This is the current state of the yard....view from the left side

This post was edited by prwin on Fri, Mar 8, 13 at 13:36

We also have an extension of the yard on the side of the building shown in the picture below. I want to have a separate lawn on this side. Are the hedges needed or should I remove the hedges all together?

This post was edited by prwin on Fri, Mar 8, 13 at 13:46

What needs to be done to get a response in this forum

It would help greatly if you posted better pictures. Looking at the first picture, I have no idea how one enters this house. The second picture is too close up; the house is not visible so it can't be determined how plantings relate to it. 3rd picture is too small and too close up. The house cannot be seen. 4th picture too close up. I can see how the hedge relates to a wall, but not how that wall relates to the house. Well composed, larger pictures are the only way we would be able to understand your yard.

How is it that the view of your house is smothered in tree foliage, but your neighbor's is not? Presumably, they would have the same landscape requirements as applies to you.

I am not against "lawns" or turf but when they are very small, their maintenance can be inefficient relative to some sort of groundcover. If groundcovers are low height and durable enough, they can work well as lawn substitutes. Are you open to that or are you insisting on turf only? If so, why?

I don't understand the logic behind having vines on the (shorter) picket fence--for privacy--when it looks like you have a taller privacy fence behind it, and would likely never use this yard for anything other than viewing. How the taller privacy fence relates to the house is not explained. In the pictures, it looks like there's only an 18" space separating them, though I'm sure that's not really the case.

Making your project well understood will help you get help.

Prwin, those pictures are confusing to me. Maybe a picture from across the street would give a more complete view of the area around your home. I also have some questions.

I'm wondering why there are two different fences within that relatively small side garden and why the taller fence is so close to the house? Is this taller fence required or part of the design of your building? To me, one taller fence nearer to the street would provide more privacy and a sense of "garden" than the two fences, but maybe there are restrictions against this. I'm also wondering how you get into this side garden. That's not clear from the photos.

It appears that there are three trees in this area. If you can't prune up these trees, again because of restrictions, you might be better off creating a shade garden in there rather than aiming for grass.

I noticed that there are cars parked beyond the row of hedges in your second photo. Is that your parking area? If you remove these hedges, your yard may have less privacy.

The third photo (smaller) shows that the fenced-in sidewalk leads to your front door. Is this sidewalk also used by your neighbors to get to their doors?

Molie

This post was edited by molie on Tue, Mar 12, 13 at 13:59

I'm not making any assumptions, but my first house was a townhouse back East. There were access streets on the perimeters and access roads here and there to get to where you parked your car- the houses were sort of warren-like with sidewalks so people could get to their houses.

Hard to describe - you'd almost need an aerial view. I understand the privacy fence shielding a patio off sliding glass doors, etc., but all the other fencing is a mystery. Does the front fencing keep your particular house entrance private from others walking to their entrances?

Vines aren't going to do anything for you on short fences. The extant hedging on the left side will shield the cars as well as anything - let it grow up a bit and keep it clipped higher. Another foot of top growth will pretty well hide the cars.

Beyond that, the only lesson I learned from landscaping small spaces is that stuff grows; stuff grows out of small spaces. Pick and choose wisely.

Thanks for your responses. I will try to answer your questions to the best of my ability. These are the best pictures we could get, but we will try to get some taken from across the street.

Most of the fencing is HOA requirement. The taller privacy fence is for a really narrow patio and the picket fence is for demarcating the public street from my property. So the garden is essentially my property. Also the side strip of land with the picket fence is my property. It is right next to my main entrance. (My entrance does not face the street). There are 4 houses in that line, mine being the first one in that line and we all use the same pathway to access our front doors. The picket fencing separates my property from the common pathway. There is opening next to my entrance to enter the picket fenced area....and it continues to the larger yard in the front.

The high fence also has a door in the middle through which I can enter the front yard directly ( I recently made this HOA approved change to my high fence and is not clear in the pictures above).

I would have loved to move the high fence upto the front and have a private yard, but it is not allowed. That is why I want to put vines or slightly high hedges along the picket fence to create some kind of feeling of a private yard. The cars are guest parking for the community on the side of my building opposite to the main entrance. (the picture is taken from the common pathway leading to my main entrance).

All I am allowed to have there is a lawn with some area for flowering plants. The reason is that the HOA maintains the yard for everybody and they will only maintain something that is easy and same for everyone (essentially occasional pruning, mowing, and blowing dry leaves).

I hope I have answered your questions. I am also uploading some more pics, just in case they help.

The best aerial view of my property that I could find

How do you intend to use the small lawn space between the picket and privacy fence?

want to see pics like these:

I'm somewhat familiar with this type of condo set up. It's kind of unfortunate that they give you such small personal space by placing the high fence so close to your house and then sanctioned off the front yard . but it is what it is unless you can capture some of that front garden space by moving the solid fence .

If it is a lawn you are looking for I might suggest you look into a California native tall fescue. It requires a lot less water and it does not require mowing on a weekly basis. It grows tall and then flops over, making it look like a meadow. You can buy it in sod form from Delta Blue Grass and they will deliver and install for you.

As far as vines go on the front picket fence, you won't really achieve much privacy . It will be more of a scrim than a screen.
If you want privacy a tall hedge or a tall border of mixed shrubs is your best bet.
If you just want the fence clothed in a vine then there are dozens to choose from depending on your sun exposure , water requirements, low winter temps, and amount of labor that you want to expend.

As far as low growing plants infront of the tall fence , once again the site specifications are needed.
- sun - water- winter lows- amount of maintenance -

The landscape that you have now is extremely low in maintenance and low in water use. The hedge, Rhaphiolepsis and the spikey plant, Dietes , are two of the most reliably low maintenance plants for commercial and residential use, that is why you see them so much .

You're in the bay area so you won't have any trouble staying green year 'round. I'm not entirely sure of what you have where, but can you plant more trees? Like dwarf weeping cherries or something like that in place of the hedge? You can call them shrubs if the HOA asks.

Do you think you can do a pergola or an arbor?