I am looking for any ideas you might have for my backyard!
Gevork Mosesi Photography
3 years ago
Hello lovely designers. I am stuck with no money to spend for a designer to finish off my back yard. We spent way too much on our addition and it turned out amazing but I can’t afford a designer for the back yard. I’m thinking a large deck right in front of the folding doors. The grass will be replaced with gravel of some sort. And I want to fill up plants and a flowering tree perhaps at the end of the yard. Please go at it. Any idea is good idea. Help me create a zen space. Thank you so much
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jck910
3 years ago- PRO
Gevork Mosesi Photography
3 years ago Related 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 MoreAny Suggestions For Landscaping My Backyard? (With Pictures)
Comments (17)Hi NCguy, Like most lots, your backyard space is a rectangle with a border fence or wall. Simple shapes, like a rectangle, are so quickly recognized by the eye we lose interest. And the space has no view for the eye to escape to, so we continue to search inside the "box" for interest. Introducing curved shapes inside the yard creates interest and leads the eye to explore the details. The background of the fence and two story buildings is a distraction. We might do well to stop the eye and bring it down into the yard again. The view from the patio will help you to strategically place a few small trees to block out the nearby buildings. Planted 8 feet from the fence, these trees should work well. You might consider using Dogwood or Flowering Cherry. Mark the tree locations and then, using a garden hose, start at the fence corner (about 3 feet out from the fence) and make a curving line, like a snake, across the 50 foot fenceline. Shrubs, planted in groups of 3 or 4 along this line (with spaces in between)will create a new background. The shrubline, combined with the trees, will keep the eye moving. You might use broadleaf shrubs like hydraengea or Rhododendrum where the trees give shade; and use spirea or weigelia in the sun. For privacy on the right, you might cut out a curved, semi-circle of lawn, 4 feet wide and 15 feet long, for a shrub or evergreen hedge. Hibiscus would give you choices for flower color or evergreens like Juniper 'Witchita Blue' would add a silver grey to the yard. Inside the semi-circle would be space for a small circle of perennials and/or annuals. A border of brick, laid side by side would keep the lawn looking neat. Now take the hose and start at the end of the hedgerow (nearest the fence) and make a large pond shape that moves to the left, avoids the trees, and ends at the left side of the patio. This is the new lawn shape. Any areas outside the lawn are for shrubs and border plants. Inside this new lawn space there's room for a patio extension. If the patio is concrete, you might consider continuing that material and then staining it all to match. A rounded shape would work well here. A 3 foot wide by 5 feet long cutout at the patio edge will leave room for a drift of low plantings. Gotta go now. Good luck with your project! -Ted Kmiecik...See MoreIs my backyard lawn worth saving?What kind of grass do I have?
Comments (6)Most turf grasses in the PNW will be blends of various cool weather grass seeds, however sod farms seem to prefer monocultures and often go with a single type. Because many of these grasses look virtually indistinguishable from each other, best to go back to the source and ask where you purchased the sod. Because our cool season grasses want to go dormant in summer, I tend to recommend fall as the best time to overseed or do much remedial lawn care. What you can do now is to aerate the soil, using a plug or core aerator. Aerating is one of the best things you can do for a lawn or the ideal first step in lawn care prep. After aerating, spread a thin layer of compost, just a half inch or so. Water as necessary but not too frequently and deeply when you do. In my Puget Sound climate, once every week to 10 days is usually sufficient through summer provided the water penetrates down 6-8 inches. Weed manually as required. Then in fall you can overseed. Again, cover with a thin layer of compost (better than peat or topsoil) and keep moist until full germination, usually about 10-14 days. Mow when the new grass is at least 2.5 inches tall. And you can still fertilize before winter. If you overseed in September, you should be able to fertilize in mid to late October. Of any time of year, the fall fertilizing is the most beneficial in our region. And opt for an organic product if you can....See MoreLooking for ideas to make my backyard beautiful
Comments (12)I am no expert on landscaping, but I usually choose an area with the best sun for vegetable garden. I like raised beds as another suggested, although I've successfully gardened without. I have always had a big dog, and they seem to like to eat my vegetables, so I often fence the garden area to keep the rascals from eating all of my veggies. I would choose how you best like to use the patio space: lounging or dining. And then buy some furniture so you can sit in your yard and enjoy it. Typically I like to keep a nice long stretch of grass for my dog. It gives her a space to run, chase toys, and do her business. Otherwise I consider the yard a space I share with my dog. Rather than specifying one single area for her, we both enjoy being outside playing or gardening or just relaxing. We've encouraged our dog to use a specific area outside of the primary foot traffic area to leave her solid waste. Other than that, perhaps a landscape designer or maybe even some knowledgeable staff at a local plant nursery could help you design landscaping and help you choose plants that will thrive. Think about how much time you want to spend working in the yard and make sure to communicate that to anyone helping to design the space for you. Personally I like to spend a little time in the vegetable garden, but otherwise I prefer a low maintenance yard. Others find yard work a soothing or enjoyable hobby and might prefer a higher maintenance. Knowing how you want to use the space and how much time you want to spend maintaining it will help make sure you enjoy it....See More- PRO
PROBeth H. :
3 years ago- PRO
Gevork Mosesi Photography
3 years agoNo we decided not to get any covers since that makes the space feel smaller and blocks the light.
The doors fold open to the right.
- PRO
Gevork Mosesi Photography
3 years ago - PRO
ocotillaks
3 years agoHow about some stock tank planters from the feed store for vegetables and herbs?
Lisa Port, APLD · More InfoRainwater collection cistern that can be used to to water plants and help fight a wildfire.
What’s Trending in Hill Country Home Design | Hill Country Builders Association · More InfoI would also consider creating a bee/butterfly/hummingbird/bat garden. Lots of natives and perennials.
- PRO
Gevork Mosesi Photography
3 years ago - PRO
Gevork Mosesi Photography
3 years ago lindacottonwood
3 years ago- PRO
Gevork Mosesi Photography
3 years ago - PRO
Beth H. :
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoGevork, my sis lives in carlsbad and has a small backyard. she packs a big punch w/a lot of foliage though. I'm posting it so you can see what's she's planted against her fence, and the type of hardscape and garden stuff she uses.
Here's her front. (it's a rather small house)
behind that fence is a nice patio/courtyard
she does a lot of succulents, plumerias, ferns and a bazillion others! If you did succulents, like she's done here, they don't require a huge amount of tending. you have the perfect climate for them. add some hardscape like a path, rocks, pebbles, birdbath, fountain, plant a few fruit trees, or container plants. (there's a huge nursery she goes to in Escondido )here's the back
This one is mine.
another option against your fence could be something easily done by you with a raised flower bed. I did the teak wood path myself and used flagstone/pebbles with it.our styles aren't too far apart!
i - PRO
Gevork Mosesi Photography
3 years ago - PRO
Gevork Mosesi Photography
3 years ago 
PROFlo Mangan
3 years ago
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Beth H. :