It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do for a space! When I first saw this roof deck on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, it had a lot of very weathered looking existing wood with rotting boards in some places. After replacing the rotted boards and giving all of the existing wood a good …
This Brooklyn Heights townhouse features a bluestone deck, custom bench with built-in lighting, and ipe planter boxes. This sunny, cheerful roof garden is more exposed to the elements and windier than most ground-level gardens, so we picked a hardy sun-loving mix of junipers, crape myrtles, roses, and flowering perennials that would do well here. When …
Brooklyn Heights Townhouse: A Sunny Rooftop Garden Read More »
The backyard of this stately 5-story Upper East Side, Manhattan townhouse was a crumbling mess when we first set eyes on it. Working with an architect and a stone mason, we helped restore the fountain and walls to their former beauty. We designed a new bluestone patio for the flooring. Our carpenter replaced the rotted …
What a difference these custom planter boxes backed with bamboo fencing, some new furniture, and a power washing of the deck made! We recommend that people always use bamboo fencing made with canes that are around 1” thick to help prevent the likelihood of it ever bending or breaking under its own weight. This Cobble …
This rooftop garden in Midtown Manhattan features a combined ipe pergola and horizontal fencing that feels like a secret little cabana oasis and also provides both shade and privacy for a seating area. Plantings include spiral junipers, wisteria vines, cherry trees, hydrangeas, and boxwoods in a mix of terra cotta and Corten steel planters. We …
“While there are many sources of exposure to toxic chemicals, the use of organophosphates (OPs) is making news once again for the damage it causes to children’s brains. A group of environmental and public health researchers from the U.S. and Canada suggest prenatal exposure to OPs is putting children at risk for behavioral and …
“Entomologists from around the world are tracking the rapidly declining number of insects, and are concerned by the data they’re collecting. As noted by the distinguished Harvard biologist Edward O Wilson, Ph.D., ‘If all humankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed 10,000 years ago. If insects …
“Plastic has become an incredibly harmful convenience, now threatening environmental and human health alike, and in more ways than one. There’s the issue of bulk plastics in our landfills, where it will remain indefinitely since most plastic does not biodegrade, and microplastics — microscopic pieces of degraded plastic — which now choke waterways across the globe …
Microplastic Contamination found in Bottled Water Read More »
Toxic Blue- Green algae has been around for millions of years. But they have been popping up more often. It has been happening all over the US but more so in agricultural areas where is the use of phosphorus-based fertilizers is prolific. Phosphorus is the known driver for Blue-Green algae, however researchers have uncovered …
“According to the latest pesticide residue report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which used 2015 data and was released in November 2016, about 85 percent of the more than 10,000 samples they tested contained pesticide residues.2″ The FDA’s sampling of nearly 6,000 foods revealed that fruits and vegetables are most frequently contaminated …
