For the 2013 Boston Flower & Garden Show, Thomas Wheaton created a compact garden designed to be both lush and eco-friendly, employing reclaimed and recycled materials and a water-thrifty approach.
An urban courtyard garden totaling 400 square feet (37.2 square meters).
The circular open space was slightly offset from the garden’s central axes. This broke up the overall square shape into four smaller spaces of unequal proportions, giving the garden a more naturalistic feel while at the same time making it appear larger.
This asymmetry was counterbalanced by the alignment of the four larger trees, the paths and the focal points along perpendicular axes of the circle to establish a bold rhythm which harmonizes with and reasserts the primary square.
In keeping with the show theme, "Seeds of Change", sustainability featured in innovative use of materials, including weathered steel retaining walls to maximize planting bed volume, and a sunken patio paved with porcelain tile concealing a rainwater collection system.