Eden & DaneDC gardens,
from just across
the river.
Regenerative garden design for Washington, D.C. homes, from rowhouse rear yards to larger lots in upper Northwest. Based in Great Falls, a short drive from the city, and now taking on our first District projects.
New to the District,
not to its gardens.
Our completed work so far is in Northern Virginia. DC is next door, and we spend a lot of time in its gardens.
City gardens are a different discipline from suburban estates. Lots are smaller and older, trees are mature and protected by law, many streets sit in historic districts, and the ground itself is often urban fill that needs testing before anything edible goes in. We have walked, studied and learned from gardens across the city, and we bring the same process to a DC yard that we use at home: water first, then soil, then light, then plants.
We are open about where we stand. We have not yet completed a project inside the District. If you want a studio with a DC portfolio, we are not it yet. If you want careful design from people who know the region's plants, soils and climate, and who will treat your garden as a flagship, we would like to talk.
Design and planting plans are done by us. Installation is scoped per project with experienced urban crews, and we are a short drive away through every phase.
Four things we design around in the city.
Rowhouse and walled yards.
A twenty foot rear yard rewards more careful design than an acre does. Every plant has to earn its place, sight lines matter, and warm brick walls open the door to figs and espaliered fruit that struggle in the suburbs.
Upper Northwest and mature canopy.
Neighborhoods such as Cleveland Park, Forest Hills and Spring Valley have lots closer to suburban scale, with the large old trees DC is known for. Designing under and around that canopy is where our shade and woodland palettes come in.
Planned for review from the start.
Much of the city sits in historic districts, where visible changes such as fences, walls and paving can need review. We check what applies to your address early, so the design is drawn with the approval process in mind rather than revised after it.
Test before you grow food.
City soil can carry lead from old paint and past traffic. A soil test decides whether edibles go in the ground or in raised beds with clean soil, and it is the first thing we ask for on any DC food garden.
Three reasons it fits.
A short drive from the city.
Our studio is in Great Falls. Site visits during design and installation are an easy trip, so we can check work in progress or walk a question through with the crew without the day disappearing to travel.
Grown for this climate.
Many of the plants we specify come from our own nursery in Great Falls, grown in the same climate and a similar range of soils. What thrives for us across the river is a strong guide to what will thrive in your yard.
Early projects get our best work.
Our first District gardens will be the ones we point to for years. That means more of our own time on site and more care in the details than a studio treating your yard as one of many.
City yards, city rules.
A DC garden is usually small, hot and bounded by walls, alleys and public space, and the District has some of the most generous stormwater programs in the country.
Rowhouse yards and small lots run warm, because brick and pavement hold heat through the night, which lets figs and other borderline plants thrive that would struggle in the suburbs. City soil can carry lead from old paint and past traffic, so any food garden starts with a soil test and, where needed, raised beds with clean soil. The strip between sidewalk and curb is public space, and planting it follows District rules.
- Hardiness zone
- USDA 8a, warmer than the suburbs around it
- Rainfall
- A little over 40 inches a year
- Soil
- Urban fill; test for lead before growing food
- Typical yard
- Rowhouse rear yards to larger lots in upper Northwest
- Heat
- Pavement and brick hold warmth overnight
- Trees
- Large trees on private land are protected
What to know before you dig.
The District helps pay for the work.
DOEE's RiverSmart Homes program offers rain barrel rebates, a shade tree at no cost, and installed rain gardens and native BayScaping for a modest homeowner co-pay. Removing impervious paving is paid per square foot up to a cap. The program is first come, first served each year. DOEE program page.
Big trees need a permit to remove.
Under the District's tree law, a private tree above a set trunk circumference is a Special Tree and needs a permit to remove, and Heritage Trees of 100 inches or more cannot be removed while healthy. We design around protected trees rather than through them. Casey Trees explainer.
Test first, then decide where to grow.
Lead is the main concern in older city soil. A soil test tells you whether you can plant in the ground, need to keep edibles to raised beds, or can grow freely. Fruit trees and berries take up far less lead into the fruit than leafy greens and root crops do into their edible parts.
Asked locally.
Can I get my DC garden partly paid for?
Often. RiverSmart Homes offers free shade trees, rain barrel rebates, and installed rain gardens and native plantings for a homeowner co-pay. Removing paving can also be subsidized. We design so that the parts that qualify meet the program's standards.
Is it safe to grow food in DC soil?
Test before you plant. Many city yards are fine. Some have elevated lead from old paint or past traffic, in which case we keep vegetables in raised beds with clean soil and plant fruit trees, which carry far less risk, in the ground.
Can I take down a large tree in my yard?
Possibly not without a permit. The District protects large private trees above a set size as Special Trees, and healthy Heritage Trees of 100 inches or more in circumference cannot be removed. Check the current threshold with DDOT's Urban Forestry Division before planning around a removal.
Do you design for rowhouse yards?
Yes. Small yards reward careful design more than large ones. We work in vertical layers, use the warmth of the walls for figs and espaliered fruit, and plan storage and access so the space works every day.
Further reading: Designing a productive backyard from scratch →
Sources
- DC Department of Energy and Environment: RiverSmart Homes
- Casey Trees: Heritage Tree versus Special Tree
Program rules and figures change. Check the current numbers with the office named before you plan around them.
A garden for your
DC property.
Begin with a 15-minute discovery call. We will discuss your property, the historic-district context, and the garden that should belong inside it.
Book your discovery call