Tour a ‘Radically Different’ Front Garden in Midwood

From cookie-cutter to an explosion of color: “The neighborhood was pretty blown away.”

By Wendy Goodman, Curbed and New York Magazine’s design editor who covers the city’s most spectacular interiors.

“The cherry tree had been badly damaged during the house renovation. I cleaned it up, and we had to work with that. And it has rebounded so well. It’s magnificent, but it was a little Charlie Brown tree. The shrubs are Mugo Pines, (not native) and then there is Clethra, which is just starting to emerge, there’s rosa virginiana — it’s all mostly native.” Photo: Christy Dailey

They all had the same landscaper,” garden designer Christy Dailey says of the rambling Victorian and neo-Tudor houses on this street in Midwood, Brooklyn. “The mow-and-blow guy, so everybody gets the same lawn, the same hedges, the same seasonals; it’s very cookie-cutter.” This homeowner, Dailey’s client, had renovated their house and realized that they wanted something different along the curb, too. They contacted HGTV star John Gidding in the summer of 2022, and he sent them a plan. Dailey was brought in to implement Gidding’s scheme, which she was happy to do with some minor modifications. “I took it a couple of steps further and decided to do almost all native planting.”

Before: The house was in step with the front lawns of its neighbors. Photo: Christy Dailey

Today, the front garden is populated with more than 22 different plants, including creepers, perennials, daffodils, and tulips. A trellised arch leads back to a side green area that is not planted yet.

“My first calling in life was interior design, and there are obviously so many principles that overlap between the two fields, but with plants they are just ever changing. To orchestrate all the colors through all the seasons is not easy,” Dailey says of the surprises inherent in the life of a garden, which even the most astute planning can’t anticipate. “Usually in the spring, because you have so much color with all the bulbs, and that’s where the clashing starts and you get, Wow! Look at all this color, and then something pops up and you think, Oh no, those were never supposed to be next to each other.”

The front lawn, before (left) and after (right). Photo: Christy Dailey.

She is almost apologetic about the shade of purple of the creeping phlox that borders the brick wall between the garden and the street. To this nongardener’s eye, that purple looks very lovely, but Dailey wanted it darker. “There are always a few surprises, like the color of the phlox,” she says, laughing, “but I swear in another week, it all goes together!”

She describes the process of trial and error that even the most seasoned gardeners experience. “I love the hands-on maintenance of the garden and knowing intuitively what each plant needs,” she says. “They do seem to respond like pets do to grooming; some like to be deadheaded and pruned regularly. Some just want to be left alone and will take care of themselves. They can bite back when they’ve had enough human interaction, like roses. And they’ll let you know when and where they’re unhappy — flopping like an overheated dog that needs a drink of water.”

“That is the Amsonia, and that was the only plant that the client requested because she just loved the color. And it’s a succulent and it’s a great creeping low-maintenance perennial. That was not something that I would have selected on my own because I had other creepers … beautiful creeping thyme.” Photo: Christy Dailey

“I enjoy the challenge of finding the best combinations of color and texture that constantly evolve through the seasons.” Photo: Christy Dailey

“We had to remove a huge dying Norway maple tree, and it was a whole procedure as that was considered a street tree by the city. But we were able to bypass the whole permit situation because the client paid to have the tree removed.” Photo: Christy Dailey