Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/641736
photography by matt stein front yard of this Chestnut Hill home is way more fun than its primary function as a guest parking area might suggest. "That is exactly the point," says Doug Jones, principal of Boston's LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects. "We wanted to create a space that has many uses for the family." Designing a driveway may sound straight- forward, but that's not how Jones says his firm approaches a project. "We respect the history of a space, but we want to reflect modern living." In this case, the client, a couple with young children, wanted to maximize outdoor activity and minimize maintenance. The lawn is framed by Japanese pachysandra, while three Stewartia trees and Winter Gem boxwood evergreen shrubs brighten up the retaining area. Boston ivy and boxwood hedge cover the stately front of the house. "The look is elegant, quiet, and private," Jones says—lacrosse games notwithstanding. 617-426- 6475; leblancjones.com Raise the Roof When Foliaire landscape designer Matt Stein picks up the phone these days, he is prepared with a bevy of options. "Clients want multi-functionality," he says. "Entertainment space, some shade, privacy, variety of plants, modular furniture... the works." Add to that a vegetable garden for the owner of this Beacon Hill rooftop. "She is a super-modern, forward-thinking commu- nity leader," Stein says, "and deeply involved with urban farming." So Stein created a series of veg- etable planters ("She grows tomatoes, herbs, eggplants, and mixed greens"), cedar lattices strengthened by a steel frame and copper ("The lattices work as walls, offering complete pri- vacy"), a hidden drip-irrigation system, and interchangeable plant pots. "The owner can easily switch out the planters every season," says Stein. "Tulips are grown in the spring, mandevilla vines in the summer, mums in the autumn." By all accounts, the roof space fulfills a range of requirements, including a contemporary sensibility Stein is seeing more of with urban gardens: "There is definitely a shift from classic to modern design." 617-357-5255; foliaire.com . An inner-city rooftop screams for urban gardening, as on this Beacon Hill property, replete with planters, pots—and beautiful latticework. 130 bostoncommon-magazine.com space gardening