Advice needed with yard border and trees

17 years ago

In our backyard we have 4 large trees planted in the back. Our house is east facing so the trees provide some well needed shade during the evening hours. This year we are planning a sprinkler system and some cement curbing to edge the planters we have in our yard. On the edge of the yard behind the 4 trees there is a small border (about 2 feet) edging the yard against the fence. There are some shurbs planted in the border. Around each of the trees there is a circle of mulch that my husband added a couple years ago after we moved in to make them look nicer and mowing easier. Here are some pictures (ignore the weeds please):

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But now as we face doing a sprinkler system and cement curbing we're not sure what to do with this border. The circle of mulch that goes around the trees makes a triangle shaped corner against the border- shown in this picture:

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and it makes mowing difficult so we're don't think we want to keep it the same. But if we bring the border out to the edge of the trees (making it about a 5-6 foot border) then it's huge and I'm not sure I want to plant more plants and have the upkeep that comes with that (weeds and such). So what should we do? I know some posters to this board aren't fond of cement curbing but here in Utah everyone has it and we have it in other parts of our yard and plan to do it. We're just not sure what to do with this border to make it look nice and make mowing easier. I would appreciate any help anyone can give us. Thanks!

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Comments (4)

Embothrium
17 years ago
There is not enough room for both of these large-growing kind of tree - looks like some kind of big maple like silver maple - to reach full development on your site. Keep the bigger, more successful one and remove the smaller one. Also get the section of drainage pipe off of the trunk of the one kept.

The bed can either then be brought out around the remaining tree in an informal curve or the grass can be brought up to near the base of it.

If set on keeping both trees then eliminate the grass between them, extending the bed out to the front of them. In time they will shade out the other plants now in the bed, which will have to be replaced with shade tolerant kinds.

In all situations not featuring a dominating house or other building with a geometrically symmetric facade that needs to be integrated with a surrounding rural scene by planting a formal garden in front of it the successful approach is to use informal balance. With this approach groupings of plants in front of rectilinear objects (like your fence) are balanced by making the total sizes of the groupings similar, rather than planting matched pairs of individual specimens. For instance a large shrub on the right balanced by a small shrub and a medium shrub on the left - each of a different kind.

Most modern residential settings call for informal balance, the houses built not having symmetric facades. The neighbor's house beyond your planting shows the asymmetry of design common now.
ahaynie
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for your comments bboy but there are actually 4 trees. I just can't get them all in the picture.
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Embothrium
17 years ago
Yes: I saw later you said four - and there are two different views.

Are these silver maples? Where successful these grow about 6' in diameter with average crown spreads of as much as 100'.

Then they break up.
holleygarden Zone 8, East Texas
17 years ago
It would be very difficult to curve around four trees. I think I would incorporate the trees into the planting bed, then put pavers between tree #1 & 2, and again between #3 & 4 and place benches there. Between trees # 2 & 3, and from the fence to tree #1 and tree # 4, I would plant some easy shrubs. This would keep the symmetry you have going now, if that is the look you like. This may give you more maintenance and garden space than you want, but I would also put some evergreen shrubs on the fence line and they would just need a little trimming a couple of times a year. Good luck in whatever you decide!