Need ideas for large, sloping, backyard flower bed
Ryan Bolt
8 years ago
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Ryan Bolt
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Any Design Ideas for My Sloping Backyard ? (Pictures)
Comments (30)Planning the flower bed plantings etc. is definitely the fun part. Most people skip to that step because it is the part of the landscape you see- and the most enjoyable part to think about. It's a classic mistake to do so because you will pay a long term price for all the seemingly little details you skip in the beginning. I take it that the advice of a good engineer feels out of the budget for you? Drainage issues are the boring stuff but it's already obvious you're going to have a significant drainage concern. Trenching and piping are okay but eventually trenches can fill with sediment and no longer work. You really, really need to have an engineering consult to determine if what the builder proposes will be adequate. It shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks at most. Perhaps some other neighbors will pitch in since you'll all need the same thing? I used to be a City Planner. I've seen developers pull a lot of crap. Sometimes, they are well-intended but the data they based their information on was faulty. Other times- they're just out to make a buck as quickly and cheaply as possible. At an absolute minimum, call your City offices and see if someone from the City engineering Dept. can advise you on appropriate methods to handle the drainage. In theory, they've already required the developer to deal with this but sometimes really different to say it will work on paper and to see it once everything is going in. Building codes are the 'minium acceptable standard', they are intended to set the bottom threshold. Something can be up to 'code' but not necessarily be a great solution. Also, ask them what level of storm they design for. Sometimes they require them to design the drainage to handle the runoff from a 10, 50, or 100 year storm. You'll want to know which they planned for in your case as it will give you a better idea of what it will handle. As for your other issues- a patio will be much lower maintenance over time than a deck and will certainly last longer. I would also make sure to have a 2' high by at least 3' deep berm for flowers and shrubs against the house as sort of a 'back up' in case your drainage system clogs or is overwhelmed....See MoreIdeas for backyard slope?
Comments (4)From your description, it sounds like an absolutely ideal location for succulent landscaping. The hot dry climate will really help things grow, and the slope is great for helping our winter rains drain off without causing any trouble. The real question is a how much work you want to do and how much you want to spend. Doing some hardscaping, like placing some large rock outcrops, will make it look really nice (as Caudex's photo's attest too), but that will obviously be hard and expensive. However, the rock will provide some structure so that you can plant smaller things without them looking orphaned or getting washed out. It will also reduce the number of plants you need for it to look finished. If you don't want to do go through all that, you could go for more of a desert scrub kind of look. A couple large Agaves will give the garden some structure and interest, and you could fill in the emptier areas with some small cacti and xerix shrubs (go native, they'll do better). Just so you know, mature, landscape sized succulents are pretty darn expensive. You might go visit some local gardens, or just drive around some neighborhoods looking various styles that appeal to you....See Morelarge slope behind pool in our backyard
Comments (27)Thanks for your appreciation for my approach, s8us89ds, and I like the the points you have made about opportunities to create habitat and ecosystems. (Disclosure: I am a restoration ecologist, by profession, and this is what I do, even at home: create habitat.) I've observed that birds, in particular, find my yard more a more useful and better place to hang out than elsewhere in the neighborhood, which is a 1970s tract development with lots generally in the 1/5- to 1/3- acre range. This is a big plus, aesthetically, for me, along with the visual pleasure of the tapestry of chaparral plants. The other great advantage to taking this approach, as you point out, is that it is inexpensive and can pretty much be done by anyone who can dig a minimal planting hole in unimproved soil (what you want when planting natives) while standing on a steep slope. Blanchette, a bit of advice, with reference to "craning in" large oaks or olives. Planting a relatively modest-sized tree and letting it establish from a younger age invariably works out better, in my experience, than the instant (but generally short-lived) gratification of installing a large tree. Beyond the eye-popping expense of buying and installing mega-trees, there are often major, years-long problems with establishment that need to be skillfully managed when using such trees. Fine if you are up to doing that, but often a disappointment. Case in point: about 10 years ago, a neighbor a few houses up my street had a very large olive tree (was at least the 300-gallon size) installed (using a crane, etc.) in his front yard about the same time I planted a gallon-sized olive in my back yard. His tree has developed significant root problems and it has lost two-thirds of its canopy; the tree is, at best, barely surviving and unhealthy -- not to mention disfigured because of major branches having to be amputated. The olive tree I planted is now larger than his (in fact, is currently about the same size he started with) and quite healthy. I personally won't plant anything larger than a gallon-sized plant and consider 5-gallon the upper limit....See MoreBackyard from scratch - need help with design and slope
Comments (6)I wouldn't remove another thing until I identified everythng you have. You may be taking out choice trees, shrubs and groundcover. Make ample use of the "Name this plant" forum. Easy to post a picture and get answers often in minutes. I would also be very wary of what you're doing with the plant removal and potential grade change. It looks like you have created a bare slope aiming water runoff right for your foundation or cellar. Yes, tree work is expensive but you will get much smarter at it. Many of them can be felled yourself, especially when smaller. Some can be dropped and left for you to cut. If you burn wood, the hardwoods are valuable fuel. The softwoods like the pine you removed are good only for mulch and screening views (stacked). You can learn to prune. You now know the cost of tree removal. Planting new trees can be just as expensive if you hire labor to plant large specimens! It takes years of nurturing to grow a mature tree. So my advice again is to SLOW DOWN. Not to be a wet blanket......See Morelaceyvail 6A, WV
8 years agoRyan Bolt
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoYardvaark
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRyan Bolt
8 years agoYardvaark
8 years agolaceyvail 6A, WV
8 years ago4bubbies
5 years ago
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