Backyard blank canvas - need help!
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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- 6 years ago
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Kinda Blank-slate back yard
Comments (4)That is a big blank slate! The deck is really nice! Some of the designers here will come up with some cool plans for you. A big shade tree to shade the house is important. Whatever shade tree you pick, do your research. Be sure it doesn't drop flowers and pods all year in addition to the autumn leaves. One of the previous owners of our home, in his wisdom, planted 3 pines and 2 palms near our pool. They are evergreen, but they still have little gifts to drop into our pool constantly! Currently all the pollen from the cones is going in the pool. Needles shed constantly. Then the palms start dropping seeds and pollen and random fronds. I don't think you can escape a mess in your pool. It's the nature of trees to reproduce, but some are much kinder to you than others. I think raised beds would be nice and also some walking paths to small areas of interest here and there would break up the expanse. Maybe some curves and circles? Have fun! Suzi...See MoreBlank Slate: Help With Total Backyard Overhaul
Comments (15)Ditto on widening the bed (to give you more room to work and to be in better proportion with the fence), planning/planting for layers, planting in bunches or drifts, soil test (at the very least, pH, which is usually done free while you wait), and building your soil. You might also consider giving the bed edge some gentle curves rather than a straight line. The remaining trees look like some additional pruning is advisable, with some of the lower branches going off at strange angles/directions. If they are Bradford pears, consider replacing them now or in the future - they are weak-branched, prone to splitting and dropping limbs, and are invasive in some regions. While you're at the library or book store for the above-mentioned book, I highly recommend The Living Landscape, Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, by Darke & Tallamy. You might also find inspiration in The Layered Garden by David Culp. Another source of inspiration might be a botanical garden in the area. Staff is often pleased to share information about their plantings, too. Consider some of the better-behaved native plants in your region - they are usually best adapted to our environment, requiring less maintenance on your part. Redbud (all sorts of exciting cultivars), fothergilla, oakleaf hydrangea, inkberry holly (tiny rounded evergreen leaves, no sharp points!), coral bells (heuchera - also in many colors), tiarella, solomon's seal (our green native or its European cousin, the variegated, which really lights up the shade), fernleaf bleeding heart (dicentra eximia), are just some in my shady areas. If you have enough sun, baptisia, native honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens), New England aster. I shouldn't have started :-) The dappled willow impressed me at first, then it become so common I wouldn't have it for free. Daylilies are very adaptable and will get by with about a half day's sun, and also available in an amazing range of colors, sizes, flower forms, and bloom times (early, mid and late). There are some great understory trees and shrubs that will give you color when least expected. Toad lily for fall. Our native witch hazel blooms Oct-Dec, while the Asian varieties Feb-April, depending on variety. Hellebores start blooming in February here in my NJ garden and keep going through daffodil season. Take your time, as suggested above, and try to enjoy the process of exploring the possibilities and planning. Fall and spring are good times to plant, as there is less heat stress on the plant while it is becoming established. Remember that in fall, the sun's heat is waning, but the soil is still warm enough to promote root growth. There are, however, some few plants that are slow to root, so are best transplanted in spring. That being said, I have sometimes had to move plants at the most inappropriate time and they've thrived with good site prep and attention to watering....See MoreBlank Canvas Backyard (Dog Friendly/Garden/Privacy)
Comments (12)Consider creating terraces. Decide how much room immediately behind your home you eventually want for a backyard patio. Leave at least six feet beside each fence not dug but dig a ditch/footing for a wall of concrete block down to hard ground across the center of the rest of the back yard. Once your terrace wall is built, level the area above the wall, including by adding a truck load of gravel and/or dirt and/or shoveling dirt from below the wall to above it to level both your patio area and a space below the wall. Once you've reserved your patio space -- while your dogs pack it from using it -- you can begin to plant your garden, preferably in a way the dogs can be taught to leave what you plant alone. Pay attention to how the sun passes over your back yard so you're not planting anything that will eventually shade your garden too much for it to grow. Brackets on fence posts can hold potted plants -- choose the strong ones. https://www.google.com/search?q=very+strong+bracket+for++holding+flower+basket&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjy1KW5l4LoAhWiSt8KHRZkBw0Q_AUoAnoECAwQBA&biw=1366&bih=628 Consider the stronger tomato cages for tomatoes and beans. You can buy individual trellis/cages in the spring from the big box stores or build your own -- there are You Tube videos on how to build different kinds. This is just one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozQNsd5Oek4 Consider building a mini greenhouse using plumbing pipes and/or wood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsSI4w3CqEo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQWPnaiixe0 https://www.bing.com/search?q=building+greenhouse+with+pvc&form=EDGSPH&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&msnews=1&plvar=0&refig=d03dc932a900445e84174ddd49ea6bb8&sp=1&ghc=1&qs=AS&pq=building+greenhouse+with+&sk=PRES1&sc=8-25&cvid=d03dc932a900445e84174ddd49ea6bb8&cc=US&setlang=en-US If you build raised beds with wood, remember to line the wood box with plastic to make the wood last longer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef_TS19TRQg and / or building tiered structures for plants https://www.google.com/search?q=wood+tiered+structures+for+planting+strawberries&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiv8fyvk4LoAhXEEFMKHS1JBKMQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=wood+tiered+structures+for+planting+strawberries&gs_l=img.3...95448.101579..102697...0.0..0.134.1724.15j4......0....1..gws-wiz-img.NbM-ukJ-fRs&ei=qFFgXq_9FcShzAKtkpGYCg&bih=654&biw=1366&client=firefox-b-1-d#imgrc=irj20Wqm9lLhnM...See MoreBackyard of our new house - blank page for us! Best layout?
Comments (3)As long as there are no governmental regulations that require a setback from a property line, your garden house placement is good. I would suggest a staggered or curved path between the garden house and the main house since you prefer an informal garden. Use the rented yard for vegetable and/or wildflower gardening, or as play space for children. The one concern I have is whether the rented space will eventually be sold for another home to be built. Will you retain the right to use this space (easement to the rented property) if the rented land is sold? If not, it appears access to your parking will be negatively impacted. Consider placing your parking further back into the yard so the second vehicle can exit around the corner of the house easier. It looks like a tight corner. At some point you may want to cover your vehicles with a roof, or you may want to fence the backyard. Make sure you have enough room to place posts in the ground on your property....See MoreRelated Professionals
Pembroke Architects & Building Designers · North Versailles Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Salmon Creek Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · South Farmingdale Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Manhattan Furniture & Accessories · Rome Furniture & Accessories · Rosemead General Contractors · Surprise Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Baltimore Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Grand Haven Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · West Chester Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Fair Oaks Landscape Contractors · Mesa Landscape Contractors · Midwest City Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Owings Mills Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures- 6 years ago
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