With my front, side and backyard needing totally redone after the flooding to the property I have been taking stock of what works in the yard, what needs to be removed and how to set up the yard to be flood proof or at least to drain water as quickly as possible.
photo credit: dichohecho

I have also been looking at shrubs and trees to get a good deal but also pick plants that will work in certain areas. My main concerns in selecting shrubs were the height they would grow and their hardiness.

In the front of the yard I will have a raised planted area that will protect the yard from run off rain. Right now it’s a pile of rocks and looks pretty homely.

I decided this area needed native plants that will handle drought and rough winds. I am also selecting plants that will need less care so I don’t need to work with the plantings as much. This area will also have a heavy covering of mulch to keep weeds down and retain moisture in the soil.

So my selections for this area are daisies, Black-eyed Susans, lilies, perennial herbs and several other low plants and ground covers. For shrubs I will have groupings of juniper, one flowering shrub and a several lower growing shrubs. No shrub will grow to over seven foot.
photo credit: danielfoster437

The area will take about two weeks to set up.

To get started I need to pull out the flat rock and set it aside for the flat rock patio I am creating. I need to enrich the soil and check the nutrients to make sure the shrubs I have selected will grow well. I will check online and at my local nursery for this information.

I was lucky yesterday and found some shrubs on sale for an extremely low price of $2. I asked why and they told me they just don’t want to over-winter the shrubs. I came home and checked the shrub varieties online to see if any would work in the yard.

The shrubs are 3 to 4 foot high and in pretty good shape. I chose four different varieties. And today they were $1. Actually about 75 cents – the owner told me to put a few more in the car.

I am most pleased with the “Gold Cone” Juniper. It will give height to the shrub groupings I have selected and add color all season long. By selecting shrubs with flowers or variegated leaves and a variety of perennials that flower for three season I will have an attractive garden area all year long and one that will handle sun, wind and act as a flood barrier.

I can also buy perennials at a nearby business for $2 a shovel scoop. I can break each scoop down into 4 or 5 plant groups. This will stretch my landscaping costs down

I plan to start the area this week and if weather permits (that means a few sunny days – a rare event this summer) the area should be done in two weeks. It will have that new somewhat bare look but next summer it should look great.

I will show photos of the finished project in a few weeks.

Technorati Tags: buying shrubs, landscaping makeover, landscaping on a budget, native plants

Why would you want to set up a moveable garden? Reasons could include extending the gardening season, climate control, and animal control or just to create change in your backyard and landscaping design.
photo credit: Hair Squared

I am creating two moveable gardens. Both gardens are for the same reason: flood control and to create new looks for my yard. By changing growing containers and flowers I can give the area a new look for each season.

As we are moving into fall in my area I will make my first containers mainly a collection of autumn mums. Other ideas might be a dried tree root with vines or an old crate with a variety of potted plants.

In the front of my yard I have had a raised bed garden. It’s been practical for ease in mowing and it’s been very pretty. But with the recent front yard flooding I am setting the landscaping up in such a way to redirect any future water problems and to protect the house and the lower apartment.

For this reason, to keep moisture away from the house I am removing the plants from the raised beds and turning it into a raise flat rock patio area. This will remove any soil that can attract moisture to the house foundation. My plan is to lay in flat rock and then add potted trees, plants and garden features to the area for color. The outer corners will keep a small amount of soil but be set up to keep water away from the foundation Two shrubs will remain but small potted trees will be added to the flat rock patio for height and interest.

To start my flat rock patio garden I have removed my perennial plants and added them to a holding garden (a garden that houses any stray homeless plants).

I have placed a 4-inch tall by 2-inch wide small cement wall by the house to keep any soil and moisture away from the foundation. This will not be noticeable when I am done with the flat rock patio.

Next I have laid down heavy cardboard to make sure I have choked out any weeds that may think of growing.

It has taken several days to pick out rocks that fit in a nice pattern and will lay flat. To help make sure the rock lay well I put down some free sand I picked up from a home where they were removing their pool. By walking and tamping down on the rock I have helped them to settle in.

After letting them settle for a few weeks I will add cement or another bonding material. After all the reason for the rock patio is to keep the area by the house dry.

The flat rock patio will take a month or so to totally finish and will be a garden area that can and will change with the seasons.

I may include some vegetables and herbs next summer in containers and a large container of sunflower would add color to the garden area. I would also like to pick up a container fruit tree and an indoor-outdoor tall tropical plant.

My second moveable garden will be located on my rock retaining wall that is nothing but a plain and very ugly looking pile of rock. This project needs a backhoe, topsoil, and compost and time to make it look good. This wall is my new flood protection for the house as the road drains were damaged beyond repair this year in the flooding we have had this summer.

This project will be covered later this fall.

TIP: If you need concrete for any of your projects call your local cement or construction company. There are times you can make arrangements for free or reduced concrete. All you need to do is have the area prepared and ready for any concrete.

If the company has extra material from a job that they need to get rid of and you have the area ready and can level the material they will often give it to you for free. The problems are, the area must be ready to pour at any time and you must be able to work the concrete when they can deliver it.

Technorati Tags: backyard design, backyard oasis, backyard oasis disaster, flat rock patio, moveable garden

Most people want the picture perfect backyard oasis, you know, the one pictured in magazines that is a dream come true. Where you can rest, entertain and forget the world exists. But for one reason or another you may not have it.

@ Denise Grant

It could be time, money, the fact you rent or all of the above. Or your backyard problem may have been helped by Mother Nature.

I must admit I have a Backyard Oasis Disaster.

Working a time-consuming summer job for several years left the yard in tolerable condition. This summer I was planning to redo the front and backyard and Mother Nature give me a kick to make me  “do it now.”

How it started

Three weeks ago our county suffered heavy rains for about a week. Add this to a month of rain and cold and the ground could no longer take any additional rain. I was out on a Saturday morning two weeks ago watching the troublesome ravine, hoping it would hold, when it broke, bringing rocks, branches and mud into the road.

one ravine can shut down a busy road for hours

I had four other streams that overflowed and brought debris into my yard.

As it stands now I have 10 piles of dirt and three clogged streams that will only create more problems if they are not cleaned out. I also have several areas of my yard that cannot be mowed.

The backyard plan

I am fortunate to have a brother that has a small backhoe and Kubota so arrangements have been made to bring the equipment over and start cleaning up the mess.

I also inherited a pile of flat rock from the mud slide that will be used to create a new patio off the back of the house. A design plan that has taken a back seat for years.

And with all the plans I have for the yard one is to keep prices down and recycle when I can. Found garden art, foraged item and found or bartered plants and shrubs are a goal for the backyard makeover.

You may be interested in watching the backyard take on new life.

This project, broken up into stages,  will take all summer.  And it may inspire you to add a  new patio or garden area.

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis disaster