backyard help-- almost blank slate. Zone 7/8 Rock Hill SC.
Waverly
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (17)
Waverly
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoYardvaark
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Landscaping steep bowl shaped slope-backyard
Comments (32)taterville, Things are coming along very nicely. I bet when you were in school you were one of those students that always did your homework; I never did mine. lol Most of your measurements worked fine, but something went wrong with the measurement of point A. That's my fault, not yours; my instructions were not adequate for the task. As we go along, there will be times when you need to mark a place on the ground in a semi-permanent way. Any number of things can be used; stakes, tent pegs, or nails with a ribbon attached. Now let me revisit the location of point A. You will need to place a marker at point A that is at the bottom toe of the slope about mid way in the curved transition between the relative straight line of the toe running behind your house and the straight line of the toe running along the side of your house. Begin at point A and measure along a line parallel to the back of your house to a point that aligns with the back of your house, shown in my graphic as point B. Earlier you gave that distance as 4ft 11 inches. That may have been correct, but because we may now be starting from a new location for A, you will need to repeat this measurement. Now go back to point A and measure parallel to the side of your house to a point that aligns with the back corner of your house shown as point C. Think of the box defined by the the three points and the back corner of your house as a rectangle. It is the width and length of this rectangle we seek. You did not give a distance from point E to F and I assume that the slope is just too long and slick to make the measurement. That's OK, there are other ways to find the location of point F. I'll prepare some instructions on how to go about it. You are getting close to providing the data needed to produce a base map defining the terrain you have. It wont have the precision of that of a professional, but is certainly suitable for planning purposes. The precision can be improved as needed. Taking what can be used from your photos, the survey, and the measurements requested by yardvaark and myself, I have made a drawing. Contours shown are at 1 ft intervals. Scale, small squares equal 2ft. I will add to and make corrections as additional data comes in. Below is a thumbnail. The full sized drawing Is in the optional link. I would invite everyone to use any of the graphics I provide to convey your ideas for the site. Here is a link that might be useful:...See MoreBackyard Design - What would you do?
Comments (31)Wow, thanks to each of you for sharing your thoughts - I feel like a kid on Christmas seeing so many responses! Before I start addressing all comments, I want to note the "secret garden" I forgot to mention in my original post. Right now it's just a heavily shaded area in the back corner (SE) of the yard enclosed by major overgrowth accessed by a gate from inside the dog pen. I'm not sure how shaded it would be if we were to seriously get after the privet/junk hedge jungle, but I thought I would mention it in case any of you have brilliant ideas for it as I think it could be a really special little area. No grass, some purple flowering ground cover, a scraggly old tree with a thick L shaped branch (would be a great climber). Now on to business. I'll start by topic, & try to answer any questions. The privet hedge: Frankly, it scares me. I've been pretending it doesn't exist for the past 2.5 years but it's time to start facing it. Ideally, I would love to replace it but it's just not in the budget so I suppose we will try to cut it back and clean it up (per Yardvaark & Whitecap2's instructions - lower cuts, full-on weed war). As unsightly as it is, it does provide invaluable privacy and effectively blocks out the houses behind us. Yes, our nice neighbor to the east just had the stretch between us heavily cut back but the weed eradication remains our problem to tackle - yikes... Possible future addition: This is really just a dream at this point but I want to avoid extensive or large planting in the area in case my dream does one day come true. The new wing would ideally extend south & a bit east as shown in blue in the pic below. I've probably made it a little over sized but that should give you an idea. Afternoon shade: The carport wing of the house does cast shade starting at about 2:00 or so in the summer. It takes a while to extend much further than the bed but eventually about 1/3 of the lawn becomes shaded. Yardvaark, I like the a/c screen & tree placement suggestions. And thank your for explaining the major down to minor (tall to short) planning method. Such a basic concept but one I'd never thought about before, with this being my first from-scratch landscaping project. I will definitely return with a plan for you all to review before starting any work. This forum is such an incredible resource & I am so grateful to each of you for sharing your knowledge! Whitecap2, the small covered porch (8'x18') is up against the house & steps down to the exposed patio. I have marked it in green in the pic below. I had no idea hedges were passe ("so 60's"); I think they can be quite lovely when not grotesquely overgrown like ours! Catkim, I adore the idea of a courtyard - so very charming. Beds along the hedge also sound very nice. And that link to the children's garden - how adorable! This would be a great time to start something like that as my little girl is now 16 months. Mad_gallica, the dog run does eat up almost all of the existing shade but I'm afraid most of that shade is created by the junk growing in the privet hedge. If we were to clean up the hedge, I don't know how much shade would remain in that area. Regardless, the pen & dog house have to go. Bahia, I'm ordering my own copy of the Southern Living Garden Book today. Thank you so much for the suggestion. I'm shocked my green thumbed mother & grandmother had not mentioned this book to me! Unfortunately, the sewer line is the original clay pipe. Depending on the type of design we settle on, it may be something we need to address before any landscaping begins. Whitecap2, yes; lots of high maintenance, sun-drenched, thirsty grass. We purchased the house from the elderly widow of the original owner/builder who we have discovered made many odd decisions. But that's another story entirely. Bahia, the carport does provide late afternoon shade, perhaps to about 1/3 of the back yard. As mentioned above, the turf is high maintenance. We have recently been working on the weeds more aggressively but the past 2 summers it required mowing every 5-7 days & lots of supplemental watering. I love the idea of adding another shaded terrace further out in the yard. I will definitely give this more thought. Catkim, thank you so much for your comments on pergola placement. I have toyed with the idea of a pretty vine covered pergola in the past but never would have thought to place it further out to cast the properly desired shade. Thank you for keeping me from making a big mistake! Whitecap2, visually I would prefer a patio over a deck in our situation. But I agree, anything would be more usable & less maintenance than our wide open grass field! You totally nailed my sentiment toward our current backyard: "It just seems to me regrettable that so large a space should be usable for such a short duration." We want to get outside & play! Bahia, I wish we did have sufficient summer rainfall but Memphis tends to get hot & dry, irrigation systems being a must have for any well landscaped yard. Regarding our outdoor habits, they are definitely evolving as our child grows. A year ago I probably would not have sought a space for midday/afternoon play but now it is a real priority. As this is our first child, I'm not sure what to expect in terms of future needs but everything you mentioned ("play equipment set, lawn area for ball games or running around, a secret garden or play house? Sited to be easily viewable/supervised by parents from indoors, etc.") sound like great ideas. Any additional advice for planing with a child in mind would be wonderful! Whitecap2, you are again right on. The lawn has not been overly happy even with all the attention we give it. I think the spots in the pictures are probably a result of the professional monthly spraying we started at the end of 2011. Yardvaark, I'm not sure how much more patio space we would want. I think it would definitely be a budgetary decision. The current patio is yucky pebble concrete & I wouldn't even know how to go about expanding it. I certainly wouldn't want any more of the pebble stuff. Would the whole thing have to be ripped up or could some kind of stone be laid on top and extended further out? I hope I touched on everything. Again, thank you so much for all your help. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Possible future addition (blue) & current covered patio (green):...See MoreSloped, overgrown backyard help!
Comments (8)As Stevega points out, you need to decide first what your family wants to do in the backyard, before you go to any professional. You can certainly drive around the neighborhood, look at municipal gardens, etc., and do some research into what grows well there. But before you ask a pro to spend time with you, you need to have established some parameters in your design. No one else can do this part for you. Would you sit and have breakfast on a patio? Relax in the evenings after work in a hammock? Practice putts on the weekend on your own mini-green? Think about how the seasonal weather will affect all activities -- too hot in the summer to go out; too cold or rainy in the winter? If bugs are a problem - anything from fire ants to wasps or mosquitos - how would you solve it? How much time/interest do you have to maintain landscaping, from weeding to pruning to watering? Have you established your budget, since an average cost for landscaping is 10% of the value of your property (here in CA it's higher, but labor is very costly)? Does the property have sufficient drainage or will you need to put it in? If you have drought conditions, putting in a water feature, no matter how attractive, doesn't seem very practical. It is always better to garden WITH your environment, not against it. The research you do now will pay off in the design and implementation of a yard (e.g., not only garden plants but hardscape for your use) suitable to your local conditions and lifestyle. You definitely need local advice on this one. Anything you put in needs a sensible irrigation system of either drip emitters or soaker hoses. Anything else is a major water waster, and there's no point in installing something that can't be maintained in the long term. This doesn't necessarily mean it has to be all cacti and sedum, just that you can plan ahead for both a nice yard and sensible maintenance. It's cooler in summer where I am, but we get no rain for six months in the summer, every year. We have a lush cottage garden, complete with citrus trees, of 2500 sq. ft. (total gardening area) that costs less than $20/mo in summer (May-Oct) water bills - water is expensive where we are, plus there's an upcharge for piping it up to homes on the hills. I never water more than once a week and can usually go 2-3 weeks without watering. I replaced the original soil and every year mulch heavily, because after doing some research I knew those two things would help the most. Plants are living things and will force changes on you. Some will thrive and others will just.....die. You want to integrate your outside yard with your inside home, to get the most use and pleasure out of it. You need to plan your yard just as if you were planning an addition to your home, except that you don't need to add a ceiling! Good luck with your yard....See MoreHow profitable is a backyard nursery?
Comments (145)It's an awful lot of work, and the chances of being able to make a living in a backyard are small. I use 10 acres and make a living, but not a great one. If you are serious about this: * Sell your house. Use the proceeds to buy an acreage about 45 minutes out of town. 45 mintues here is the magic number for prices. We bought a house and 80 acres for about what just a house in the city cost. * Search Youtube for 'backyard nursery' * Get a copy off of Amazon of Dirr's "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants" It's about 50 bucks second hand. * If you are restricted for space and strength, the money will be in producing liners. A liner is a plant grown to be sold to other growers. Typically from 1 inch to 1 foot tall. Find out what's popular by visiting greenhouses and nurseries in your area. At each one find out if they buy pre-grown plants, or if they buy smaller plants and grow them to size. Garden centers tend to be the first, wholesale only nurseries tend to be the latter. Retail nurseries are often a mix. * Pick things that are easy to propagate * Pick a spectrum of things to spread the work load....See MoreWaverly
8 years agoWaverly
8 years agoYardvaark
8 years agocleangeek
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoWaverly
8 years agoWaverly
8 years agowaterbug_guy
8 years agoYardvaark
8 years agolandlover81
8 years agosquishypig
8 years agoWaverly
8 years agoYardvaark
8 years agoWaverly
8 years agoWaverly
8 years ago
Related Stories
LIFE12 House-Hunting Tips to Help You Make the Right Choice
Stay organized and focused on your quest for a new home, to make the search easier and avoid surprises later
Full StorySELLING YOUR HOUSE10 Low-Cost Tweaks to Help Your Home Sell
Put these inexpensive but invaluable fixes on your to-do list before you put your home on the market
Full StorySELLING YOUR HOUSE5 Savvy Fixes to Help Your Home Sell
Get the maximum return on your spruce-up dollars by putting your money in the areas buyers care most about
Full StoryLIVING ROOMS8 Reasons to Nix Your Fireplace (Yes, for Real)
Dare you consider trading that 'coveted' design feature for something you'll actually use? This logic can help
Full StorySELLING YOUR HOUSEKitchen Ideas: 8 Ways to Prep for Resale
Some key updates to your kitchen will help you sell your house. Here’s what you need to know
Full StoryCURB APPEAL7 Ways to Create a Neighborly Front Yard
Foster community spirit by setting up your front porch, paths and yard for social interaction
Full StoryLIGHTINGSo You Bought a Cave: 7 Ways to Open Your Home to Light
Make the most of the natural light your house does have — and learn to appreciate some shadows, too
Full StoryPLANTING IDEAS7 Ways to Use Drifts and Masses In Your Garden
Whether in formal or natural landscapes, grasses or succulents planted en masse elevate the garden
Full StoryMOST POPULARHow to Add a Backyard Shed for Storage or Living
Need a home office, a playspace or extra room for your stuff? Learn about off-the-shelf, prefab and custom sheds
Full StoryHOUSEPLANTS8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants
Houseplants add so much to our homes — and can thrive when grown in the right conditions. Keep these tips in mind
Full Story
Yardvaark