It's June and its raining (again). Perhaps you have water in your basement, a washed out hillside, or just some soggy areas where your grass keeps getting killed. In any case, even if it is not flooding, rain can be a problem. Read on to find out how a rain garden might help. … [Read more...]
Backyard with a Prairie and a Pond Part 2
Last post, I started a backyard landscape design with a Prairie and a Pond. Today, we finish it by adding shrubs, perennials and accessories. … [Read more...]
Ecological Landscape Design with a Prairie and a Pond Part 1
Today, we start a backyard Ecological Landscape Design with a theme, a prairie and pond. This should be fun, as we are going to put together a design with a strong form and a lot of plants. This design would provide a ton of ecological value compared to the existing lawn that is currently at this site. Not only will the backyard have a small prairie, but we will retain a large portion of lawn as this family has kids and wants a large play area. … [Read more...]
A (mostly) Native Perennial Plug Planting Twelve Months Later
Last year, I posted about a new perennial plug planting I did in June of 2016. In that post, Planting Plugs is a Cheap and Easy Way to Plant a Landscape, I showed how a 300 sq ft perennial bed could be prepared and planted using less work and money. … [Read more...]
Trees for an Ecological Backyard
Happy New Year. Let's all have a great 2017 and say good riddance to 2016! But before I can do that, I am going to explain the trees I selected for the Ecological Backyard Design I showed in November. If you remember, I left off explaining the evergreens I used in the design. … [Read more...]
Ecological Backyard Landscape Design
In today's post, we will look at a backyard landscape designed to do two things. First and foremost, it will look great in each of the four seasons. Secondly, it will benefit the environment instead of being a burden on it that most landscape designs end up being. … [Read more...]
Naturalistic Front Yard landscape design
Let's use some of the big ideas I have talked about in other posts to make a Naturalistic Front Yard landscape design. I have done front yard designs before, including one last year for my old little neglected ranch house. While I did mix it up a bit with some more interesting plant choices than the typical landscaper might use (no spireas in that design thank goodness), I admit it is still pretty shall we say "landscapy". … [Read more...]
Planting Plugs is a Cheap and Easy Way to Plant a Landscape
Why is planting plugs instead of larger plants in a landscape often a better idea? Let's start planting the landscape design for my backyard and I'll show you. Since I am a gardener and not a landscaper, we will be installing this design over time. Why have all the fun at once when it can be spread over the years. If I was a landscaper, I would want you to buy the largest (most expensive) plant possible, certainly not plugs! … [Read more...]
Backyard Landscape design finished
Lets get back to that backyard landscape design we have been working on and lets finish it up. … [Read more...]
Moving from functional diagram to design
The last time we looked at our landscape design, we had completed the functional diagram. To refresh our memory, it looked like this: … [Read more...]