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 planks of the pergola with ipe, a hardwood with a 30-year life expectancy. We also designed lush, shade-tolerant plantings of boxwoods, Japanese maples, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, hollies, hostas, begonias, and impatiens. All of the planting beds contain drip irrigation and low-voltage lighting lines.
