Humboldt Park Roof Deck
Chicago artist, Joan Livingstone, has been collaborating with Erin at Sprout Home to create a sunny retreat at her Humboldt Park Home. When they began working on her second floor container garden Joan had existing potted trees and shrubs. Rows of insulated Arborvitae Thuja Occidentalis ‘DeGroot’s Spire’ create a green wall, while Serviceberry Amelachier and Viburnum Dentatum act as anchors in either corner of the deck. Over the course of two years containerized trees and shrubs have been added to give the space layers of color and texture that provide four season interest.
Each tree takes its turn in flower starting from early spring with the Service Berry and Purple Leaf Sandcherry Prunus x cistena and ending with a Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Center Glow’. To add a pop of bright color in the space we have added a Tiger Eyes Sumac Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’, the spring foliage starts out chartreuse and over the course of the summer takes on shades of bright orange and fiery red. Toward the center of the deck the Korean Maple Acer Pseudosieboldianum complements the Sumac with similar color changes. Dramatic branches of a Snow Fountains Weeping Cherry Prunus ‘Snofozam’, a Sargent Crab Malus Sargentii , and Juniper Nana keep things interesting until snow falls. Most containers are underplanted with Sempervivum Tectorum and Red Creeping Thymus praecox ‘Coccineus’ to add a consitant texture that pulls your eye around the space.
In the foreground Joan has playfully filled containers with flowering perennials, annuals, and mosses. The way Joan put’s together colors and textures creates a space that you experience similarly to her artwork, each piece works together to create an overwhelmingly beautiful whole.
