skip to main content

Landscape Design

Desperate for Advice - Firepit patio, Mexican Petunias

7 years ago

We had some trees removed so we could do something with the corner of our yard. My idea was to create a patio with Fire pit. The patio would be sort of curved so that I can put plants all around it in a mulch bed, to include the tree in the corner. We have 2 kids but will be moving in 18 months and need something that will improve home value. Our driveway is on the other side of the fence in that same side of the house, so I also need a walkway from the driveway to the backyard. Additionally we have a long row of Mexican Petunias along our fence. I want to shorten the row and contain them so they don't spread. Here are my questions, thanks for the advice!

1. What material to use for the walkway from driveway to backyard? I want a casual but neat appearance that requires no maintenance.

2. Where to end the walkway? Take it all the way to the new patio? End at the door then do stepping stones to the new patio? We also have another patio next to the house (it's concrete but painted a reddish brick pattern), around the corner from this new area. Do I need to do stepping stones to that too?

3. We have a steel firepit that has never been used. Do I need a nice stone one built or will this suffice? Will it look cheap if I use this? With plastic Adirondack chairs?!

4. What material to use for patio? Pavers, flagstone, concrete?? Again, need this to look beautiful but not too perfect, casual but clean looking and no maintenance.

5. Mulch bed would end about 3 feet from that tree in the corner but then as you go along the fence you find the Mexican Petunias. How to end that bed then start the new one with Mexican Petunias??

6. Mexican petunias are about 9 fence panels long. My thought was to chop the ends off and leave the center section. A nice, clean, pretty section, then quarantine them with hefty edging. What edging to use?? Then, do I sod the areas where they were removed or plant something else? If I plant another set of flowers or shrubs, how do I make it all look uniform without it being obvious that I have a Mexican Petunia section sandwiched between 2 other sections of plants?

Or do I just give up and sod it all? We live in NE Florida, zone 9. Thank you.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

Kim in PL (SoCal zone 10/Sunset 24)
7 years ago
More information needed please. What zone are you in? What part of the world? Things you talk about, but are not shown: steel fire pit, driveway.

Is it possible for you to sketch on graph paper your house and the drive, side yard, and back yard? Orientation, which way is north, south, east, west? Photograph of entire front of house (series of photos taken while standing in a single spot if needed to capture your entire lot), same of the back of the house, and same from your back door looking out to the garden.

With this information you will get advice you can actually use. I don't feel I could responsibly give advice based on the fragmented information so far. With one exception -- I have not had a good experience with the inexpensive thin plastic Adirondack chairs. They crack quickly. If they are the hefty kind, as thick as the wooden sort, but lighter, they might be fine.
slbailer
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you for your reply! I attached several photos already...did they not show with my questions? I could try to post more...we are in Florida, North Florida. The front of the house faces southwest, back is northeast.
Related Discussions
Mexican Petunia (Ruellia brittoniana)
Q
Comments (8)
I have had both the purple and the pink and I also have bermuda grass (it really is evil). I have my purple ruellia in a flower pot with an old fashioned lantana and enjoy it there, but originally had it in my flower beds in Texas (north of Ft. Worth in black gumbo clay) and it took over so I swore I would not plant it in the flower beds here in OK. Well, I also had a small pink ruellia and it had not proven to be invasive in Texas, so when I moved it up here I put it in the flower bed (worn out peanut farm land of red clay and sand). Somebody kick me, cause I am ready to dig all of it up and I'm not sure burning it would do the job. I have read recommendations of planting ruellia in a pot in the ground but have not tried that myself. I am interested to know what you wind up doing and how it works. Also, if you are near Bryan County, let me know and I would be glad to share the pink with you. Ms. Faith
...See More
More Pool Problems- What next??
Q
Comments (26)
Thanks guys- Is there a particular type of engineer I should have look at the pool? Structural, building?? How much should I expect to pay for a consultation?? I wanted to add a second light (houseful and others will remember those threads), but the pool builder insisted one would be enough which means it probably won't be. I'm trying to block this one out, because I realize no one should bully or otherwise influence me in how MY money is spent. I'll probably try to get someone else to add some type of lighting later on once they ever finish. Any suggestions? The builder is feeling certain that a truck hit the pool, it seemed flaky to me that a pickup truck can break concrete. There were no excavation problems other than the ground was pretty hard, no errors in excavation or fill-ins. The only thing I know is there were long cracks found in the floor and roof plaster of my house around that same time (and in the same direction) and my mom thought maybe the house/land had settled causing all those cracks. We haven't had any earthquakes (that would only be a reason for them to deny liability so let's hope none of those occur). Thanks for the support. I'll keep posting.. No one showed up today and likely won't tomorrow either- they usually only work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
...See More
Help with cheap side yard landscaping
Q
Comments (18)
Marc, I don't think you understand the picture-taking process, which is why I tried to explain it with illustration. If the camera moves location between pictures, they cannot be reassembled in a single scene. And viewers can't then understand the layout. You must stand in one spot for all pictures and merely pivot the camera. If the most important view of the scene you're creating is from the house, then that's where the camera should stand ... next to the house. And then show the surroundings at each end of the scene. Not just the scene itself. After you deposit a picture into the text box while creating a post, you can click the photo button again and deposit another picture into the same post.
...See More
Landscaping Design ideas to turn this into something beautiful
Q
Comments (22)
I think you'd find a lot of benefit from a one-hour consultation with an interior designer who can give you ideas about the exterior of the house itself. I've found rolled fencing to be a quick and easy fix for chain link fence. You zip tie it to the fence. It comes in bamboo, reed, and willow. I doubt those Alberta spruce will transplant well. It's considered to be more of a shrub than a tree so I doubt it will hurt the house. If you are doing it yourself then you may think you have nothing to lose and you can try transplanting. Generally the larger and older the plant the less likely it is to survive. Watering is the key to transplant survival and the first 10 days are critical unless you try it in the winter. Winter watering is different. I would take them all out or leave one or two. If you left two I would keep one on each end. Now, for the design style. I strongly believe this should be a reflection of you. You may like to use mostly natives given what you've stated. You can add a pollinator garden or a conservation garden. You can make raised beds and create veggie beds that are pretty and functional. If budget is a concern, creating a pea gravel circle, with metal edging and placing the firepit in the middle with Adirondack chairs around. This will be cost-effective, DIY, create a distinction from the rest of the yard and be fireproof is any embers or such escape. Here are some different kinds of ideas. Using objects that mean something to you. These pots were no longer usable, but they were important to the client so we used them in a different way. I love using boulders in the landscape. You could incorporate old oars, canoes, driftwood, etc into your lake house landscape. Can't wait to hear what you decide. Raised veggie beds with a conservation garden in the background.
...See More
PRO
Yardvaark
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
It is not possible to grasp how all the things you speak about fit together. We see disconnected pictures of various areas. (And they are all showing up sideways for me. Try redoing them using a computer instead of phone.) In order to design landscape, or give advice on same, one needs to have a comprehensive understanding of the layout and organization. This is easiest to do in multiple, slightly overlapping pictures that are ALL TAKEN FROM THE SAME CAMERA LOCATION, by just panning from left to right. Best to stand at a single spot where you could see most, or all, of the things you talk about.

Some of the things you say you're going to do (like getting rid of some of the Mexican Petunia hedge) you give no reason for doing. You describe ideas for creating a patio, but it is unclear what you mean so hard to say if your idea is great, or stinks.

A walk that is "casual ... clean looking ... and no maintenance" sounds like concrete to me.

You'd better put your ideas, as best you can, down on paper in a measured to scale plan so we can understand what you are thinking.
slbailer
Original Author
7 years ago
Hello. Actually the photos take the viewer from the driveway, through the fence door and into the backyard, in order. Then at the end I took a photo of the space from the other side of the yard to show the view from over there. The big dirt area is where the patio would go, in the middle, then the mulch bed with plants around it, following the lines of the fence. The photos are sideways on my phone too, but if you click on each one it becomes landscape and more realistic. Mexican petunias are invasive and difficult to maintain which is why I wanted to contain them.
PRO
Yardvaark
7 years ago
When I click on the photos, they are still sideways.

I don't think you get that landscaping is about relating things to other things ... not creating things in isolation. So the photos are not good for me to understand what you've got, nor are they good for giving you feedback. I think I would be standing in the middle of the hedge, across form the center of the house and take a full pan of the back yard from left to right.

Containing is a lot different from eradicating 1/2 or 2/3. I understand how M. Petunias spread, but you're trimming grass so they're not going to spread into the lawn. You're trimming the hedge so that's under control. There's a fence so they're not going to spread that direction and how much they elongate the hedge is not going to be very much in 18 months and it would be easy to control if you wanted to. So what's wrong with them where they are?
slbailer
Original Author
7 years ago
Actually I do understand how to take photos, the issue is that my yard is narrow and I can't do the panning from one location. You won't see nearly as much as I've already posted. If you look at each photo's contents you would see the edge of the driveway and the path going through the fence, the Mexican petunias and the location of every element I'm talking about and how they relate. I think I've been pretty clear in my initial post, but that's ok. Thank you for your time. I'll figure it out myself.
Kim in PL (SoCal zone 10/Sunset 24)
7 years ago
Perhaps if you comment on each photo?

1

2

3

4

5

Related Stories

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Converted Garage Tackled in Remodel

By Katherine Hershey Photography

The sports court lost out to a hot tub and a firepit, but the real triumph in this Texas home may just be the stunning garage conversion

ORGANIZING Professional Tips for Organizing Your Clothes Closet

By Bonnie McCarthy

As summer draws to a close, get expert advice on editing and organizing your wardrobe

CURB APPEAL Clues to Finding the Right Color for Your House

By Bud Dietrich, AIA

Waffling over the rainbow of color options for your home's face? This advice from an architect can help

GRASSES 10 Ways to Use Ornamental Grasses in the Landscape

By Laura Gaskill

These low-maintenance plants can add beauty, texture and privacy to any size garden

HOUZZ QUIZ Houzz Quiz: What Color Should You Paint Your House?

By Jennifer Ott Design

Is white right? Maybe dark blue-gray? Take our quiz to find out which color is best for you and your home

CALIFORNIA GARDENING California Gardener's July Checklist

Bite into tree-fresh apricots, inhale delightful garden perfumes and continue planting vegetables for a late-summer harvest

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING 3 Ways to Bring the Heat to Outdoor Living Spaces

By Matt Clawson

Here’s what to know about surviving winter’s bite with an outdoor fireplace, fire pit or heat lamp

LANDSCAPE DESIGN What Kind of Gardener Are You? Find Your Archetype

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Pick from our descriptions to create a garden that matches your personality and tells your story

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Tips for Leaving a Garden Behind

By Susan J Tweit

You can make parting easier by taking ideas and plants with you

CALIFORNIA GARDENING California Gardener's April Checklist

Outsmart droughts with water-savvy plants and sustainable approaches that suit the landscape

Sponsored

More Discussions

What happened to my oakleaf hydrangea?

11

Help with bringing curba appeal to this ugly split level home!!

26

Modern Stair Ideas for Steep Driveway

17

Need help with pool and landscape design recommendations in Charleston

0

What trees would you plant to regain privacy?

1