Teardrop Park – Nature in the City

On August 21, 2012November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn Parks, Playgrounds3 Comments

During a recent trip to lower Manhattan in NYC, I had the opportunity to visit Teardrop Park. This little urban oasis in the Battery Park City neighborhood is situated between several high-rise residential buildings. It includes natural play areas in its southern half, and lawns and walkways to the north.

Much of the park was designed to represent a northeast forest environment, with rock outcrops, rolling hills, and lush (mostly native) vegetation. One of its prominent features is a vertical wall of stacked bluestone, arranged to resemble natural rock strata. This design includes water seepage through a section of the wall, forming icicles in winter.

In the middle of the children’s play area, a long slide is anchored into a rocky hillside and terminates in a large sand area. Nearby, there is a small sand play area for pre-school children, in addition to a water play zone for kids of all ages. Children and adults alike can also explore a wetland play path, where I observed a number of birds during my visit.

The sloping lawns to the north of the play areas are pleasant spaces for relaxation, and include several seating areas along the perimeter. There are also some more isolated seating/gathering spots along paths throughout the park. Despite the secluded nature of those areas, I felt very safe while there.

I was at the park on a Tuesday morning, so it was not packed with visitors. I would imagine that it attracts a lot more users during weekends and summer evenings, especially residents of the surrounding high-rises. The park provides many opportunities for imaginative play for kids, and serves as a pleasant environment for all.

Hillside slide with rock steps and overlook

Pre-school sand play area

Water play area

Wildlife in the water play area – the robin and the littlest boy are color-coordinated!

A seating area above the water play zone

Rock wall resembling natural strata

Portal through the rock wall

South (back) side of the rock wall portal

People relaxing in one of the lawn areas

The northern-most lawn area slopes toward the south to take advantage of the sun.

A small nook for imaginative play at one end of the wetland path

Photos by Alice Webb

Tower Hill Botanic Garden

On July 27, 2012November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn Gardens, Plants1 Comment

One of my favorite places to visit in New England is a hidden gem in central Massachusetts called Tower Hill Botanic Garden. It consists of a wide variety of beautiful garden areas, including both formal and informally-designed spaces, and ranging from large open sites to shady woodland trails. The visitor/education center is also very impressive, with tropical greenhouses, classrooms, a café, and gift shop.

Gazebo at the garden entrance

Bromeliads frame the gazebo archway

The Entry Garden

Approach to the visitor center

A colorful vertical garden was recently installed near the visitor center entrance.

Café terrace

The Winter Garden

Mist fountain at the entrance to the Systematic Garden

The Systematic Garden

Inviting seating areas are scattered throughout the property.

Outdoor fireplace surrounded by plants near the old farmhouse (administrative offices)

A pleasant, shady spot in the garden

Terraced entrance to the Lawn Garden

The Lawn Garden is surrounded by colorful plantings.

Pergola at the south end of the Lawn Garden

A seating area in the Secret Garden also provides a view to Tower Hill’s heirloom apple orchard to the south.

Heading back to the parking lot through the lovely Entry Garden

For views of Tower Hill (and its tropical greenhouses) during another season, check out Winter Garden Scenes — an earlier post in this blog.

Photos by Alice Webb

Pier 6 Playground at Brooklyn Bridge Park

On April 23, 2012November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn Parks, Playgrounds1 Comment

Early in the spring, I visited a creatively-designed playground at the Pier 6 section of Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City. The day of my visit was unseasonably warm, so the playground was swarming with people. This play area is divided in several zones: an active area for school-age children with slides and climbers; a sand area for younger children with small climbing sculptures, play houses, and other elements; an area featuring numerous swing-sets situated between small hills; a water play area; and a natural vegetated area. I was pleased to see that much of the playground includes lots of plants – great for play, shade, and beauty!

A play structure and stepped seating are included in the school-age children’s zone, which is called Slide Mountain.

This is the longest of several slides located in Slide Mountain.

Play sculptures and wooden seating areas in Sandbox Village

Interactive play piece in Sandbox Village

Kids enjoy wooden play houses and other fun features

One of several swing-sets in Swing Valley

Swing Valley includes grassy hills along the walkways.

Unique water devices in The Water Lab (closed for the winter)

Another view of The Water Lab (closed for winter)

This natural area, which includes several paths and seating areas, is rather isolated from the other play zones. Very few people were visiting it when I was there. Fencing off the vegetated areas from access makes it less inviting to children also.

Photos by Alice Webb

The High Line, Section 2

On March 30, 2012November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn Parks, Plants1 Comment

In mid-March I visited the second phase of New York City’s High Line Park, which opened last year. This ½-mile section is as delightful as the first part, with some of the same themes carried throughout, but also containing some unique and exciting features. My favorite area is the Fly-Over, where the walkway rises to eight feet above the high line surface. From this level, one travels through the canopies of trees planted below, and one can peer down to the view the various plantings on the “forest floor”. The Fly-Over also includes several viewing spurs, including one that overlooks 26th Street.

The photos below will give you a tour of this elevated linear park from the 30th Street terminus to 20th Street, where the first phase of the High Line connects with the second section. Enjoy your walk!

Radial seating flanks the curved, northern end of the High Line, Section 2

The Wild Flower Field along the northern section before spring cut-back

The elevated Fly-Over takes people through the tree canopies

One of several viewing spurs along the Fly-Over

View of the “forest floor” from the Fly-Over

Another “forest floor” view with railroad tracks – a reminder of the High Line’s history

People relax on the 26th Avenue viewing spur. The metal frame is a reference to the billboards that used to be mounted along the High Line – Now it frames the city scene or the people on the spur, depending on one’s vantage point.

A shifting section of walkway, “peel-up” bench, and restored Art Deco railing – recurring elements along the High Line

Stairs lead down to 23rd Street, with the elevated Lawn in the background. From the northern section of the Lawn, one can look down either direction of 23rd Street and see both the Hudson and East Rivers. Metal strips in the pavement refer to the High Line’s former use as a rail line.

Cor-Ten steel planters near the 23rd Street stairs

The Lawn – a rare treat in this dense city environment. When this photo was taken, the Lawn was still closed off for the winter.

Seating steps at the south end of the Lawn, constructed of reclaimed teak

The Chelsea Thicket near the south end of Section 2 – A Winter Hazel is in bloom in the foreground.

Photos by Alice Webb

A Sustainable Campus Quad

On March 2, 2012November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn Academic Campuses, Sustainable Sites3 Comments

During a recent trip to Salem, Massachusetts, I visited a well-designed quadrangle within a new residence hall complex at Salem State University. A linear bioswale runs along one side of a large lawn area, collecting runoff from the complex, and cleaning this water before it enters a tidal marsh adjacent to the development. Stepped stone-filled gabions line the walkway along the swale, and are intermittently capped with wooden bench seating. Wooden ramps bridge the swale from the walkway, providing access to the lawn area. I think the juxtaposition of the linear architectural elements and the free-form planting design of the swale work well. Even in winter (unusually without snow on this visit), the grasses and other plantings provide visual interest.

Bioswale with adjacent gabions

Wooden bench seating caps portions of the gabions. A green roof sits atop the single-story dining hall (in background).

A row of ornamental grasses visually reinforces yet softens the line of this concrete wall, and attractive pavers complement the building colors.

Plantings along this building remain colorful in winter.

Photos by Alice Webb

Eastport Park in South Boston

On October 13, 2011November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn Parks, Public Art3 Comments

One of the parks in south Boston’s Seaport district that I visited this summer is a lushly-planted sculpture garden called Eastport Park. It provides a nice respite from the pavement and buildings that dominate this area of the city. The park is privately owned, but it is open to the public. Below are some photos of this pleasant space.

Photos by Alice Webb

National Public Gardens Day

On May 6, 2011November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn Gardens, Plants2 Comments

Today, May 6^th, is the third annual National Public Gardens Day in the U.S. Its purpose is to highlight public gardens across the nation and to emphasize the important roles they play in plant/water conservation, environmental stewardship, education, and provision of green/open space. In celebration of this day, below is a sampling of a few favorite plants from my own private garden. (Photos were taken from May through October, depending on period of bloom).

Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Red Velvet’

Helianthus x ‘Lemon Queen’

Hemerocallis x ‘Frans Hals’ (Daylily)

Nipponanthemum nipponicum (Montauk Daisy)

Baptisia australis (False Indigo)

Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’

Sedum x ‘John Creech’

Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ (Dwarf Lilac)

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (Plumbago)

Veronica spicata ‘Purpleicious’

Amsonia tabernaemontana (Blue Star)

Photos by Alice Webb

Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade

On April 5, 2011November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn Parks, Promenades4 Comments

On a recent trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I had the opportunity to walk the new Oceanfront Boardwalk & Promenade. The 1.2-mile long walkway runs between two piers (at 2nd and 14th Avenues North), and is situated behind the sand dunes along the beach. The southern section, called the Promenade, is a linear park consisting of a 12’-wide concrete walkway that meanders through lush landscaping. It also includes several narrower looped paths off the main walk, as well as raised beach access connections. Flanking this area is a row of older hotels. To the north of the Promenade is a wide section of wooden boardwalk, located in a zone of beachfront shops and cafes. The final segment is a narrower, winding boardwalk that connects with the 14th Street Pier.

I like the winding layout of the Promenade walkway, with the gray colored concrete strip in the middle, lined by exposed aggregate concrete along each side (the same gray concrete mixed with white shell fragments, in this case). Also, the secondary loop walkways have a nice pitted texture for variation. The only color choice for surfacing that I don’t particularly like is the mottled coloration of the bricks used at maintenance vehicle access crossings and in combination with concrete beneath the canopied areas along the walkway. A solid color would have looked more harmonious with the other materials used for this project.

Palmetto trees are abundant along this linear section of park, along with beds of various evergreen shrubs and ornamental grasses. These low plants contrast nicely with each other, and make an effective visual transition to the more natural-appearing grass plantings on the sand side of the walkway. An occasional grove of Live Oaks would have been nice, breaking up the monotony of the Palmettos, but I understand that these would have blocked ocean views from the lower floors of the hotels. However, natural salt spray pruning would keep the oaks at a small size.

Wood decking was used for the wider boardwalk areas – although higher-maintenance than recycled plastic planks, the wood is aesthetically pleasing and it evokes nostalgia of historic beachside boardwalks. I like the checkerboard pattern of the wood decking, in addition to the light fixtures and other site amenities.

My least favorite section of the Boardwalk & Promenade is the northern segment. It consists of a winding 8’-wide boardwalk that connects with the 14th Avenue Pier at its terminus. Although there is less real estate in this area between private properties and beach, this walk should have been around 12’ wide (like the Promenade walkway). The curving layout of the boardwalk also has an awkward appearance, and the narrow width makes it seem like a cattle corral.

Overall, the new Boardwalk & Promenade is a huge improvement to this section of Myrtle Beach. It offers visitors an alternative to walking on the beach, and one round trip of 2.4 miles can provide plenty of exercise. It will also likely spur more upscale development than what currently exists in this part of the beach.

The Promenade, as viewed from the 2nd Avenue Pier

A section of the Promenade with ornamental grasses

The widest segment of the Boardwalk, with a good view of the beach & ocean

This section of boardwalk is adjacent to shops and cafes.

The narrow north portion of boardwalk connects to the 14th Avenue Pier.

Photos by Alice Webb

Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve

On March 18, 2011November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn Nature Preserves, Trails2 Comments

About 20 years ago, I designed a system of trails, observation decks, steps, and boardwalks for a 136-acre nature preserve in Cary, North Carolina. It was an absolute delight to work on this project, because Hemlock Bluffs is such a magical place – a natural oasis within an area of suburban development. It features a series of tall north-facing bluffs that shelter a community of Eastern Hemlocks. This is unusual because these trees typically do not grow naturally in the piedmont region of North Carolina – this species is much more common in the cooler Appalachian Mountains more than 200 miles to the west. In addition, the preserve includes an extensive upland forest and a wooded floodplain area with vernal pools and a rich variety of plants.

A system of steps takes visitors down along the bluffs.

One of several observation decks affords views of large Hemlock trees growing on the bluffs.

Plant beds near the Stevens Nature Center building are filled with native wildflowers and trees.

A boardwalk meanders through a lush floodplain.

Photos by Alice Webb

Winter Garden Scenes

On February 14, 2011November 23, 2017 By Alice WebbIn GardensLeave a comment

I recently spent a part of an afternoon at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, in Boylston, Massachusetts, which is a short 15-minute drive from my home. It’s always an inspiring place to visit, regardless of the season. In November they opened the second of two indoor winter plant spaces, called the Limonaia (Lemon House), primarily containing their Citrus and Camellia collections. The Orangerie is the original indoor plant wing, which is full of gorgeous tropical plants, including orange trees, of course. These two wings are delightful places to spend a cold winter day, where you can imagine yourself in a more southerly clime.

The outdoor spaces are still beautiful during winter, though. The walkway that meanders along the perimeter of the Lawn Garden has been cleared of snow, so I took a stroll down this path for some fresh air and photos. There are several other garden areas that aren’t currently accessible, but I plan to return during the spring or summer and write about these in a future post.

This is the new Winter Garden, situated between the Orangerie (building wing in background), and the Limonaia. An unusually deep snow cover hides most of the plantings.