share ideas for http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/design/msg1214085821098.html?3 I guess you are zone 6. "too ambitious"-----I like,dont worry small space,can plant trees small or big,can control tree grow scale by dirt thin rate.dont worry budget,garden plant is so slowly.we only do some every year,but enjoy our design goal. src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/landscapedesignchina/100_431011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/landscapedesignchina/100_431010.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/landscapedesignchina/100_43109.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk80/landscapedesignchina/100_43108.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> other ideas RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: ideasshare (My Page) on Sat, Dec 13, 08 at 6:01 share ideas for http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/design/msg1214085821098.html?3 I guess you are zone 6. "too ambitious"-----I like,dont worry small space,can plant trees small or big,can control tree grow scale by dirt thin rate.dont worry budget,garden plant is so slowly.we only do some every year,but enjoy our design goal. here link is other ideas: groups.myspace.com/gardenideas RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: karinl BC Z8 (My Page) on Sat, Dec 13, 08 at 12:56 No reason at all why you couldn't make a nice little ornamental garden here, whether dwarf conifers (head over to the conifers forum for a wealth of photos of plants and gardens) or the less groomed but also attractive perennial/deciduous garden. Almost incredibly, Ideasshare has actually visualized some options for opening up your design options, in particular changing the shape of the pathway. But you don't have to go to those lengths to make the space attractive. I do think I would incorporate some hardscape to give it form; maybe also a meandering path through it - unbroken, even one side is a big space for all garden. I'm still not quite getting a sense of whether you have a slope here or whether the space is flat. If sloped, terracing would be nice but you don't see the walls from above. Nonetheless, it breaks the space up and makes it nice to be in. This being a back yard, are there any functional issues need to be addressed. like a compost, or do you want some privacy? Those should be laid out in advance. I do love those glass balls (I got some in Germany when they were all the rage there) - they have to stay!! :-) KarinL Here is a link that might be useful: One conifer garden thread RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: nhbabs z4b-5a NH (My Page) on Fri, Dec 19, 08 at 10:58 It sounds like you might want to spend time thinking about how you want to use the space and what you want out of it as well as how you want it to look. Veggies? Lawn? Sitting or dining area? Main entry way to get in & outside when entering & leaving the house? Play area for kids or animals? Privacy from neighbors or city noise? Also, how much work do you want to do? Would you be willing to redo the walkway or the patio? Are you willing to build raised beds or hire someone to do work for you? Because your question is so open-ended, you may not get too many responses. I find that looking at pictures really helps me visualize possibilities in a way I can't when simply looking at what I'm starting with. Here is a link to one designer's portfolio who has done many small urban spaces that seem to be used as outdoor sitting/dining areas. He also has written several books that are well illustrated. He's just one of many designers whose work you can look at to see what you like and to imagine if that type of design would work for how you want to use the space. Your local public library can be a great resource for garden design books as they not only have their own collections, but also probably do an interlibrary loan service that would give you access to other library's collections. Here is a link that might be useful: Keith Davitt design portfolio RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: bjcoop 5-6 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 29, 08 at 10:34 Wow! With the Holidays, I havent had a chance to check back here. WOW Ideashare. You are a magician with the photos! Lots of ideas here. Never thought of changing the shape of the bricks. Also the idea of how best to enjoy and use the backyard is important. It does need to be low maintenance. It does need to be playspace (and other) for our minpin. Will study all of these ideas. One thing, I plan to keep the gazing balls. Our minpin is stupified by them. (: (: RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: ideasshare (My Page) on Tue, Dec 30, 08 at 8:27 It does need to be low maintenance------is good idea. Shrubs in general tend to be less maintenance than perennials for many of the reasons,no need for deadheading, dividing, staking, cutting back or cleaning up seasonally and typically require less watering once established due to wider, more extensive root systems. But to decrease maintenance even further, select those shrubs which are recognized as being fully hardy and well suited to climate and growing conditions, drought tolerant (once established), disease and pest resistant and not requiring excessive pruning to maintain health or size. Check with local extension office for their recommendations and visit some of better local retail nurseries in season for ideas. And I wouldn't necessarily want to eliminate ALL herbaceous perennials - some are quite a bit less maintenance than others. A mixed border that includes a variety of shrubs, perennials, grasses, groundcovers and even a few small trees generally will provide year long interest and color with relatively low maintenance. Here is a link that might be useful: share other some ideas RE: Help with landscaping SMALL backyard Posted by: karinl BC Z8 (My Page) on Wed, Dec 31, 08 at 14:57 Just to clarify -Ideasshare is apparently a Chinese forum participant who doesn't have much idea of North American culture or norms but is doing his/her best o join in here with photo manipulation. The results are bizarre but (as in this case) occasionally useful. Unfortunately, s/he has just branched out into giving written advice, which seems to be simply a compilation of plagiarized phrases that s/he probably doesn't even quite know the meaning of - not specifically thought out suggestions for you. Not that it isn't good info, but take it for what it is. KarinL Post a Follow-Up Your Name: Your Email Address: Zone (optional): Subject of Posting: Message: Optional Link URL: Name of the Link: Return to the Landscape Design Forum

It looks like a nice space -- I'm assuming with grass that nice you get a fair amount of sun? With sun, you can do anything! There are a bunch of questions you need to decide on before you get started. What's the physical space? How large is it, how sunny is it, are there any obstacles/challenges (like the wall), any restrictions (like ripping up the sod and laying pavers/decking), how close is your water source, etc. What do you want to use the space for? A kitchen garden, cutting garden, personal oasis, outdoor entertaining space, putting green (I can't get over how good the grass looks!), playspace for kids, etc. What's your style? Tuscan villa, Morrocan walled garden, English cottage garden, Japanese zen, urban minimalist? How much time/money/skill do you have? Do you have time to water a lot of containers? Can you pay for a lot of big plants or hardscaping? Will you be there long enough to ket plans unfold over time, or do you want immediate impact? Are you able to build raised beds or other outdoor structures? There are a ton of things you can do with a small space, even with little money and little time. But it helps to narrow down what effect you're going for. And the best way to do that is... look at pictures! Collect pictures of what you want, then start researching how to create those effects in your space! (And of course, consult with folks on sites like this one!) Here is a link that might be useful: Google search on

I know it's been a while but I'm back for some final help (hopefully!). After getting many quotes and having long wait times we finally have someone coming out Wednesday to do another walk thru before things begin. We have been busy prepping, weeding and leveling the space. We are using poured concrete and decided to do a rectanglar shape versus curved lines, below is an aprox layout. Final dilema are those dang trash, recycle and yard waste bins. They will not fit under the deck. My idea was to line all three up going S to N as seen in below drawing and then using some sort of privacy screening which would allow for less hardscape and some more planting space. My husband prefers to line them up along the fence going E to W and have more hardscape to pull them out. I am not sure how we would screen them though and be able to pull them out. I'll draw husband's preferred layout of receptacles in green. I know this seems like a small thing but I figure there is probably a simple solution? I've included some pictures of the space in question. And yes I know we still need to prune that Camelia :)

Here, I'm not offering a specific PLAN, but a general SCHEME for creating a view. You've already regained a large portion of the back yard by removing plants that were screening it from view. I can see by the additional photo that if one was sitting on the patio, the shrubs surrounding it would block off, or seriously disturb, his view. I suggest you follow the same program that led you to getting rid of the Leylands, and dispense with the patio shrubs. In addition to being unnecessary, their presence is detrimental. If the patio were a friendlier, prettier place, it stands a chance of being better used, and if not, could at least be made to look inviting and contribute to the view as seen from the porch or windows. I'm suggesting that you create a bed that surrounds the lawn. The bed should be large enough to look like it could support the trees that are in it. Their trunks would not be near or too close to the bed edge, but well into it. A simple "rule of thumb" type guide for dimensioning a bed containing trees is to imagine each tree planted in a 'flower pot' proportionate to the trees size. Using this method, here's a comparison between your existing bed set-up and the one I proposed. You can see how the flower pots that fit into the existing bed couldn't possibly support the trees that are in them, whereas in the larger bed their size looks believable. We can't see what you see when you look into the yards at each side, but could presume that you wish to have some degree of privacy and block any negative view that might exist. In addition, you'd want to temper the view of your own fence, making it less prominent. Even putting it into deep shade will help accomplish this. This suggests the use of some large shrubs, so the border bed must fit them as well. Other, smaller plants may be desired, too, as your plan gets worked out. After separating the lawn from a bed border, it begs the question of what the exposed ground surface will consist of if it is not lawn. It's probably already understood that bare dirt is not an option. Mulch alone is the lowest initial cost option but it has disadvantages. While it looks good when first installed, its appearance will deteriorate within a relatively short time, making annual replenishment necessary. That cost and labor will eventually become tiresome. Too, mulch is brown, dry, flat and lifeless. In my opinion, it can never measure up to a groundcover that is green, gives a cushioned appearance and by the nature of being alive, is self-healing. A groundcover that grows solid, beyond the initial installation, never needs mulching again! It would make more sense and seem more inviting if you created a spacious landing, which reflected/coordinated with the overall lawn shape, at the base of the lawn steps. Even if never physically used, it completes the view and makes it seem as if there is a reason that the steps and path are located where they are. If a garden part or other lawn even were held, having a landing would seem like a real invitation to enter the yard. Without the landing, it seems as if the steps and path go to nowhere and that the lawn would make just as much sense without them.