Show me your landscaping... please?

[butterfly 17]

I need landscaping ideas. My backyard is completely empty. No trees, shrubs, nothing, even my grass is dying.
I need to get ideas on what to put in the backyard. It is already fenced in and about 45 x75 feet. I want to line around the fence and do a bit more around the back fence, but I am at a loss for what to put.

I contacted a two garden/landscaping centers and they wanted to charge me a lot to put in some shrubs and some non-leaf trees. When I did the math, it would cost me so much less to just buy the stuff myself and have my lawn guy install them. They wanted to charge me half the cost to plant the trees, so if the tree was $100, it would cost me $50 to have them plant it with a one year guarantee.

I always imagine a backyard with lots of tropical trees and plants,but I am afraid to buy something and regret it.

So, please give me some ideas and advice. Thanks.

 

[eks6426]

If you are wanting to do something with your back yard but don''t know what, I would consider highering a landscape architect to design your back yard for you. This person would create a master plan for you that includes hardscaping like patio areas, trees, shrubs, flowers plus extras like perhaps a water feature & lighting. Sometimes you can find a talented landscape designer that will do this for little cost. Either way, I''d spend some money on getting a good plan. Then you can just work the plan...perhaps this year do the hardscaping...patio, paths etc. Then next year, plant a few trees. The landscape architect/designer should be able to break down the plan into increments by year.

I''m assuming from your comment on "tropical" plants that you are in a warm climate so I can''t help you much since I live in a cooler climate. I''m not a landscape designer, but I would like to be. I do a lot of my friends & relatives yards. My back yard was a similar size to yours and this is what I did with it...It all started with a metal gazebo that I bought years ago. If you post some pictures and give more details I''ll be glad to offer suggestions.

 

[butterfly 17]

Thanks IslandDreams!!! I really love what you did with your backyard. I live in NY, so the weather here is very cold in the winter and fall, so I need something hardy that can withstand the snow and ice.

Here is what the backyard looked like when we first moved in. As you can see, it''s basically a rectangular piece of grass.

We have since added a pool and pavers and a swing set. My husband''s idea, not mine. I really kind of miss the grass, but I also like that we have a place to sit and hang out without getting grass stains and muddy feet.

From the back of the pool, where the pavers end, there is only about 20 feet left for landscaping and about 3 feet on each side. My husband hates grass so he really wanted to pave out the whole thing, which was a huge argument between us.

 

[butterfly 17]

I will have to take pictures later of how the backyard looks now. I just got back from work, but I will definitely post them later. Thanks again!

 

[ang3199]

What a fun project! When we moved into our house last November it was so bare. All boring and bare. Grass was not even or anything. One of our friends is a horticulteralist (I think that''s what it''s called). I just call him our flower friend. Anyway, he helped us create something that would require minimal upkeep and still be pretty. I just wanted pretty!

The pictures that I have are all from when we first put the flowers and greens in so they aren''t that big and beautiful like they were this summer!

The first pic is ''my space'' as FI calls it. All of the flowers were annuals so I could change it up each year.

 

[ang3199]

Here is in our front yard. The gazebo thing was left by the previous owners. I also planted lavender to keep the deer out.

 

[golden]

Here is a great site--- www.ratemyspace.hgtv.com

 

[Miranda]

Have you thought of having a landscape company or landscape designer draw some plans for you. We recently finished our yard and we started with a designer. It makes a huge difference when you work with someone whose job is to design yards. I''m with you butterfly, I like grass. I was constantly telling the designer, "Less planter. More grass." Not that we have much in our tiny yard!

 

[eks6426]

You have a great starting point for a back yard...very tidy and nice & uniform. Looking forward to seeing some pictures on how it is now.

The trick with using grass well is positioning as an accent. A nice sea of green grass will offset your plantings. Grass makes lousy paths (like on the side of your pool) but I''m guessing would be lovely in the 20'' you have between the fence & the pool. Post some pics & I''ll make you some suggestions.

 

[Linda W]

IslandDreams, I love your backyard. It is so inviting looking. Could just picture sitting there in summer, drinking Iced Tea. Flowers are beautiful.

Linda

 

[butterfly 17]

Okay, here is a picture of the backyard now. The grass is almost completely gone now and what little is left is mixed up with dirt and gravel from the pavers.

 

[butterfly 17]

Here is the side, we had the pool put in more on the left side so we could put a table, chairs and possibly one of those tent things with pretty curtains.

I made them put a curve in the middle of the pavers so that I could plant a japanese maple there. I already have the tree, but the work was taking so long, we could not plant it this summer.

 

[butterfly 17]

Here is one more angle. Taken from the same side as the first picture that I posted.

 

[butterfly 17]

Date: 1/24/2008 10:17:29 AM
Author: ang3199
What a fun project! When we moved into our house last November it was so bare. All boring and bare. Grass was not even or anything. One of our friends is a horticulteralist (I think that''s what it''s called). I just call him our flower friend. Anyway, he helped us create something that would require minimal upkeep and still be pretty. I just wanted pretty!

The pictures that I have are all from when we first put the flowers and greens in so they aren''t that big and beautiful like they were this summer!

The first pic is ''my space'' as FI calls it. All of the flowers were annuals so I could change it up each year.

I really like what you did. This is something like I would like to do with the sides and back part.

 

[butterfly 17]

Date: 1/24/2008 11:57:22 PM
Author: Miranda
Have you thought of having a landscape company or landscape designer draw some plans for you. We recently finished our yard and we started with a designer. It makes a huge difference when you work with someone whose job is to design yards. I'm with you butterfly, I like grass. I was constantly telling the designer, 'Less planter. More grass.' Not that we have much in our tiny yard!

I did contact a landscape designer and he wanted to charge me $12K and when I asked him how much the actual plants would cost, he said somewhere from $35 up to $450 depending on what I chose.

I thought that was too much money for what he was suggesting, because when I priced the same stuff myself, the same plants were something like $30 to $150 and he was being very sparse with the plants, like wanting to place them 3 feet apart.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Butterfly - What sorts of plants are native to NY? A great place to start in your design is first making a list of native plants you love and see which plants would look good when planted next to each other.

My yard was designed by the previous owner of my house and it was designed as an arboretum. Everything planted easily thrives in the North West (lots of Japanese Maples, Rhodies &, Blueberries) and all love the same acidic soil, which makes feeding them a lot easier. I too would love tropical plants, but I''m pretty sure they''d die if I tried planting them outside here in Seattle (lol!), so I have a few indoor tropical plants to enjoy.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I agree potted plants would soften it up a bit. Since you don''t have much room to work with I wouldn''t hire anyone either to plan it.

 

[debhew]

My backyard is very simliar to yours in both size and the way the pool and decking takes up almost all of the backyard except for a small patch of grass for the kids. I live in So Calif. and also desired the tropical look. The pictures aren''t great as it''s a terribly rainy day here in CA and the plants are nowhere near as full in the winter as in other seasons but I''ll post them anyway so you can get an idea what I did. It will always be a work in progress for me as it never seems to get lush enough for my taste - hopefully one day- LOL. I made a point of making sure there was a planter all the way around the fence as one of the most important things for me was that vines and plants could cover the fence. Good luck with your landscaping and just know that its something that can be added to and changed over time unlike the hardscape of which you did a beautiful job with

.

 

[debhew]

Another...

 

[butterfly 17]

Date: 1/27/2008 2:57:13 PM
Author: debhew
My backyard is very simliar to yours in both size and the way the pool and decking takes up almost all of the backyard except for a small patch of grass for the kids. I live in So Calif. and also desired the tropical look. The pictures aren''t great as it''s a terribly rainy day here in CA and the plants are nowhere near as full in the winter as in other seasons but I''ll post them anyway so you can get an idea what I did. It will always be a work in progress for me as it never seems to get lush enough for my taste - hopefully one day- LOL. I made a point of making sure there was a planter all the way around the fence as one of the most important things for me was that vines and plants could cover the fence. Good luck with your landscaping and just know that its something that can be added to and changed over time unlike the hardscape of which you did a beautiful job with

.

Oh, I really love the way your backyard looks!! I wish I had left more grass, but my husband didn''t want it and he even wanted to do the pavers all the way out to the fence!

I want my backyard to look similar to yours! I love it!

 

[butterfly 17]

BTW, what is hardscaping and landscaping.

 

[debhew]

The hardscaping is the pavers or in my case, colored concrete.

 

[Rosebud8506]

I looooooooovve the look of the tropical plants! I wish I could pull that off here in freezing cold Michigan

 

[eks6426]

Butterfly--I''m glad you posted some pictures. Your backyard with the pool & pavers is very nice. I''m thrilled to see that it''s got some curved edges and isn''t just a rectangular box. Leaving the little bump out for your japanese maple is a great idea and will add some character.

What I think you need is height to draw the eye away from the pavers & pool. Perhaps a cluster of small-medium sized flowering trees in the back left corner and maybe a shade tree near the children''s playset. It''s hard to tell from the pictures but you might have enough room for some grass at the end of the pavers. How many feet from the end of the pavers to the fence? Can you get any shots that show the yard as a whole--maybe from a 2nd story window?

Where are you in New York (so I can get your zone)?

 

[Rosebud8506]

I''m bumping this one. I want to see more pics of landscape ideas!! Spring is on the horizon, and I want to get an idea for my house. We have a smaller space to work with, but I like looking at everyone''s pics!!

 

[butterfly 17]

Thanks for bumping this up! Sorry I didn't respond since I did start this thread.

I got caught up in some personal matter the same time that ID made her last post, found out I was pregnant on the 26th and then was told that I would miscarry on the 29th, so I just let this thread go because I had other things on my mind.

I didn't want people who had read my post about the miscarriage to read this and wonder why I wasn't in mourning and thinking about landscaping instead. Then when I thought about bumping this thread, I felt bad that so much time had elapsed, so I didn't bother to.

Anyhoo, it's obvious I have issues.

IslandDreams, I still want to post more pictures, but I have a problem with my camera. The baby got hold of it and messed it up and the weather is not so great here, there is snow on the ground right now, so once it gets a little better, I will start posting. But thanks so much for your help.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Butterfly - Sorry to read about your news. Hugs to you!!!

 

[eks6426]

butterfly...so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. I''m ready to help when you''re ready to think about landscaping again. Hugs to you.

 

[butterfly 17]

MC and IslandDreams, It''s okay. I went and got a second opinion later, when the miscarriage didn''t happen and the second doctor did another sonogram and it showed the baby with a heartbeat!! I am still having some spotting, but this doctor told me it''s normal for this to happen sometimes, but I have been going every week for a sonogram just to make sure.

So, thanks, but so far, it seems like everything is fine!! Thank goodness!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Butterfly that is *great* news! I''m sending sticky vibes your way!