Delaware Center for Horticulture

There are plenty of challenges when trying to garden in the city. The space has to be used for every conceivable outdoor activity from eating, playing, and cooking to storage for bikes, trash-cans and cars. Many backyards are largely paved with bricks or concrete or contain compacted, poor soil which a shovel reveals to be full of broken glass and decaying bricks. High fences between some houses cast all day shade while other yards suffer from being over exposed to the sun without a tree (or a space for a tree) anywhere.

On the upside, your problems are confined to a small area and you may never need a lawnmower.


In Wilmington, the best place for advice on city gardening comes from the Delaware Center for Horticulture. Besides offering lectures and workshops, they make plants available to some city neighborhoods without garden centers and promote the urban tree canopy. They also plant public areas like highway median strips and roadsides. (Photo by mathplourde on Flickr)

Every year the DCH sponsors a City Garden Contest which recongnizes the hard work and ingenuity of city gardeners. All the judges are volunteer amateurs: they walk around with a map and a score sheet and have a lot of fun while getting inspired for their own gardens. When I judged the Group Garden division, I was able to see the transformative power of gardening for residents of a women's prison, an alcohol rehab center and a homeless shelter.

The demonstration garden behind the DCH buildings on DuPont Street showcase key concepts for urban gardeners:

1.) Start by considering the "hardscape" of your garden, which is the flooring, the walls, and the hallways. On a city lot you will likely need to either garden in containers or build raised beds to get above the old soil. Part of your hardscape can involve reusing cool old things: DCH has old lamp posts growing climbing plants and old shovels used as a gate. Just as a small indoor room requires 3D thinking to maximize its potential, think about giving the plants structures to get them off the floor and onto the walls. A pergola doubles the use of the space as a loft bed would.

2.) After the hardscape comes the plants. The DCH recommends growing native plants so you can support native birds and insects, prevent invasion by weedy imports and reduce the need to water, spray and otherwise pamper exotic plants. Be very realistic about the amount of sunlight and water your garden receives. Most of my plant failures have come from having sun-loving plants in the shade or having moisture loving plants in terra cotta pots that are constantly drying out. Check out the National Wildlife Foundation for recommendations of native plants for different conditions.

3.) Feed your garden with homemade compost and water it from your rain barrel. Composting does not have take up very much room - my bin is 2 feet square and ends up holding a year of kitchen scraps. DCH holds workshops on composting and setting up rain barrels.