Ready to make my backyard beautiful!
Hello everyone!
I have a backyard in desperate need of an update/rehaul. Everything about it screams "help!", And I feel paralyzed because I don't know where to start! I know I need to hire professionals to do the things I want, but I'm pretty handy and love to garder, so can do some things myself.
This is what I'd like to see changed:
Replant the four trees (2 apple and 2 cherry) from the middle,
Make the area by the basement doors as a low patio (Engineered wood?) Or ground patio (stone? Concrete?).
Space to the right of the yard (the area that gets the most sun)- create an area for some minimal gardening (tomatoes and easy to grow vegetables ).
Near the fence to the right and the back area: create English-garden looking areas with shrubs, greenery and perennials.
My patio- at some point I would love to turn it into a three seasons room or covered patio, but for no- widen the stairs.
Re-home the hydrangeas by the patio and the basement stairs area and make that whole space a patio (as I mentioned above).
Anyway, where would you start?
Thanks for any advice!
Comments (11)
Alex M
last year
marmiegard_z7b
last yearRelated Discussions
my backyard need suggestions
Comments (4)Nice space to work with! Lots of people would really envy the rocks and boulders. First thing I would do is build up some soil around the boulder bases to settle them in a little more. Throw in more soil among the rocks to create nooks and crannies to put in rock softening plants - hens & chicks, alpines, etc. With the grey tones in the rock - varieties of dianthus, Russian sage, nepeta, lavender would go nicely. Daylilies, Siberian iris, platycodon/balloon flowers, heuchera, sedum, hostas are perennial favorites that don't require fussing over. And to create the "too few plant" look, buy 3 of everything so you can create groupings with taller, mid-height and low, foliage colors and textures, bloom colors. When I buy something new I move it around in the pot to find the best spot. Nice thing about plants is they can always be moved, added to if you have too few and thinned out if you have too many. I'm primarily a perennial gardener, but I make good use of annuals for continuous color, too. Tuck in some impatiens for shady spots; pansies, statice, snapdragons, zinnias, dahlias for sun...See MoreBefore and After of my 'warzone' backyard
Comments (22)Thanks again for the wonderful compliments. We love it, love it. Sorry about your trees, Daisy - I would contact a person who knows - maybe they can be saved. We had a lot cut out of our yard this year. It broke my heart to see so much of nature go, but it needed to be done as our entire yard was becoming deep shade. It is still shady, but we are definitely getting more light in! Les, I will think about that trellis idea. That would cover the wires, maybe with clematis or something growing up, then there is the hose in the corner. Maybe I just need to get a fancy hanger for it. From the wires over to the right needs a remake. Thanks for the idea....See MoreCan I DIY a makeover of my sloped hillside backyard section
Comments (7)In my experience working with a slope as steep as yours, the key was not removing roots holding the soil, especially all at once. I killed unwanted vegetation by smothering with wet newspaper snd woodchips and planted through it. Woody and vigorous perennials msy need to be extirpated or cut and treated with a drop of glyphosate. My other lesson learned was to plant something in place of every weed pulled - ie, let no hole go unfilled! As for the onion grass, go at them when the ground is moist and soft and very very gently loosen the soil with a fork before pulling out the entire clump of bulbs. Conventional wisdom says plant your large material first (trees then shrubs) but I think in the case of steep slopes the reverse is wiser. Establish your weed proof groundcover first....See MoreColor scheme HELP: Backyard tudor ready to freshen up!
Comments (4)Yes...the deck still has round hole / cover where hot tub used to be. I have purchased treated wood to make the deck "whole" again, covering the spot. I find it hard to believe that one has to go through this process every couple of years, even having sealed it. ...Wonder if there is anything hard-core that will preserve longer. I was told paint is even worse and that Trek comes in last. Thanks for all your input....See More
fnmroberts
last yearAgree with previous poster. A landscape architect will advise correct plantings for your exposure, soil, climate and include ones you wish. You won’t experience the plant loss and delayed maturity due to replacements.
We designed and built our patio but had all of then gardens professionally developed. What you see below represents much of 25 years.
The drone view:
A video of the space:Alex M
last yearAlex M
last year@HU Thank you, I'm agree that listing my yard wants is a great starting point! I did feel better after writing that post.
I'm attaching a picture with the little trees circled.
KW PNW Z8
last yearlast modified: last yearken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last yearmarmiegard_z7b
last yearAlex M
last yearAlex M
last year@Ken_adrian I am near Baltimore, MD. Good idea about the checking the garden forums on perennials, etc. I also like the idea of starting with a small area... Creating a bit at a time. I think it would be good to have a general idea of what the vision is, though, before I start making mistakes haha... Maybe having a landscape designer will help with that vision. I would really like not to have much grass, actually... I find myself drawn to the gardens with stones as a ground cover. Something like this:
Stepping Stone Sideyard · More Info
Courtyard · More Info
Clamshell Alley · More Info
K Laurence