Anthracite Garden

Cambridge Massachusetts | 2011 | 8,000 sf lot

Collaboration Ron Henderson, Tanya Kelley, Kate Dana; Hickox Williams Architects

Recognition 2011 ASLA-RI Honor Award for Design

Trees (18)

The garden is a study of black and white with green - a chromatic range that amplifies the contrast between the garden and the uniform gray-green of the historic 19C French Empire Revival house. Crushed anthracite coal (black) and North Carolina granite (white) establish the black and white mineral ground plane of the garden. White flowering redbuds, magnolias, astilbe, laurels, and black-berried viburnums reinforce this garden of contrast.

A 20,000 cubic feet rainwater retention system is installed under the hedged dining terrace. The soil, as in much of Cambridge, is 2/3 clay profile which hinders percolation and requires retention. The site has zero rainwater runoff.