by Terrie Goldstein
If you read the May magazine of Hudson Valley Life you have followed the saga of the installation of my pocket garden. I own a brownstone four-floor walk-up in the City of Newburgh and although I have periodically cleared the brush from the backyard I never conquered the ever-emerging poison ivy and encroaching weeds.
It's not that I am not used to gardening because I built brick patios and grew vegetable gardens in my last home, but even though my Newburgh garden lot is small nothing I did made it a livable space.
So I hired Tom McGowan from Montgomery who owns the Twin Ponds Nursery (http://www.twinpondsgreenhouses.com/). His calm manner and great solutions to my gardening queries gave me confidence that he would do a good job.
Within a week he cleared and graded the area. When he laid the patio stone it immediately changed the look of this very small space. He built two walls in order to maintain the level grade for the patio while creating space for a small garden.
My one requirement: The garden should be filled with perennials which require little maintenance.
Tom planted a great selection of flowering plants and greens. I love the three varieties of hostas he chose. Some are tall growing. Others are smaller with variegated leaves. And the third group shows off deep velvety green leaves. Myrtle and ajuga were chosen for ground cover. The myrtle is doing great. The ajuga did not fare as well and needs to be replanted. The boxwoods will be green all year while the hydrangeas offer flowers all summer. The only planting that has not fared well are the ostrich ferns. Tom replanted them but they are still not standing tall. Tom feels that some animals may be breaking the stems but we are not sure.
The pocket garden has become an extended room where I can finally use the grill we bought two years ago. Simple furniture complements the space. Now it's fun to relax in my backyard garden with iced coffee and a book. My own Walden Pond in the middle of a city of 25,000 people.