Transforming a Neglected Landscape (Clifton Gaslight)
AFTER: A wooden bench near a mass of native sedges creates a calming space to rest and reflect. Farther down the hillside, edible gardens nestle amongst native plants.
The Challenge
Can a neglected landscape be salvaged?
When Our Land Organics was called onto the scene, the backyard of this historic Clifton Gaslight residence had been abandoned. Layers of invasive honeysuckle, wintercreeper, and bindweed covered everything, and the space was effectively unusable.
BEFORE: Invasive plants had taken over this backyard, rendering it inaccessible.
The client thought there was potential buried underneath all the overgrowth, and they hoped to gain more access to the underutilized yard. They asked our team to reimagine the backyard as a place of respite that nourishes both wildlife and humans—a chance to escape the urban hubbub, to watch pollinators dance and berries ripen.
In our view, no landscape is too far from being restored. Bringing an abandoned landscape back to life requires a vivid imagination, an eye for landscape design, and a whole lot of elbow grease, but it can be done.
The Transformation
AFTER: Every inch of the landscape is now functional, beautiful, and accessible. Edible landscaping mixes seamlessly with native plant landscaping to stack both ecological and nutritional functions.
After removing all the invasive plants, we laid wood chips to suppress weed growth, minimize lawn maintenance, connect different areas of the terraced yard, and create a calmer backdrop for new plantings.
AFTER: The new native landscape includes a section of attractive edible landscaping set apart by corten steel raised beds.
Then, we positioned three corten steel raised beds outside the kitchen door, offering easy access to the prolific vegetable garden and seamlessly incorporating edible plants into the landscape.
AFTER: Edible fruiting shrubs add stacked functions to the landscape.
We densely planted edible fruiting shrubs to provide both privacy and visual interest along with a strong base of native groundcovers and perennials. The landscape now serves as an ecological hub complete with a bumper crop of currants, gooseberries, and serviceberries.
AFTER: Mass plantings create a calming backdrop for the family’s seating area.
We revived the existing historical hardscape, which is original to the home, and surrounded it with blossoming shrubs to brighten the space.
AFTER: A wood chip path leads from the patio to a new bench sitting amidst a calming mass of native sedges.
We installed a new pathway leading to a wooden bench that overlooks the entire backyard: a place to rest and enjoy the serene beauty of the revitalized landscape.
Instead of adding lawn to the upper terrace area, we installed native plants to serve as a low maintenance groundcover. These native groundcovers include Carex pensylvanica, Tiarella cordifolia, Chrysogonum virginianum, and sprinkles of Columbine throughout.
There is no turf in this backyard—which means there’s no need for the clients to mow. A wood chip path allows the family to wander and enjoy their pollinator habitat.
AFTER: Native plants are packed into every available planting space, including the narrow edge above the stone wall. Mass plantings ensure the effect feels calming, not chaotic.