You wouldn't think that row houses could have gardens that look this green behind them but the world is full of surprises. Row houses especially are surprising. First, through some odd principle of context and private human scale vs public scale they can be quite spacious inside and yet seem to take up very little space on the street. Second, you often have no real idea of what is behind them. I was walking down a small street yesterday and noticed ripening peaches topping the high wooden palisade fence around someone's side yard. I stopped and peered a bit closer, craning up on my toes to see as far over the fence as I could. I think there are three fruit trees in that yard.
That started me thinking about how it might feel to be in there, among the trees with the solid row of parked cars and the fairly constant stream of foot traffic on the very narrow street outside. Was it quieter in there? Did the tree absorb some of the sound so that the yard felt more hushed than the rest of South Philadelphia? Could garden's keeper smell the peaches ripening in the warm June evening?
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