need ideas for a 40'X30' backyard

19 years ago

Two and a half years ago, I bought a Queen Anne Victorian house in an urban neighborhood. It's not as ornate as some QAs, and it has some arts and crafts influences. The backyard is small, although not as small as many urban spaces. It's about 40' wide and 30' long. I put in some beds over the past two years, including digging out a cement parking pad that was just below the surface of about 20% of the lawn. I immediately put in some beds so that I could propagate plants that I moved from my old garden and so that I could buy some pricier plants to propagate. I planted them in lazagna beds made with leaf mold and horse poo/sawdust. They have grown quite rapidly. I want to use these plants as the basis for my new garden.

This summer will be the year of the backyard. I am looking for good ideas as I develop the design for the backyard. The yard is on the west side of the house and gets afternoon sun. As I look out my back door, I see my neighbor's tall privacy fence on the right, a garage in the back nearly runs the length of the back (32' of 40'), and my picket fence on the left. On the other side of the fence is an alley. I can see my neighbor's privacy fence on the other side of the alley, but she has nice plantings in front of and climbing the fence. I have most of the common perennials for zone 5/6 (monarda, climbing roses, coneflower, rudbeckia hirta, lamb's ear, daylilies, phlox, coreopsis, yarrow, balloon flower, daisies, etc).

I'm going to have to do some major renovation of the yard. The previous owners put in a patio, but they dug down too much and didn't put in any gravel for drainage, so my patio floods during heavy rains and has standing water for several hours. I'm going to have to regrade that part of the yard. The lawn is also almost all weeds. I will kill the lawn and reseed. I like to have a little lawn because I have dogs and they need a place to do their business.

Since I am going to have to redo so much of the yard, I am willing to really rethink what I have. I would love any ideas that you might be willing to share. I would especially like to see picture of what you or your friends have done in your own small backyards. I teach, so I have summers more or less free, so I can take on some big projects if I am inspired.

Thanks for your ideas!!!

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Comments (3)

katielovesdogs
Original Author
19 years ago
Here are some pictures of the backyard. On the patio shot, you can see what it looks like now without all the plants. On the alley shot, I have put in some beds, but I want to redo them any way.

I need ideas especially for foundation plantings and hardscape.
emagineer
19 years ago
Where are you in CO? I can hardly wait for spring in my Springs neigborhood as the place comes to life with so many flowering trees. It too is an older area.

Am working on my backyard also, about twice your size but in the same situation. It is a tradgedy from lack of care by previous owners, but did come back to life a bit last summer...with a bunch of continuous attention. At one time it must have been a beautiful yard as there were remants of a rock garden and many roses still attempting to live. I have huge trees at the far back and both sides of the yard are flanked with old lilacs which completely hide the fencing. The rest of the yard is open with old lawn and nothing else. Was able to plant a couple of small trees for future shade closer to the house, but with this winter cold they may not have made it.

After considering some ideas (and I can't afford a landscaper), I've decided that hardscape is the answer to beginning again in this yard. The area most needed is coming out of the back door onto a 12 X 20 concrete patio. It feels barren, am building a 4' fence around it, about 2' beyond the pad so I can add plants/bushes/vines between the patio and fence. Would love a pergola over the patio but costs seem to have gone through the roof, so the fence came to mind to soften the patio and I'll just keep using umbrellas.

Another addition is a potting shed with porch. A new roof went on last summer, saved all the wood shingles to use on the shed.

I also have 2 big dogs and they love their yard. It is difficult to plan a garden with tender plantings which is why I've decided hardscape first, then start adding the plantings nearby where they can be safe from paw paths.

So....I didn't add anything to help you. But my first thought would be trees, get a start on them, at least 3 in various locations and near the patio for shade. Is the patio flagstone? It could be taken out and reused in the same location on a new base. Some large bushes by the alley fence and garage. Hardscape wise, I love sheds...they can be tiny and still give some cottage feeling. I actually saw a victorian shed built in a front yard, it was charming.

Hopefully some others will respond who have more knowledge of cottage gardens....at this point with mine it feels like it will take forever to get where theirs are.
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stacy_nm
19 years ago
I've been reading/drooling over a book by Roy Strong called "Creating Small Gardens" that features some gorgeous gardens. Most of them have some unifying theme or sense of focus--here are the ones I can remember offhand:
* traditional cottage garden
* limited color palette--e.g., various shades of pink/yellow/white
* all green garden
* natural garden
* emphasis on single kind of plant (e.g., grasses)
* seclusion/private nooks
I'm working on a garden plan now myself, and I do find that focusing on a particular ambiance is helping me make choices about bed shapes and locations, tree choices, etc. (Which doesn't mean that they will turn out well, of course, but it's a start.) :)

What kind of vision do you have for the yard? What windows overlook it, and what kinds of views do you want to see from them? What kinds of focal points do you want to create?

Hope these questions are helpful!