came with a LOT of surprises that had been buried deep in the ground over the past century.

Next, we had to lay down rocks and gravel to prepare for the substrate to be completed:

Now, with all the dirty work out of the way, the area is once again ready for a brand new spectacular front garden!

Latin Lessons: Part 3

This week we ventured into full-size tree planting!

We had the pleasure of trying to figure out how to fit a 20 foot tree into a 14 foot truck when we chose the lovely "Honey Locust", Latin name Gleditsia triacanthos, for our client's new tree pit.

With some expert knot tying and beautiful flexibility shown by our precious Gleditsia, we were able to get everyone unharmed to the site!

 

Gleditsia triacanthos are native to North America, and can often reach heights of up to 100 feet tall. These trees bloom flowers in late spring, and fruit pods in early Autumn. Don't eat them though, they're toxic!

Fun fact: Not just any tree can grow in Brooklyn, or Manhattan for that matter. There is a very small and specific list of which trees are allowed to be planted on New York City sidewalks.

Gardening Isn't Just for Pansies; Part II

Remember our post about patios back on May 1st?

 We were in Brooklyn delivering bluestone for a client's custom-cut diamond pattern blue-stone patio.

(here's a reminder)

 Well, over the past three weeks our carpenters labored intensely, and our client now has a new, beautiful patio for us both to show off!!

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for more "after" pictures to follow up our earlier blogs from May. In the meantime, happy gardening!

Summer Makeovers

Summer is almost here! While everyone sweats out the last few weeks of Spring at the gym to prepare for the next two months at the beach, we've been giving a few special gardens some makeovers of their own to make sure they too are bikini and BBQ ready.

The below terrace on the Upper East Side came to us a few weeks ago in dire need of some shaping up for Summer:

While our designers set to work on dreaming up a more streamlined, modern and colorful style for the space, we began to demolish what was left of the old planters, trees, and ivy to create room for a fresh new look:

Now that the area is clean, we've got a blank canvas on which to paint the finishing touches this terrace needs for a Summer of fun in the sun!

Stay tuned for the final product....

Mountain Laurels and More Latin

Last week we had the pleasure of working with one of the most beautiful flowering plants on the east coast of the United States; the Mountain Laurel. Known in the flower world by it's Latin nomenclature of "Kalmia Latifolia", this bush is native to US Northeast.

The Kalmia Latifolia is a part of the blueberry bush family, latin name "Ericaceae". It is also sometimes referred to as a "Spoonwood", because the flowers were once used by Native Americans to make their spoons.

The flowers on these plants come in all shapes, colors, and sizes, but generally always have some pink in them. They' truly are a majestic plant, and being able to plant and care for them is a privilege!

Drilling Basics

While we all tend to our weekend sunburns on this dreary Monday and wait for the rain to pass, please enjoy the textbook instructional drilling video below:

(for legal reasons we have to say that you probably shouldn't try this at home)

No Rest for the Wicked

With temperatures on the rise and the month of May rapidly coming to a close, everyday is a working day here at All Decked Out. Whether we're building decks, planting flowers or installing irrigation, we have all been working nonstop to get through these installation months in one piece!

Here's a few snapshots of the what we've been up to over the past two weeks: 

 Mulching!

 Watering!

Sweeping!

Pruning!

 and Bragging ....only a little :)