Landscape Help!

9 years ago

We moved into our home a few years ago and the yard was extremely overgrown. My husband spent a couple of summers tearing out overgrown areas and last fall we installed a fence along the east side of our yard where a split rail fence overwhelmed by many years of Virginia Creeper had previously been. There is an old concrete edging and inside the "bed" is several layers of landscaping rock. it is so windy here most people use rock as mulch since wood mulch tends to blow away.

What can I do here? I would like this area to become something pretty but the existing concrete and rock landscape is intimidating to me. I envision several lavender plants or something similar along here but am not sure how to deal with all this rock. I would consider building a raised bed over this and there is enough room that I this that could be done. Any ideas for design or how to deal with the existing concrete edge and landscape rock is greatly appreciated.

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PRO

Yardvaark

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Look at your 2nd-to-last picture to notice that you don't want shrubs or trees planted this close to a wall ... so that they grow outward as if desperately trying to escape, but on account of a house sitting on their tail, can't. It is a basic rule of landscape that you create beds that are large/deep enough to accommodate the intended plants. This is probably in the 4' to 6', minimum, range, depending on what's going to go in them. The same principle applies to planting next to a fence, too, because generically, it's a "wall." If you wish to stick with the existing concrete border, all you have room for is some groundcover, possibly a perennial or some annuals. It's even tight for most of those things but it could be done.

If you wanted to do something simple that would be more interesting, you could plant an array of upright flowering shrubs that you'd make into small, multi-trunk trees. This would extend your privacy and help to screen the view of the roofs across the street. Below them, plant a groundcover tall enough to hide bottom of fence. Since to do this you'd need to add depth to the bed, I'd just ignore the concrete border and just let the groundcover hide it. (If it was pieces you could move, but if a poured-in-place deal, probably not re-usable.)

I would pave below the swing.

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Comments (7)

PRO
Yardvaark
9 years ago
Other than being able to tell you a pretty thing you could place in the spot, the picture doesn't tell much about the space. You need to show the YARD, while including this area. I would suggest you stand on the opposite side of the yard, facing back toward the fence, and then take a series of contiguous pictures that show the scene from far left to far right, overlapping them slightly. (The camera must remain at a single location for all pictures. If it's moved, the pictures cannot be reassembled.)

Likely, the "concrete" is just pieces 16" long. The rocks look like surface mulch. These things could be ignored or removed, or reused if there's a sensible way to do it.
Nikki Rich
Original Author
9 years ago

Here are photos showing the area from left to right. This area is along the east side of the house so I am standing along the house to take these photos. I hope they show what you are looking for. To see other areas of the yard here is the north view near this area (far left)

And the south view (far right)

This is about a third of our total back yard so it is a pretty big space. The east fence line is about 63' long.

The concrete border is continuous, neighbors told us it was hand poured by the original owner in the 70's or 80's. I would not be opposed to using it as this is throughout our yard not just in this spot. I dug out a little bit or the border today and I think it could work

I appreciate any suggestions or input. Our whole yard needs revitalization and I am choosing to start here this year.

On another subject I do plan to stain the fence prior to planting. Can't plant until end of May here but I am hoping to get everything prepared ahead of time in terms of fence and planting bed.

Thank you!
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emmarene9
9 years ago
I notice in your photos that the area right in front of the new fence is shaded. Lavender would not bloom well in the shade. Does it get more sun through the day?
Nikki Rich thanked emmarene9
Nikki Rich
Original Author
9 years ago
Yardvaark thank you so much for your suggestions. We had not thought of putting in taller flowering shrubs or trees but I like the idea! I also think putting pacers below the swing is a good idea too. And groundcover is a must since I don't want more stone mulch! Thank you!
Nikki Rich
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you emmarene and yes, this area gets a lot of sun. This photo was taken before noon and the rest of the day it gets full sun which can be pretty brutal here in Montana in the summer. I thought of lavender because I see a lot of neighbors with it and it seems to thrive here while being low maintenance. I would estimate at least 7-8 hours of full sun.
Nikki Rich
Original Author
9 years ago
By the way the plants along the side of the house are raspberry bushes which were there when we moved in and which we really like since we get many more raspberries than we could possibly eat. Although I agree they were not planted thoughtfully.