Columbus -- Bert's German Village Garden

This small garden on a 31' x 115' lot is located in historic German Village, a neighborhood first settled in 1814 by German immigrants that is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Because the footprint of the house occupies so much of the lot, there are only relatively small planting areas at the front of the house, along the south side, and at the rear. The most distinctive part of the garden's design is the diversity and number of plants, garden features, and appointments--and the cohesiveness of all these elements in such a small space. The owner's keen sense of plant placement, proportion and scale, and combinations of color and plant textures meld the garden into a harmonious whole and create a feeling of depth and space. As the owner notes, "Urban gardeners must think vertically. Because room is at a premium, you learn to use fences and walls to add more varieties of plants. . . . The real challenge is to keep a flow of color all season long and to achieve this [by mixing] annuals, hardy perennials, [and] shrubs along with house plants and tropicals." The result is an excellent model of small space gardening, comfortable outdoor rooms, and the expert use of proportion and scale.

Persons associated with the garden include Roger B. Seely (landscape designer, 1991).