Large yard landscaping ideas and solution.
hartcm08
4 years ago
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calidesign
4 years agohartcm08
4 years agoRelated Discussions
landscaping large yard
Comments (9)I think the first thing you need to do is ask yourself some questions: How much gardening experience do you have? How much time do you have to put into this project? And...what do you want to achieve with your landscape? We built a new home four years ago and I started with a blank slate. I have gardened for more than twenty years, but I knew that I was simply not up to the task of planning an acre and a third from scratch. The smartest thing we did was hire a professional who came and talked with us at length and then drew up a master plan. He laid out all the beds, driveways, sidewalks, etc. for us. We (I) really enjoy gardening, so we paid his company to install our sod, and we have done all the rest of the installation ourselves, in stages, over the last few years. We're still not done, but that's not the point for us. We enjoy the process. If you don't want to spend every free minute, every week-end, and some vacation time working in your yard, that will tell you something too. I love the design process, so I had my designer draw in borders that I have designed myself over time. But in other areas, he made lots of suggestions for plant material and I am glad I have taken his advice and followed his plan. (That's another thing, if you pay someone for a plan, you should be disciplined enough to follow it. You'll be glad you did.) So...all of this being said, the best advice I can give you is to give plenty of time to the planning process before you ever go to the garden center to buy the first plant. As far as an English garden is concerned, It's pretty much an impossible dream here in the deep south, although, you can have some elements: no delphiniums, but you can have larkspur; no peonies, but you can plant roses....etc. If you don't have a copy of the Southern Living Garden Book, that would be a good investment. The first step to success for gardening in the south is knowing what will and will not grow here. So many people get discouraged and say they have a "brown thumb", when in actuality, the things they are planting can't be grown here successfully by ANYONE. Good Luck!...See MoreSad little pond, fantastic yard-- need ideas for hardscape/landscape
Comments (22)What a beautiful property and so much potential! I'm the last person to give landscaping advice (you'd agree if you saw my yard lol, but it's mostly for lack of funds, not necessarily lack of ideas). That being said, as far as the pond, I personally could take it or leave it. However, if I were to keep it, I would like to put a gorgeous stone patio (rounded, curves, not a square or rectangle) in that area from the house to the pond, encompassing the pond to make it part of the patio. Possibly a low wall around the patio, with pots of annuals trailing down, or gardens around the wall or patio. I envision a seating area next to the pond enjoying the water (maybe putting a little water fall or water feature in it) and a water garden. I'd also put a small tree somewhere near the patio to shade it, but then I love the shade and think a sunny patio is nothing but a seat in hell, lol. I know you have that patio on the other side, but to me that looks more like a place to have morning coffee, not entertain or sit in the evening. Not everyone can have two patios, lol, but if you have the space and the funds, it might be nice. And this is where you could put your pergola (instead of or in addition to a small tree) and lights, and sit in the evening next to the pond. As far as the rest, you have so many choices and I think you need to think about what you want out of the yard. A vegetable garden can be created to be visually lovely but honestly it often ends up looking more utilitarian, so perhaps put that farther from the house and focus on perennial beds closer. On the other hand, having your vegetable garden close to the house is very convenient (says the person who has to walk across half an acre to snip some beans for dinner lol) Do you like formal plantings or more cottagey gardens? Do you want to have some kind of historically accurate garden to go with the house? I would incorporate shrubs and evergreens and berried plants for year-round interest (although of course check for toxicity for your dog - sorry, I don't have a dog so I don't know what is dangerous to them). Natives are, IMO, a bit less work. I would prefer some privacy so I might put some shrubs on the fence line, at least near the house, but be careful about light - you don't want to plant anything that will be too tall and might end up blocking the sun unless you are planning a shade garden. Think about watering too. Again, if you have the funds, now is the time to run piping for extra spigots around the yard, or an irrigation system, etc. I also love the idea of a secret little grotto in that back area with the old dairy walls. Something shady and restful and cool, with a place to sit and relax... nice! One thing of course to keep in mind is your view from the bedroom, if that is important to you. You may want to orient that entire side of the yard to look good from there as well as from the ground. If you put a pergola or small tree in the back there it might block some of the view, or it may add to it. Good luck, and please keep us posted as you go along! It's always so much fun to live vicariously through other people's gardens! I can't wait to see what you do with the property! :) Dee P.S. All that being said, I agree with Theresa24 - wait until next year and watch, watch, watch, and think, think, think. Hard to do but it will likely save you either regret or more work down the road!...See MoreI need landscaping solutions for my narrow, slightly sloped side yard!
Comments (10)I definitely do not want to mess with the grading at all. Not my plan. However, I have such a tiny yard that I’d rather this not look like a complete eye sore. I do use the gate often because the water spigot is on the other side of the gate. That’s why I would like a little path instead of some sorts. Grass clearly is not an option, and I have always envisioned rock, mulch, ground covering with some ferns and hostas....See MoreLandscape ideas for sloping yard.
Comments (12)TJ, Yes we can get water down there while being established. I do think anything we do will require us to remove the grass/weeds along the edge won’t it? I like hydrangea and lilacs. I don’t think a hedge would work because of the slope across the yard but could certainly incorporate them into a grouping. True I don’t want anything to large to impact the view... but we are on a ledge and the “shrub” on the other side is actually a tree. I’m sorry Pictures aren’t giving the best perspective here. Christopher, I can look into that for close along to the road. Im mostly interested though in what to have to give some visual interest from the house. I suppose we could leave natural along the road if we have something to define the edge from the yard....See Morehartcm08
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