As with many city properties, the landscaping this 25-foot lot included a small, rectangular patch of grass surrounded by a few low shrubs and perennials, making the iron fence a focal point of the garden. Nothing had been done to take advantage of the one direction the plantings could go—up.

Before this young family moved in, nothing had been done to add color, texture, curves or height to the landscape. Nor did the environment contribute the storage and kid-friendly features the family desired.