Landscaping in Boston is usually a small yard, a roof deck, or a strip of brick that has to handle water on its way to an old foundation. Triple-decker lots in Dorchester, Allston, and Brighton leave a rear court that collects roof water from more than one building. South End gardens are patches behind tall brick. The harbor neighborhoods take salt off the water and salt off the street. There is no broad lawn to hide a drainage mistake.
Downspouts that end at the foot of a clapboard wall soak the sill and feed carpenter ants. Patios pitched back toward the house turn a rain into a basement film. Street trees heave the brick walk and lift the stair. A fence on the lot line may be the only thing holding grade from the neighbor's higher court. Roof decks substitute for yards and still need a membrane that sheds water, which is a roofing conversation if the deck leaks into the top-floor ceiling.
Shade is deep on the north side of a three-story block, and the soil may be rubble fill rather than garden loam. Raised beds on a paved court keep roots out of a clogged drain only if you plan the overflow. Salt-burned shrubs along an East Boston or Charlestown street will not recover because you water them once. Choose plants that can live with spray, or expect to replace them. Mention dogs, because a small dirt yard becomes a mud pit in April.
Snow has to go somewhere. A plow berm across a bulkhead, or a roof that sheds onto the only path, is a winter design problem as much as a planting problem. Ice on brick steps at a South End entry is often a downspout and a sunless alley, not bad luck. Spring mud on a Jamaica Plain slope can send grit into a basement window well. Say where the water sits after a hard rain, and where the snow pile always ends up.
Describe the neighborhood, the size of the outdoor space, and whether the issue is drainage, a failing surface, trees, or a deck that leaks. Have a priority. A yard that touches a party fence needs a calm description of the grade, not a dispute. Call the number on this page.