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Landscape Design
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8 Splendid Side Yard Designs
Treat your skinny side yard like the beautiful green corridor it wants to be, with these verdant garden designs as inspiration
Houzz Contributor. Debra Prinzing is a Seattle- and Los Angeles-based outdoor living expert who writes and lectures on gardens and home design. She has a background in textiles, journalism, landscape design and horticulture. A frequent speaker for botanical garden, horticultural society and flower show audiences, Debra is also a regular radio and television guest. Her five books include Garden Writers Association Gold Award-winning Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways (Clarkson-Potter/Random House, 2008) and The Abundant Garden (2005). She is now at work on her new book about seasonal, local and sustainably-grown cut flowers with photographer David Perry. You can read more about it at www.afreshbouquet.com.
Debra is the new contributing garden editor for Better Homes & Gardens and her feature...
Houzz Contributor. Debra Prinzing is a Seattle- and Los Angeles-based outdoor... More »
Welcome to the unsung hero of the domestic landscape: the side yard. Some of us close our eyes while rushing through that narrow space, merely to get from point A (the front yard) to point B (the backyard). It's often a dark, weedy spot squeezed between the garage and the fence. What's there to love?
But for many garden owners, space will always be at a premium. And instead of using the side yard to stash your recycling bin and garbage can out of sight, why not turn that slender location into a lush, quiet garden?
After all, many of us have not just one, but two side yards.
The secret to having a great side yard is to design and accessorize it much like you would decorate the upstairs hallway in your home. Those walls need art! That floor needs a carpet! Maybe there's even a little niche or a transition space that can accommodate a small piece of furniture. There's lots of potential down that long, narrow space. So stop cringing, and reimagine the side yard as a special place you can't wait to navigate.
Here are some ideas to inspire your skinny side garden design.
But for many garden owners, space will always be at a premium. And instead of using the side yard to stash your recycling bin and garbage can out of sight, why not turn that slender location into a lush, quiet garden?
After all, many of us have not just one, but two side yards.
The secret to having a great side yard is to design and accessorize it much like you would decorate the upstairs hallway in your home. Those walls need art! That floor needs a carpet! Maybe there's even a little niche or a transition space that can accommodate a small piece of furniture. There's lots of potential down that long, narrow space. So stop cringing, and reimagine the side yard as a special place you can't wait to navigate.
Here are some ideas to inspire your skinny side garden design.
by Shirley Bovshow
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Masterfully executed by designer Shirley Bovshow, this once-ordinary side yard is now a verdant place where the homeowner can stroll with a morning mug of tea.
What makes this space special: The vine-clad arbor creates a welcoming doorway. The stepping stones are nicely spaced, so people can even walk here in bare feet. The Mediterranean plantings have a unified, green palette to soothe the eyes — and there's even fragrant lavender, to release its scent when ankles brush by.
What makes this space special: The vine-clad arbor creates a welcoming doorway. The stepping stones are nicely spaced, so people can even walk here in bare feet. The Mediterranean plantings have a unified, green palette to soothe the eyes — and there's even fragrant lavender, to release its scent when ankles brush by.
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According to the architect, this sun-dappled side garden was created to complement a new master bedroom addition. Yes, it's a side yard, but this space is also a private garden to be viewed from indoors. The leafy tree canopy adds a sense of intimacy. The curved stone path is edged by soft shade plants and annuals — proving that you really need only a few feet of space to make a garden. And the copper birdbath placed at the foot of a mature shade tree is an inspired addition. Even winged creatures will want to visit this side garden.
Straight, narrow and wedged between a retaining wall and the home, this side yard could easily feel claustrophobic. Instead, it gives the sensation of walking through a quiet, wooded bosk. When you plant trees in side yards, choose dwarf, columnar or slow-growing varieties that will be happy with the confined growing conditions.
In this walkway, a fluffy ground cover knits together the flagstones, and the overall effect suggests a beautifully patterned carpet.
In this walkway, a fluffy ground cover knits together the flagstones, and the overall effect suggests a beautifully patterned carpet.
| Less is more in this utilitarian walk along the outside of a home clad in corrugated metal siding. The path is paved in easy-care decomposed granite, making it easy to navigate. The plantings are elevated to eye level, thanks to the low lumber retaining wall. Bamboo is a good choice because its roots are contained. Plus, it's an easy plant to maintain with hedge clippers. |
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Attractive and permeable, this gorgeous walkway is easily wide enough for two to traverse side by side. I like the care with which this path was designed and installed. It feels special, with the cut-stone edging doubling as a way to contain the planting beds on either side. The stone palette complements the brick house and creates an interesting circuit for anyone walking through this garden. Take note of the copper lighting, strategically placed to make this a safe place for anyone walking here after dark.
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by Haddonstone Ltd
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| Over the top, yes. But that's the fun thing about designing a side garden. You have the element of surprise in your favor. I doubt that many of us would think of placing two huge pedestal urns along a walkway, and then planting them with tropicals and palms that spill over the rim. The treatment works here, allowing the designer to feature plants that would otherwise obstruct the path if used at ground level. Instead, seasonal begonias and compact ground covers decorate the base of each urn. |
Some people hang tapestries on their hallway walls. And some people line their side garden with a textural privacy screen that resembles a fabric tapestry. This narrow side garden has a lot going for it: 1. the gravel walk is contained with a slender metal edging on either side, 2. the bamboo is densely planted, but maintained like a hedge and 3. uplighting, subtle but effective, adds drama after dark.
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| If your narrow side garden is blah, here's a planted wall that will inspire you to rethink that ugly fence or concrete block wall. There are several products, such as Woolly Pockets, available for creating a pocket-style planting system. And once you find the right solution for your vertical space, you can instantly turn ordinary into extraordinary. Lush, tropical plants give this side garden a definite point of view. It's a showstopper! More: Turn a Wider Side Yard Into a Gorgeous Garden Room |
Ideabook updated on July 21, 2012.
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Marie
My own side yard is my most favorite part of my garden. I am honored that I am asked to showcase out garden in local garden shows. This past week was our second time being in the garden show and we had about 300 people coming through. Almost all of them said that our side garden was their favorite part. I wanted to have movement in our garden, so I designed the pavers to micmic a small stream, that you find in so many places in Seattle. I also wanted to work with lots of different greens and textures and somehow it all worked out. This even surprises me, since I am not gardner. Below is a picture and I have also added the link to a blog about the story of our garden. If you like small gardens and spirituals places, you might enjoy reading this blog.
I knew I was in trouble when the article began with... "much like you would decorate the upstairs hallway in your home..."
Mine isn't decorated!
Great ideas above as well.
For more information: http://www.rollingplanters.com
http://www.houzz.com/user/tetonluft
As to permeable pavers, it is my understanding there are different solutions to this. Actual pervious concrete, porous asphalt, pavers with open areas in between as shown in the article, FilterPave, a porous recycled glass which sounds intriguing, and more.
I am a homeonwer with a narrow side yard (15 foot wide at the front and 7 1/2 foot at the back; 120 feet long). I have been looking at online ideabooks, neighbors side yards (Northern California, "East Bay" hills), etc. now for close to a year. Here are my observations:
1) The side yard is the most neglected yard of the suburubs. It simply is not designed by and large.
2) There are 3 dimensions to the design of side yard: length, width and height (in relation to the neighboring property, and in relation to hardscapes/structures like fencing, the houses themselves, etc.).
3) The two (2) most common layouts are: (i) long and narrow; (ii) in blocks. There is a third, occasional layout that I call "meandering."
4) "Long and narrrow" layouts typically follow the wall of a house, terrace or the fence. This may be both lengthwise as well as heightwise, echoing the roof line or the top of the fence, or the terracing etc. When lengthwise, it accentuates the visyual impact of any narrowing or widening of the side yard as the yard receeds from view.
5) "In block" layouts use walls and gates or trees or planters perpendicular to the lengthwise lines to break up the space into distinct zones: utility yard, front-side yard, shade garden, specimen plant care area, etc. It seems to be a deliberate and concrete (pardon the possible pun) attack upon the length in an attempt to reduce the visual impact of the narrowness of the side yard.
6) The third, and much rarer, layout (which both the RDM Architecture photo and the Comment from "Seattle Staged to Sell" accomplish quite well) meanders through the length of the side yard while inviting the eye to be distracted enough to enjoy it the whole way along the "trail." Length receeds as a natural consequence of the landscape, but is still a vital component to it.
I'd like to see more examples of this rare layout in an article on design.
http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Outdoor-Projects/Backyard-Structures/Trellises/build-a-garden-archway/View-All
Tried sending a photo but it didn't take. Sorry.