Design for small spaces (before)

This fall, in my state of "gardenlessness", I decided to take on some pro bono work. Actually, my sister's townhouse garden was in desperate need of attention and I in need of a design challenge.

Here's a before photo of her space in all its white-light no-makeup glory:

While the design and implementation plan is still in progress, here's been our design process thus far:

• Flagged, clipped and discussed photos from online sources and design books and mags of what we liked and thought might work
• Completed a site assessment. This included considering: water runoff/drainage, light, space, privacy concerns, traffic via walkways and pathways...
• Discussed at length how she currently uses the space as well as her lifestyle needs (e.g. entertainment, storage)
• Reviewed her favorite plants and her tolerance for caring for them.
• Toured her complex to see what other's had done with the same space and many of the same challenges.
• Measured, of course!!

The obstacles to overcome:

• First and foremost, the ginormous A/C unit needs some serious screening to make it visually less obtrusive. Currently it consumes about a 1/3 of the space, so this is big one!
• Busy girl + active life = little time for plant care. "Needs to be low maintenance" is an understatement.
• When it rains its pours. There's a down spout that dumps directly into the bed bordering the patio.
• A back parking pad means the patio is a primary pathway from car to house.
• Homeowners association rules....need I say more.

More to come. This one is a work in progress.