01 · As found
Measured, Not Guessed
- Direct sun logged at 9am, noon and 5pm
- Soil lifted from six inches down
- Maple and oak roots mapped to the inch
- Where water runs, and where it stops
Shade & woodland gardens · Fort Lee, NJ
Fort Lee Sits On Rock Two Hundred Million Years Old.
Shade grows well here.
We draw it, fern by fern,
hour of light by hour of light.
Shade Garden PlansWoodland PlantingsNative Plant SelectionFern & Moss GardensDry-Shade SolutionsUnderstory LayeringLight & Soil MappingRain-Garden Edges
The one rule
— The Velvet Dell drawing-table rulePlant for the light you have. Not the light you were promised.
Recent work, on the table
The Yard As Found, The Yard As Drawn
Every plan begins with what is already there. Light. Roots. Slope. Stone. Then the drawing answers it.
02 · As drawn
Layered, Named, Sourced
- Christmas fern and wild ginger hold the floor
- Foamflower and woodland phlox carry April
- Solomon’s seal arches over the middle
- Every plant tagged with where to buy it
Tell us where the sun gives up.
That corner is the start of the drawing.
Where we draw
Where we draw
Along The Cliff Line
Fort Lee, Edgewater, Cliffside Park, Englewood Cliffs, Tenafly, Leonia. Thin soil over stone, old trees, long afternoons of half-light.
7b
The hardiness zone every plan is drawn for. Hardy, native, and at home on the Palisades.
When we come
Site Visits, By The Light
Weekdays 8am to 4:30pm. Evenings by appointment, when the light itself is the thing to see.
Plans & prices
Four Plans, Priced To The Bed
Each plan is billed once, by invoice. We draw and source. You plant, or your crew does.
The first look
The Walk-Through
One visit$265
- Sixty minutes on site
- Light and soil read aloud
- One-page native plant shortlist
One bed
The Understory Plan
From$1,185
- One bed, up to 400 sq ft
- Scaled planting drawing
- Plant list with nurseries
- Month-by-month bloom chart
Front or back yard
The Woodland Plan
From$2,640
- Up to 1,500 sq ft
- Canopy, understory, ground layer
- Planting and path drawings
- One return visit in season
Whole property
The Full Dell
From$4,375
- Every shaded edge of the lot
- Phased across three seasons
- Two return visits
- A care calendar for year one
Larger or steeper lots are quoted after the Walk-Through, and its $265 comes off the plan you choose.
One plan. One invoice. One quiet yard.
The shade lookbook
A Lookbook Measured In Hours Of Sun
Shade is not one thing. We sort every yard by how long the light stays, then choose from what grows wild in New Jersey.
0–2
Hours of direct sun
Deep Shade
Christmas fern, wild ginger, maidenhair fern, moss. Green, cool, and slow.
2–4
Hours of direct sun
Part Shade
Foamflower, woodland phlox, Solomon’s seal, wild geranium. Spring arrives here first.
4–6
Hours of direct sun
Dappled Edge
Golden ragwort, spicebush, serviceberry, witch hazel. Where woods meet the lawn.
The ground is still open in November. Shade keeps.
Call before the first hard freeze, or after. We answer weekdays.
Book a visit
Tell Us Where The Light Gives Out
A few lines about the yard is enough. We reply within a working day.
Send The Corner
Call
(201) 429-2703Write
contact@velvetdell.com
Before we meet
What To Carry To The First Visit
- Three photographs of the yard: 9am, noon, 5pm. Same spot, same angle.
- A jar of soil from six inches down.
- Any plant you refuse to lose.
- A hunch about where the water runs after rain.
Hours
- Mon–Fri8am–4:30pm
- EveningsBy appointment
- Sat–SunResting
The Drawing Table
1530 Palisade Ave Apt 28RFort Lee, NJ 07024
Site visits come to you. The plans are drawn here.
Billing
One invoice per design package. Nothing taken at the door.