What should I do with my (rental home) backyard?

Erin Carlyle

9 years ago

My rental apartment backyard needs beautifying! As you can see, I purchased a (used) outdoor sofa that I plan to make new cushion covers for, and I have potted some small hydrangeas in large pots so that they can grow big and lovely over the years. I also have a few random succulents, a dahlia, a tomato and a geranium on/near the patio section of the yard. Since I'm a renter, I don't want to invest a lot in the property that I won't be able to take with me later -- but I do plan to be here for a few years and want to fully enjoy it. Help!

1) What should I do with the space that is now a combo of gravel and dirt? Plant a ground cover? Fill fully with gravel? Use mulch?

2) What should I put along the perimeter of the yard in addition to the hydrangeas?

3) What should I do with the two bower vines (located near the fence by the sofa)? Plant on a trellis? Put elsewhere in the yard?

Ideas welcome!! Thank you so much.

Featured Answer

Beth H. :

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

what if you bordered off some flower beds along the fence? you could find inexpensive type borders. (bricks, concrete blocks, etc. ) BTW, Craigslist is perfect for cheap items. you might even find scoops of pebble rock for next to nothing.

Ask you landlord if he could give you a few bucks to buy something to use on the fence. maybe some lattice panels or something? tell him you don't want your neighbors spying on you and the fence is falling apart. Maybe he and the neighbor can go in half and replace that fence.

Look for colorful containers for your plants or buy the cheap Clay pots and paint them. (seal them with proper sealer inside and out and use a spray paint. I do this to mine all the time) Brightens up the yard too.

rake up all the rocks and leaves and decide what you want to do. can you place some patio pavers or flagstone and fill in between those w/the pebbles? those pebbles are a nightmare to keep looking clean, so using the pavers gives a visual break.

you could use the bender board border along the edge of the cement to keep the rocks from spilling out. All of this is labor, not expense. you can find a lot of these items on craigslist and garage sales.

come out two feet or so from the fence and dig up the earth and mulch w/planter bed soil/mulch. you could use these scallop edgers as the border or even stack something like the pavers below if you want more of a raised bed.

some other cheap ideas

btw, did you know you can make cool colorful benches from these cinder blocks, some spray paint and some 2x4's??

put one of these over near the back fence, or near the tree, etc. use your imagination and get ideas on Pinterest.

these cost next to nothing to do. (I would have painted the ones below tho!)

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Comments (12)

acm
9 years ago
I would add a table with chairs to the left of the tree and maybe a grill to the right. I would ignore the variation in surfaces. Can't speak to planting because this looks like a pretty different climate...
Erin Carlyle thanked acm
Erin Carlyle
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, acm! This is in the San Francisco Bay Area, so in terms of weather a pretty mild climate.
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miss lindsey (She/Her)
9 years ago
Using just what you have here:

For your container garden, think in terms of layers.
Vegetable Garden in Containers · More Info

If the pots are interesting, so much the better! You can even spray paint the hydrangea pots to look like your metallic of choice.

I would start by moving the climbers over to the part of the fence that is in disrepair, to hide that. Then I would cluster the hydrangeas on each side of the climbers, three on the left and two on the right.

The bench can sit between the two hydrangea groupings with the dahlia on the right side of it and the other potted plant on the ground in front of the bench, on the left.

Put your tomato in a hot sunny spot, hopefully near the door so you can access it easily. In the rectangular box planter, plant herbs that go with tomato: basil, oregano, thyme, etc, and put it near the tomato.

Can you pull the sofa forward to the gravelled area? That would leave a nice walkway from the gate to the door, if there is enough clearance in front of it. The frondy plant next to it looks good with it, so I'd move that with the sofa and get one for the other side, too.
Erin Carlyle thanked miss lindsey (She/Her)
Kicksychick
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Artificial lawn to cover the gravel (cut a large circle around the tree and fill with soil & annuals. Cover the cement with deck tiles. Or cover the entire area with either lawn or tiles. Both can be taken with you if/when you move. Bring your pots together in a grouping rather than sprinkled around the yard.
Modern Brooklyn Garden · More Info

Roof Top Gardens · More Info
Erin Carlyle thanked Kicksychick
apple_pie_order
9 years ago
Ask the landlord to repair the fence's missing boards. Wrap some lights around the tree.
Erin Carlyle thanked apple_pie_order
Erin Carlyle
Original Author
9 years ago
@lindsey, @Barbara, @Beth H., @apple_pie_order, thank you all so much! I love all these great ideas! It's funny; I hardly notice the fence anymore -- but you're right! It needs help.
calidesign
9 years ago
I would add rocks/gravel so you eliminate the dirt. Move the sofa under the tree to the gravel area, so you have useable space on the patio. Plant the vines to cover the worst part of the fence, and use large pots for your other flowers and vegetables, grouped together wherever they get the best sun.
Erin Carlyle thanked calidesign
PRO
Gray & Walter, Ltd.
9 years ago
You have a nice clean slate to work with. I would do a combination of potted plants and ground cover mixed with the gravel. Keep it as low maintenance as you can. Be mindful of your exposure, and the amount of sun you will get/not get. This will determine the plants you can use. Have fun, and have a happy summer!
Erin Carlyle thanked Gray & Walter, Ltd.
Erin Carlyle
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
@calidesign, great ideas. @Gray & Walter, Ltd.--thanks! I pulled out plenty of weeds and scraggly plants myself to clean it up.
tst123456
8 years ago
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Kim's motivate Bible based
6 years ago
Waoo so beautiful I really love the deco and the idea