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Todd Haiman Landscape Design
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Pro Spotlight: Find the Hidden Potential in Your Urban Garden
A New York City landscape designer offers tips to maximize space and craft an enchanting garden
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Who: Todd Haiman
Where: New York City
In his own words: “Creating an oasis within the chaos of a city is a collaborative process between client and designer. I begin the process by listening, then addressing the client’s aspirations, needs and challenges.”
A garden can be a personal haven, whether it stretches for untamed acres or fits on a petite rooftop. “Size should not limit a garden’s appeal nor the opportunity to create sensory and experiential moments within that space,” landscape designer Todd Haiman says.
Haiman, the principal at Todd Haiman Landscape Design in Manhattan, creates residential gardens for homes of all sizes. “Success lies in the planning of a landscape and establishing a theme for the form and style of the design,” he says.
Where: New York City
In his own words: “Creating an oasis within the chaos of a city is a collaborative process between client and designer. I begin the process by listening, then addressing the client’s aspirations, needs and challenges.”
A garden can be a personal haven, whether it stretches for untamed acres or fits on a petite rooftop. “Size should not limit a garden’s appeal nor the opportunity to create sensory and experiential moments within that space,” landscape designer Todd Haiman says.
Haiman, the principal at Todd Haiman Landscape Design in Manhattan, creates residential gardens for homes of all sizes. “Success lies in the planning of a landscape and establishing a theme for the form and style of the design,” he says.
Cultivating a passion. Haiman received his master’s degree in landscape design from Columbia University and studied at the New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture. “I find the process of creating a garden, a sanctuary, an Eden within an urban setting to be an incredibly rewarding challenge,” he says. “For many of my clients, it’s their singular place to escape, relax and be at one with nature.”
Rooted in design. “My mission is to increase the quality of life for my clients by creating functional and sustainable landscapes that are ecologically responsible as sensorial spaces,” Haiman says. “I believe that design choices should fulfill a functional and aesthetic need.” He also considers landscape design to be “four-dimensional,” as it’s constantly evolving: “You have to think about how it’s going to look in the future.”
Ready to dream up your urban oasis? Read Haiman’s tips for creating a heady outdoor haven.
Ready to dream up your urban oasis? Read Haiman’s tips for creating a heady outdoor haven.
1. Outwit Onlookers
While there are building codes that limit fence height, you can shield your garden from overlooking skyscrapers using tall hedges, well-positioned trees, pergolas and vines on trellises, Haiman says. Other options include tall ornamental grasses, which create a pleasing, soft horizon.
The rooftop terrace seen here on Manhattan’s Upper East Side was in view of several buildings, and the homeowners wanted more privacy. The team installed a pergola that “functions as a shade structure and a privacy canopy,” Haiman says. Ornamental grasses along the edge of the garden will mature into a “hedge,” further sheltering the garden from unwanted eyes.
See more of this project
While there are building codes that limit fence height, you can shield your garden from overlooking skyscrapers using tall hedges, well-positioned trees, pergolas and vines on trellises, Haiman says. Other options include tall ornamental grasses, which create a pleasing, soft horizon.
The rooftop terrace seen here on Manhattan’s Upper East Side was in view of several buildings, and the homeowners wanted more privacy. The team installed a pergola that “functions as a shade structure and a privacy canopy,” Haiman says. Ornamental grasses along the edge of the garden will mature into a “hedge,” further sheltering the garden from unwanted eyes.
See more of this project
2. Think Vertically
Enhance your small outdoor space, especially if it lacks views, by taking advantage of the walls. “Be creative and make one of them a focal point using a unique material or design,” Haiman says. He suggests installing narrow, tall plants, pots or architectural features, as they take up less space than broader plants and sculptures and draw the eye upward.
Clients in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood had a clear vision for their garden: “an experiential space with elements of sustainability,” Haiman says. “We designed fences made of local, sustainable black locust wood, which is rot-resistant and should last 40 to 50 years.” The team also stacked steel gabions — wire mesh cages — filled with salvaged logs from local storm-damaged trees to create an eye-catching rear wall.
See more of this project
Enhance your small outdoor space, especially if it lacks views, by taking advantage of the walls. “Be creative and make one of them a focal point using a unique material or design,” Haiman says. He suggests installing narrow, tall plants, pots or architectural features, as they take up less space than broader plants and sculptures and draw the eye upward.
Clients in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood had a clear vision for their garden: “an experiential space with elements of sustainability,” Haiman says. “We designed fences made of local, sustainable black locust wood, which is rot-resistant and should last 40 to 50 years.” The team also stacked steel gabions — wire mesh cages — filled with salvaged logs from local storm-damaged trees to create an eye-catching rear wall.
See more of this project
3. Attract Birds
Choose indigenous plants to draw birds, butterflies and other pollinators to your city garden. “With a well-constructed design, even a small urban garden is large enough to create a sense of nature,” Haiman says. “You can invite a chorus of songbirds or witness butterflies dancing — this is the entertainment value of nature.”
The team planted native species — including various asters, woodland sunflowers, hummingbird mint and summersweet shrubs — in this Brooklyn garden to attract pollinators. They also installed the water source seen here to further entice birds. “Each season brings new blooms and different wildlife, heightening the complexity within the landscape,” Haiman says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Todd Haiman and examples of his work, visit Todd Haiman Landscape Design’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Choose indigenous plants to draw birds, butterflies and other pollinators to your city garden. “With a well-constructed design, even a small urban garden is large enough to create a sense of nature,” Haiman says. “You can invite a chorus of songbirds or witness butterflies dancing — this is the entertainment value of nature.”
The team planted native species — including various asters, woodland sunflowers, hummingbird mint and summersweet shrubs — in this Brooklyn garden to attract pollinators. They also installed the water source seen here to further entice birds. “Each season brings new blooms and different wildlife, heightening the complexity within the landscape,” Haiman says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Todd Haiman and examples of his work, visit Todd Haiman Landscape Design’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
A landscape design and build practice based in New York City creating bespoke gardens and landscapes for... Read More
Review by HU-513470605:
I wanted to design my own garden, but I specifically wanted a rooftop landscape designer for my LI backyard because it is so small and narrow. I have some gardening experience, but nothing remotely o...More
Beautiful work, Todd!