A Pocket Garden at the Church Entrance
In the late 2010’s, Mission Hill Church (formerly First Congregational Church) began embarking on their latest building project. In this addition/renovation, the church needed to install two sewage tanks underground in the garden adjacent to their main entrance. This construction completely tore up the existing pocket garden. It was time for a redesign.
Mission Hill’s Landscape Board had some goals and constraints for the redesigned pocket garden when they approached us to develop the design. Their goals were to:
- Create a welcoming experience
- Provide space for people to sit
- Keep views into the space open
Their constraints included:
- Screening the sewer disconnect and vent pipe at the back of the garden
- Accommodating the need to drag a hose into the space to pump out the sewage tanks at the back of the garden
Pocket Garden Space Layout
At its largest, the courtyard reaches only 32′ x 41′. Therefore, our goal was to simplify the space with the new design. We achieved this by designing a focal point Japanese Maple tree in the center of a lawn area, surrounded by a paver walking path. We selected the same clay pavers for the walking path that we used for the outdoor worship patio in the church’s Garden of Remembrance. The hexagonal form of the walking path imitates the form of the church’s Crossway entrance. Repeating this architectural form unifies the outdoor space with the church building.
The entirety of the hexagonal path is visible from the main entrance sidewalk, inviting people into the garden. Along the path, we located four benches where people can sit and relax in the garden. Like the clay pavers, these benches match the church’s outdoor worship patio.
The sewage tanks are located toward the back of the pocket garden. Because Mission Hill Church will need to have the tanks pumped out with a hose, we designed a larger area without plants (only lawn and walking path) at the front of the pocket garden. We selected Creeping Lilyturf, which can be walked on, as the groundcover around the sewage tank access holes. These design choices protect the garden from being damaged when the tanks are pumped.
Pocket Garden Plant Selection
When it came time to select plants for the pocket garden, we understood that this space was going to be tricky. Enclosed on three sides by building walls with a roof on the fourth side, the sun/shade conditions varied significantly from corner to corner and from season to season. Therefore, we selected plants, such as Black-eyed Susan, Autumn Moor Grass, Blue Star, and Oakleaf Hydrangea that tolerate both sun and shade. These flexible plants allowed us to mirror the design down the garden’s centerline despite the variable sun exposure. Repeating the plants unifies the space, celebrating the symmetrical nature of the garden’s layout. In contrast, the variety of plants creates interest, celebrating the changes in color and texture of the plants.
We also selected compact plants that mature to heights near the bottom of the building’s windows. It was important to the church’s Landscape Board that the garden feel open. The plants that we selected allow for open views within the courtyard. And more importantly, they allow for open views into the pocket garden when looking out of the building windows.
But there was a place in the garden where we did want to block views. There are a number of utilities in the back of the garden that we didn’t want people to see as they enjoyed the garden. So, we selected Arborvitae to create a four-season screen of the utilities. We positioned the Arborvitae screen a couple feet away from the wall with the utilities. Now, there is space to service the utilities when the need arises.
Goals Achieved!
In the end, we were able to achieve a beautiful garden that met the goals of the church’s Landscape Board. The pocket garden creates a welcoming entrance with places to sit while keeping views open and accommodating the utility maintenance that will need to take place!