My compliments on your effort to create a plan. In doing so you will probably avoid many of the common errors homeowners make. As another member here recently said "Better to make the mistakes on paper."

It appears from the photos that the surface drainage is a sheet flow toward the southeast corner of the back yard. I call attention to the character and place where the flow exits your property. The planned uninterrupted bed in this area may well block this flow and create a pond or wet spot in the back yard. If you then correct this problem by collecting the water and piping it through the bed, you will be discharging all the water onto your neighbor as a concentrated flow at one spot. At the least you will have an angry neighbor, at the worst you will get sued and made to pay damages along with an injunction to remove as much of your project as needed to return the drainage to the original flows.

You would do well to make provisions in your plan for the water to pass through the bed and then spread out to exit your property just as it does now.

I think your plan looks very good. What is the purpose of the gravel path circling your yard?

As the yard slopes down and away from our house, and to the neighbors (you're correct that the low point is the southeast corner), there is no way I'll be able to build my beds up higher than the level of the lawn. My soil is also basically pure sand, which is the reason I'm bringing in so much top soil.

The previous owners must have had rocks in their heads, and under the majority of the area that's covered in bark, they have a layer of impermeable plastic sheeting that I'm going to need to dig up and remove.

I don't expect that drainage will be a serious problem following this, as it isn't currently (with all the plastic), and my soil is so sandy, plus the southeast corner is usually very dry as it receives no rainfall as a result of the tree being there. Realistically, I'm not going to be altering the elevation of the bed much at all, just introducing more plants which if anything should help to slow the drainage to the neighbor's yard.

vmcenroe: The gravel is something that I'm still debating in my head. Ideally I'd like to do it with flagstone planted with thyme in between, but that's cost prohibitive and this is our first home, there are LOTS of things that need updating, not just the yard.

I need it on the south side of the deck as I have a large dog that tears through the yard and comes in with wet bark all over his feet. Putting small round cobble type gravel (one or 2 sized up from pea gravel) should help to avoid that.

It's also necessary to put in front of the lighter brown deck that we'll be building, as the north side of the large deck receives no direct sunlight and the lawn is about half moss at this point. I don't feel like battling it, and in the future I may decide to put in a fire pit or some sort of water feature that I'm not going to want to mow around.

Having rocks of some sort is ALSO necessary in front of (to the east of) the smaller north deck, as it's covered and doesn't have a gutter on it, so all of the water drains about 1 foot to the east of the deck, Currently there are soviet looking cement pavers, but a small cobble should do a fine job and I was toying with the idea of putting in some rain-garden type plants that can take the beating that pouring water would give them.

I thought that it would be nice to since I'm going to have gravel on both sides of the yard to put some steps in and bring them around the lawn, partially because I'm still not sure what to edge the lawn with(and it's so out of control because the previous owners stopped maintaining the yard), and partially because I'm not sure how to terminate the gravel area to the south of the large deck.

Nice that PLS thinks in 3D - keeps the rest of us on our toes.

Me, I'm just thinking in 2D that the plant selection you have in mind might not quite give you the height you want? it might juuuuuust work, as those mock oranges and lilacs top out, but I might want something more certain, in the tree family.

I'm also not a big fan of that Arbutus unedo, and wonder if you'll want to be looking at it all the time. At the very least I think I'd add something.... that would distract from it in the summer. For some reason a Japanese maple keeps coming to mind, but I don't know the big ones well enough to recommend a variety. And both lilacs and mock oranges, while they smell nice, are visually not much to write home about when not in bloom.

Then, finally, there is the matter of speed. I don't know how big you plan to buy that Arbutus, but if small, then why not plant something that's a speedy grower for fast filler, that you can take down when your preferred plants are grown in? I have a purple birch that has grown incredibly fast- it's not dense by any means (try spindly) but sometimes you just need something for your eye to rest on instead of the window.

KarinL

Thank you for the input KarinL. I'm curious about your opinions of the Unedo. I've never seen one in real life but on paper (the internet) they seem to be a great fit, and the photos that I've seen make it look like a nice looking small tree.

I probably would have gone with a Japanese maple if I wasn't concerned with it being deciduous. Can you recommend a broadleaf evergreen that will fit the bill?

I'm really only concerned with putting something tall in front of the window/second story of the house, the rest of the shrubs are only there to provide a backdrop/smell nice. I'm also concerned with it closing off the yard a bit, I like that the yard feels big, and I get a great deal of sun. I'd be interested in incorporating perhaps some more large broadleaf evergreens to the landscape (I'll be putting in Kalmia Latfolia and many other smaller ones next year or in autumn), but I very much want to have a few lilacs and mock oranges, my mother had them when I was growing up and I LOVED smelling them.

KarinL - I was going back through the thread and looking at your post and realized that I forgot to address your question regarding putting in something fast growing.

After digging out 2 fairly rotten stumps, I'm not too excited to try digging out a recently cut down one next to a plant that I want to keep. Is there a trick to this that I'm missing?

A local nursery that I've been emailing suggested Arbutus Marina as a quicker growing, more disease resistant type of Madrone that has a larger mature height, but still has the year round interest with flowers and fruits during the winter.

Re pulling out a quick-grower next to something you want to keep - you just cut it down, you don't have to dig out the stump. It'll rot in time, and it wouldn't have to be that big. I had a eucalyptus that had grown to something like 20 feet when it died (actually I killed it, long story) and I cut it down - the trunk was 6-8 inches in diameter, no need to dig. Not that cutting it is a piece of cake - it all depends on how important it is to you to get that window blocked.

As for the tree, I'm not sure I could suggest anything that would be evergreen, unless a pine which tends to be fairly broad-crowned too. That's why I suggested adding another tree with nicer foliage to create interest around it, rather than something else.

The other reason to put in more than one tree is that I'm guessing that the honking big conifer of your neighbour's (maybe two, couldn't see the second one that well) is likely to come down at some point. It may be years away yet, but if you have a tree grouping rather than one tree you'll be a little less exposed when that happens. It's hard to grow a tree really close to one of those, but something in the yard already can help.

That all reflects my preferences, not yours; obviously yours take precedence! And I think your plan will mostly do what you want it to.

KarinL

I'm not usually a huge fan of deciduous trees, they're messy come autumn, but I could really use the leafs for my compost bin, and your advice really me think about putting in something larger and perhaps to distract from an arbutus (who knows, it might not do well either). This tree seems as though it would fit the bill. It should look nice all summer and give me a nice autumn show. I would ideally plant it so when mature its drip line will be close to the drip line of the large fir tree, and then move my slower growing arbutus variety further south so they don't interfere with each other. That would give me a stepped-down look, and I wouldn't be blocking light to any of the trees.

Forgot to post the link. :x

Here is a link that might be useful: summers red maple

Unlike karin, I'm a fan of the Arbutus unedo but the ones I've owned were VERY slow growers. I started out with 8' tall standards and saw very little growth in height over the next 7 years...maybe a foot or two.
I don't know if they grow well in your area, but I'd put one in as a specimen/ornamental tree. I don't think it's a good choice as a barrier.

I like the idea of the maple but you may want to check out a Katsura tree. It's one of my favorite deciduous trees.

Annz - thank you for your input! I'll look into your tree recommendation and probably end up putting in a deciduous tree and then next to either an arbutus unedo or marina.

Ok, here's a secondary plan. I moved around and tried to group the mock oranges, added a katsura tree, and got rid of a lot of gravel. I put a graveled square area in the southwest corner that I'm going to train the dog to use as his "bathroom area" to keep the rest of the yard clear. I'll put in a pet waste composter below ground over there. I also put in a key. The yellow dots on top of the other colored dots mean that that particular thing is already in the yard. I'm still not sure how to edge the lawn. I hate mowing around rocks, but hate the look of landscape timbers and concrete/plastic curbing.

{{gwi:20827}}

A good basic approach for suitable climates like these is broadleaved evergreens fleshing out the plantings, with deciduous trees as widely spaced accents and deciduous shrubs limited primarily to where they will form transitions between the solidity of the evergreen shrubs and the lack of weight of herbaceous plants. Conifers, like deciduous trees and shrubs should be used for specific reasons and with restraint, as they amount to evergreens that lack the glossy foliage and flowering, fruiting attributes of many broadleaved evergreens. Another problem is that many properties here already have a large area occupied by existing native conifers, with the funereal effect these produce already dominant.

In a fully realized mixed border herbaceous plants will actually be the dominant element, framed and complimented by the shrubs (and the few trees). However, only enthusiasts will have time and energy for large sweeps of herbaceous plants. Elsewhere a shrubbery is more practical.

Within the category of broadleaved evergreens there is a subset of more stalwart types like hardy hybrid rhododendrons and hollies. Many other kinds will have specific site requirements like warm aspects and warm soils outside of which they may fail. When you see much damage to some kinds of these after the temperature dips a bit, to a large extent it is due to incorrect placement and aftercare.

But other commonly planted types just plain aren't that hardy, even when located in a suitable spot. 16F has emerged as a commonly seen low for last winter over a wide area. That's nothing! Wait until it's 6F inside metropolitan areas again, that's when we'll see what's really hardy here and what isn't.

Over the winter during our hard freeze, the temperature probe on our covered deck (within 5 feet of the house) broadcasted 9ºF, I'm sure it was even colder farther away from the house.

If you have suggestions regarding plant choice and placement, I'd be very interested to hear you ideas and see a basic design. The yard is more or less a blank slate as I don't have much placed or planted that I'm serious about keeping (except the blue raised beds). I would like to put a deck in between the two existing, need to remove the lawn from the north side of the big deck, and need gravel of some sort on the south side of it to keep the pooch from tracking bark into the house.

I'm willing to spend the time for herbaceous perennials, but I don't want my garden to be full of them as they are more work, and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, which looks out into the yard.

I'm still a little undecided whether I want to keep the group of 3 touching, and the other singular rhododendrons that are in the south half of the yard, I'll have to see what colors they bloom in, if it's just the normal pink, white, and purple, I'll likely end up putting them up on craigslist. I'm not a huge fan of rhododendrons if the foliage isn't special.

A little of a big leaf size goes a long way. Many rhododendrons look heavy and dumpy as well. And now foliage mildew is everywhere here, even killing the more susceptible kinds. Many of the ones resistant enough to maintain an acceptable appearance without spraying are the same old Sec. Pontica derived hybrids that have strong flower colors and massive plant bodies - the stereotype "K Mart Rhododendrons".

For very good magazine style discussion of mixed border theory, included pertinent concepts like naturalistic character, drift construction, bed shapes etc. hit a library or used book dealer for the inexpensive classic Garden Design Illustrated by John and Carol Grant.

Thanks, I have another book on hold at the local library, I'll pick that up too. My favorite rhody in the yard (the on in the northeast corner) has black spot disease. I sprayed it once and the new growth seems to be not as affected, but I really need to hit it again. The bark on this guy is incredible, it's just like a madrone.

I'm not sure what Karin's objections are to the arbutus, but I think it is a great choice for a broadleaved evergreen tree - 4 seasons of interest and wildlife attracting and they do well in most locations here. Growth rate is determined largely by growing conditions - I had some clients in the Laurelhurst area plant 3 - 5' high specimens that topped 15' just 10 years later, so they are not necessarily all that slow. And the hybrid 'Marina' will grow a bit faster but also get quite a bit larger.

Katsuras are beautiful tree - my weeping katsura is just leafing out now and is stunning - but remember that they will get moderately large in time, although they tend to cast a delicate type of shade. I'd also suggest a visit to a few local nurseries or garden centers and explore the variety of broadleafed evergreen shrubs available for our area - it's a long list and many can offer flowering interest outside of the limited spring bloom of the ever-present rhododendrons. Combining these with selected deciduous flowering shrubs will extend the garden's appeal throughout a very long season without all the worries and maintenance of herbaceous perennials. If you do add perennials, stick with those that have year round foliage - hellebores, heucheras, euphorbias, various groundcovers and ornamental grasses - for less maintenance chores.

And take bboy's voice of doom regarding winter temperatures and hardiness with a grain of salt :-) He tends to be ultra conservative in this regard and a winter like we had this past season is the exception rather than the rule. Or at least my lifetime of living in this area has borne this out.

Rhododendrons don't get black spot. Perhaps you are seeing sooty mold due to an aphid infested tree dripping onto it from above. Or it is infested with rhododendron mildew. Don't do anymore spraying of it until you find out exactly what is wrong with it.

'Marina' may not be hardy to single digits like you have observed there already. I don't know. Local plantings date from after the punitive 1990 winter, making them effectively untested. Sunset doesn't rate it hardy in the PNW at all. San Marcos growers web site says they have seen indications it is hardy to at least 15F.

A good place to look would be Sean Hogan's new broadleaved evergreen tree book from Timber Press - noting where any cold survival records he reports for 'Marina' where obtained. Hot southern climates may warm up right after low temperatures, with freezing of the soil and roots not occurring - unlike here in the north.

Your plan looks nice and logical. If I were to change anything, I would either give the veggie beds a freeform contour, or add a few more straight lines to the landscape - just so the veggie beds look more like they belong.
Around and on the deck, I see opportunities for container gardening, perhaps to grow something you enjoy looking closely at, or something edible.
And - good luck training your dog! (while Bboy warns about frost, and Karinl about trees, I'm the one with the dog issue, so take this with a grain of salt as well)