townhouse patio suggestions

Hello,
we just moved from the suburbs into an old brownstone on the Upper West Side, and the patio/garden in the back is ours. I'd like to gradually redo the landscaping with a permie-attitude - thinking about dwarf fruit trees, etc, but have no experience gardening in these kinds of containers. It's the kind of house that I'm hoping could be a kind of sample of what's possible in the city. We're doing some work on the inside of the place, so this isn't the highest priority, but I'd like to sneak in small progress between other things.

I plan to take down the second tree (it's the same kind as the mature one) and put in a large native shrub, probably elderberry, but open to other suggestions!

Also really want vertical fern gardens, moss gardens, etc, any ideas to cover the bare brick walls with something alive? I've attached pictures of the various parts of the back garden.

Also, any advice on mosquitos? They made the patio unusable in August and September. We cleaned out and treated the drains (the Bt bits seemed like the best choice), and I think removing all the ivy will help, but would still appreciate any other suggestions. We obviously have no control over the neighbors water, etc.

Any advice or resources on damage-free vertical gardening? urban fruit production, especially with rats in the neighborhood? semi-shade container gardening? drainage and pest control? attracting native pollinators? We're very close to Central Park and I have been thrilled by the wildlife there - much more diversity than the suburbs, actually.

Any folks doing any kind of urban permaculture in NYC I could check out or connect with?

That is a nice looking patio area.

I think it needs some color. Maybe consider some Sweet Potato Vine because this plant will offer bold trailing foliage in lime green or deep burgundy.

Also consider ornamental cabbage and kale, unfortunately these are not edible because they are tough and bitter.  

Or maybe plants things that are edible, like purple cabbage or curly kale.

Hi Rae,
What a lovely space!
Looking at the plants that grow there, I guess it is pretty shaded and moist. That sounds like a great place for ferns and mosses indeed.

I have heard, but never tried (because I dont need to because I have ferns and mosses growing all over the place) that "painting" walls with buttermilk or yoghurt, will make mosses grow on them. You have a lot of walls that could use the mosses to make them more interesting looking. I would start with a strong visual shape, like a circle or a block on the concrete wall. While you work on the house, see what happens. Later you can decide whether you like the edges neat and maintain them, or just let it spread wild.

If the place is as moist as it seems on the pictures, all kind of things, probably ferns as well, will start to grow spontaneously in the moss a year later. If not, you might need to help it getting started. In that case, go for plants that love acidic soil.

Hortensias do well in a moist shady place if you like to bring in a big dot of colour. Azaleas are beautiful if the soil is acidic. Don't forget to plant some white flowers, they light up in darkness. Woodland plants is what you should probably be looking for.

If the patio is actually a lot sunnier than it seems to me, the concrete walls will store a lot of heat that they will release during the night. That offers great opportunities for all kinds of fruit. A well maintained blackberry or raspberries on the trellis will provide some fresh fruit as well.

If I were you, I would change little things, one at a time. It is a great place, you don't want to ruin it and than find out you don't like gardening all that much.

Good luck, have fun and let us know how it works out!

Thank you, both of you! I'm curious about getting mosses going, I've heard of people having insurance problems if they have moss growing on their walls/roofs. I would LOVE to just spray and see what happens.

The tips about color and white are very appreciated, too! I think I could get berries or currants growing on the sunnier side.

When I google, I just don't find many examples or books of things, and my husband is very supportive, but wants to be sure we do things properly and don't damage the house or create water issues inadvertently.

I think adding some evergreens would help a lot, maybe something that can grow pretty large... juniper for example, its slow, or just get an older tree. below it you can get vines. and I would absolutely put up hanging lights in there. Some chairs and an outdoor table, maybe some bug-zapping solar tiki torches as well.

What a great looking space!
In your sunniest spot, some columnar fruit trees in pots could be a great fit for you - there are several threads with discussion on these so I won't repeat here
https://permies.com/t/377511/running-space-trees-columnar-trees
https://permies.com/t/380441/columnar-apples

And if you have sun coming in against those brick walls, you could have an espaliered fruit tree with varietals on the same trunk?

In the shadiest area, you could perhaps put a few inoculated shitake logs for some mushroom harvest?  (https://fieldforest.net/)

Some prostrate rosemary could be beautiful planted along the outer edge of the small brick planter walls, and hanging over - and mosquitos do not like rosemary.  Other mosquito discouragers include lemon balm, oregano, garlic.... and mint... but not in the bed (eeek) maybe a few pots of mint would be very welcome in that  patio?

Let us know how it goes and post some pictures...

Rae Hortuli wrote:... I've heard of people having insurance problems if they have moss growing on their walls/roofs. I would LOVE to just spray and see what happens...

Wet mosses can be heavy and when there are ferns growing in it, that wil probably be worse. So please ensure the construction is strong enough to support the moss. If the mosses dry out completely in summer (you don't want that, because then the plants in it will die) they might burn well in case of a fire.

You can check with your insurance company what is the exact problem and try on a small part simultaneously. A small part, just one dot, will bring you joy and will not harm the builldings or the community in any kind of way. When everything goes well, add a second dot next year, or two... Have fun!

(Edited to remove spelling errors)