Big Yard, No Ideas

Cafe Society
1

Nearly two years ago, I moved into a house that I love with a yard that I thought I’d love. It sits on a total of a bit over 1/3 of an acre and in the past year, we’ve taken a good sized piece of the yard and turned it into a veggie garden, with a slight expansion for the coming planting year. On one part of the yard, there are several large & mature trees and we’ve done beds under them that I’ve managed to find an array of shade loving plants who do fairly well. However, we’re still left with a rather large piece of the yard that has beautiful grass and gets sun for about 3/4 of the day (full morning, but mostly shade by evening).

I would love to do something with the area of the lawn, but have no idea where to begin. Right now, it’s just a huge patch of grass that needs to be mowed every week in the summer. Otherwise, we never use it. (It would a perfect place to put a play yard for kids, but I don’t have any little kids.)

How do I go about figuring out what the heck to do with this yard place? I think I’d like to plant a couple of pecan trees, but I don’t want to plop them into the yard nillywilly. Plus, they’ll take several years to mature, and what do I do until then?

Any recommendations for where to begin with this project? Websites, books, personal experiences? I don’t mind putting lots of sweat equity into this, but I don’t have the funds to dump into it. (So, hiring a landscaper, renting a backhoe and all ideas along those lines are out.) While I don’t mind spending time weeding, or mulching, or even digging holes or laying out garden beds, I hate mowing week after week during the summer, especially since it’s pretty much “wasted” space.

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I’m seriously considering turning my whole yard into a Christmas tree farm. I don’t really care about eventually harvesting the trees, I’m just tired of mowing.

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My go-to place for ideas is Sunset magazine. Lots of ideas and their books are excellent. Their focus is Western gardens/living but I think the ideas are usable anywhere.

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:: glances at teeny back yard:: Oh to have such a problem!

Have you thought of making sort of a wild area, which will decrease the mowing problem? You can plant wildflowers and grasses, even establish a little wetland if you’re motivated enough. I don’t have any specific resources in mind at the moment, but that’s what occurs to me after 25+ years of reading Southern Living magazine.

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If climate is appropriate and you like grapes/wine, a small vineyard is a possibility.

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An article about back yard wetlands.

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As a professional Landscape Designer, I applaud your approach of seeking good advice.

I have an extensive library on the topic, but two books stand apart for their clarity and readability. (Both happen to be available on eBay right now). I am confident that anyone that reads them will come away with an understanding of the principles of landscape design, which is where one should start.

Of course, there is more to it, such as knowledge of horticulture, plant material, irrigation, construction and much, much more, but those all come after good design. Many or most may be completely irrelevant to a project, but whatever is, can be acquired and focused when the time comes.
**The Time Life Encyclopedia of Gardening: Landscape Gardening

Readers Digest Practical Guide to Home Landscaping**

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I was thinking about what I like most about my yard and realized it the trees. I love having the huge, leafy shade in the yard where the birds fly about and I can hang my hammock swing and where we can set up the lawn chairs. So, I went to the Arbor Day Foundation website and for a $10membership, I get a membership and 10 free trees. I also ordered two pecan trees as well (much less expensive than the catalogues).

I’ve been considering planting trees in the front yard (not nearly as big as the back, but still roomy enough for two good sized trees), and some along the back, outside of the fence, by the alley. I also have a friend with some property, so if I decide not to plant all 12 trees (holy moley), then I can find someone who will use them.

I also did some website digging and found a couple of places in my area that have free mulch and compost (in the spring/summer)–mainly through the township–so, I’ll investigate that in the spring. There’s a place I know of that’s pretty rural that has “falling rocks” that are perfect for making a low lying flower bed. (Once I get the trees planted, that is.)

Somehow it’s not nearly as intimidating when thinking about paths and beds around trees as it is to start with a blank slate of a yard full of grass.

Keep the ideas coming though. In the mean time, I scouring Craigslist for items of interest and of use.

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Appreciation of shade greatly impacts the evolution of the property and focuses your ultimate plan. After existing conditions and future hardscape, the location of major trees is of prime importance. It’s very easy to overplant trees when they’re small. Some designs will utilize them with future removal already planned upon. With long term plans, it’s almost always advisable to plant the major trees early in the process. For example, if the plan is for ten years, the trees will have had those years of establishment and growth, giving a more mature look and feel upon completion, as opposed to finishing with small, young trees after ten years.

Walks can be a wonderful feature, especially with ample space. They may be properly located and sized by a capable designer – amateur or professional – or paths determined by usage over time. Some college campuses have most successfully used this approach, following the routes the students create.

There is already a vegetable garden area, perhaps that may also include fruit trees, herbs, a cutting garden. There is an area that’s enjoyed for the hammock and for sitting. Perhaps a fire pit? Any outdoor grilling and/or dining? A need for a storage shed? Future pool, pond, water feature?

“It would a perfect place to put a play yard for kids, but I don’t have any little kids.”

Many adults also like to play – Badminton, Croquet, throw a Frisbee or a football. As a designer, I would determine if there are young children, none, older, grown and any future likelihood as well as long term ownership prospects and resale considerations, if any. Because it frees up time for other chores and the plants are more likely to thrive, I always start with the premise of low maintenance, even for a homeowner that enjoys working out in the garden. Water use is also a big consideration, especially so in certain areas.

Creating at least a very basic sketch, showing boundaries, structures, drives, trees and/or their canopy, vegetable garden, sitting area etc. should be considered. On this, just draw the rough shape of an area to use for whatever, patio, play, utility. That’s called a bubble plan and is usually the first step after the base plan leading to refinements of the ultimate design. It may be all you need to get going in the right direction or an excellent step in the process of a more ambitious graphic representation.

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This, and a bocce court.

It would be helpful, though, if the OP told us where he/she lives.

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Fruit trees. And remember various varieties of each one can be surprisingly different. And for some you’ll get fruit after only a year or two and it will only get better from there.

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I live in Zone 6/7 (right on the cusp).

I do have a seperate (raised) herb bed and a (raised) bed for lettuce, plus a seperate garden bed. There are also two sheds on the property (one of which is my garden shed), plus a 2 car garage and a compost bin area (which I’m planning on expanding this summer). The entire yard is fenced with chain link, which I’d love to hide with as much greenery as possible. Last year, I edged one part with liliac bushes, but they’re only about 3 feet tall so far. I’m crossing my finger that they’ll shoot up this year, since last year I figured they were getting established.

I’d love to do a fire pit, but unfortunately, codes in my borough (town) prohibit burning (and I would imagine fire pits as well). I’d also love to do a water feature, but that’s way down the line, as it would include more money than I have to spend, including running electricity, etc. (also which I’m not yet prepared to do). My one wish was to get a couple of chickens, but I didn’t discover the borough prohibits them, TOO, until after I’d moved in. If I can get enough of the yard established, maybe I can get a couple without my neighbors becoming too suspicious.

I’ve thought of doing fruit trees, but all I can think of is growing up and my grandmother had fruit trees…and wasps and lots of fallen, rotting fruit all over the place. A part of me would rather just buy some apples instead of planting a tree. Last year (the first year we really had to plant things and do work in the yard), I planted blackberry and blueberry bushes, plus a couple of raspberry bushes. I’m hoping this year they’ll be mature enough to produce, as I could eat all them until I turn blue. (Plus, those I could easily can.) This is one of the reasons I’ll be planting the pecan trees–I could easily see myself with pounds of pecans.

I like the idea of doing a sketch of the area though, MacCat, although my idea of “playing” is sitting under a shade tree with a good book. :smiley: Or, digging in the dirt, of course.

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How about putting in a fire pit? Then you could lay pavers around it or even use gravel etc. Set some lounge chairs around; would be nice.

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I’ve got a big yard, and also have no ideas. We’re on 3 acres, most of it wooded. There are lots of dead shrubs and trees, areas that are almost always shaded, areas that are full sun, but lousy soil, areas that are overgrown and need to be thinned or emptied. Honest-to-goodness, I have no idea where to start. I can’t visualize a landscaped yard.

So, how do I find a landscape pro to give me guidance? I can’t afford to *have *a lot done, but I can do a lot myself and I have no problem paying someone to take me by the hand and point me in a direction. What should I expect to pay for a consultation? What should I expect from a consultant? What’s the best, lowest maintenance answer for a yard out of control?? Even I can’t persuade anyone that my yard is a nature preserve… :wink:

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Do they prohibit burning anything, or just prohibit burning leaves and brush? we’re not allowed to burn leaves and brush, or to burn on the ground, but firebowls are legal. You could put in a round patio designed to have firebowl in the center.

(The second one looks like what we have. I like the petroglyphs on one in the first link.)

ETA: Ooh, and replace the firebowl with a round wading pool to cool your feet in during the summer!

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We actually have a firebowl (almost identical to this one)–it was given to us as a gift–but we’ve never used it. The folks next door (renters who are never home–in the nearly two years we’ve lived here, I’ve seen them maybe twice) have a firebowl in their back yard, but I’ve never seen them use it. It may be worth it to check it out and see if I can’t get greater detail from the Borough office.

Well, their website says: Burning – Burning is not allowed in the Borough. Due the number of complaints and health concerns, the Council felt it necessary to prohibit burning.

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Hey, me too!

Lilacs really like sun for flowers and they tend to get Powdery Mildew in heavy shade. Factor in shade tolerance when selecting screening material. Many Viburnums, Holly, Pieris, Mountain & Cherry Laurel et al.

If you do create a plan, put it in a place you like and if it ever becomes reality, at least you know where it’s going and things you’ve done to that point are all considering it.

Birds have an uncanny ability to get Blueberries the day before you do. If you do have a crop coming on, you might want to have a net ready to put over them as they ripen. I always used my coffee grounds around them and they seemed to love it.

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You’re not in Southern PA, are you MacCat? You could come take a look at my yard and give me some feedback.

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If you can afford concrete and some wood for forms you could go for a ruins look of concrete sculpture, embed some glass and stones, pour them where you can just lift them to standing with a rope. Fantasteek =)

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I’m on Long Island, but if I am anywhere near you in my travels, I would be most happy to.