Unexpected Garden Inspiration

Lately, I have gardening on the brain. I've spent some time working on my building's front garden in an effort to make it look a little prettier and less like a backdrop for Where the Wild Things Are. In my experience, once you start thinking about your own city garden, you start to notice all the other more attractive outdoor spaces around the city.

On Sunday, we went uptown to see my husband's family, and I was struck over and over again how nice the small gardens, planters, tree pits and window boxes are on the Upper East Side. Part of this is surely due to the wealth uptown, but it also shows that the folks in those buildings care about their green spaces -- even the smallest patches of green were gorgeous.

Inspiration for my own outdoor space came from an unexpected source: The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America on 79th Street. The building features built-in planters on either side of the staircase leading to the building's entrance. I loved the mix of blooming annuals (aren't those pansies sweet?). I also liked  how the perennials like the ivy were spread out in the planters to give the design some architectures. The overall effect was thoughtful, yet still a little wild and whimsical.