Avid gardeners and landscapers... need advice

[PrincessMommy]

The house we moved into last Oct. is on an acre of land.   The previous owners don't appear to have been interested in much upkeep.  The house was built in '60 and there's a lot of old trees.  Some I know need to come out, which makes me sad, but they look very sad and elderly (dogwoods mostly).   There's a lot of vines that have grown up into several of the trees, which we started working to get out...but the vines are thick (at least 4-6") - so it's quite a job.  I'm looking at this yard as a blank canvas.

 

I was inspired by several houses we looked at when we were in the market and I want to make this a peaceful, shady haven.  I've gotten about 6 books on landscaping and yards from the library plus I'm filling Pinterest with tons of photos.  It appears that there's several spots in the back where grass doesn't grow, so I know I want to add a mossy stone pathway there   But, otherwise I'm overwhelmed about where to start.    I'm wondering if one of those computer landscaping programs would be helpful for someone like me or if I should shell out money and hire a landscaping designer?   I'd really prefer not to go that route, since we need money to work on the inside of the house.  But, I also don't want to end up with a busy hot mess in my backyard..

 

Any advice would be very welcome.

 

(oh, I live in Zone 7 - just north of DC).

 

[Laura Corin]

The usual advice is to wait a year before doing anything major.  It's easy to make decisions based on one season and then realise that the thing you have just taken out would have been really good for another season.

 

We did use a landscape designer when we moved into our current house.  He set up a structure (fences, some planting - particularly a windbreak) and I learned a lot from him.  Since then I've been able to take decisions on my own.

[Bluegoat]

It's amazing the extent to which having a large yard can actually really overwhelm.  It's like there are too many possibilities.

 

I think the first step in a project like this is always going to be the hard, practical issues - if you move too quickly, you will end up backtracking.  You really need to think about what you need on the property in terms of spaces: patio or decks, areas for storage or compost, areas for games, do you want to grow veg, do you need a place to dry laundry, etc.  Where do people walk, what is the drainage like? Do you need sound proofing or shade from other homes, the road.  A fence or snow-break?  What about water storage like rain barrels?  Which direction do the sun and wind come from, what is the soil like?

 

You can map all this stuff on  a computer program, or you can do it by hand.  I'm not sure one is really more difficult than the other - the advantage of a program is there is all kinds of pre-made features and it's really easy to make changes, the difficulty is that it may not allow you to record or manipulate things that you want to and that is frustrating.  

 

IME, the most labour intensive part of both is actually getting out and getting the measurements and such.  If you choose to map it by hand, I would try making a very good basic map and make a few copies or scan it into your computer.  Then you can use a plastic film to make overlays that you can make changes to pretty easily.

 

It sounds like you've been in the house a little over a year - so you should have a good sense by now of how the natural features and how they relate to the house.  But you don't want to plant trees and lay a path and then realize you need to dig it all up for drainage issues or that was really the best sun you had.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Bluegoat

[BlsdMama]

The house we moved into last Oct. is on an acre of land.   The previous owners don't appear to have been interested in much upkeep.  The house was built in '60 and there's a lot of old trees.  Some I know need to come out, which makes me sad, but they look very sad and elderly (dogwoods mostly).   There's a lot of vines that have grown up into several of the trees, which we started working to get out...but the vines are thick (at least 4-6") - so it's quite a job.  I'm looking at this yard as a blank canvas.

 

I was inspired by several houses we looked at when we were in the market and I want to make this a peaceful, shady haven.  I've gotten about 6 books on landscaping and yards from the library plus I'm filling Pinterest with tons of photos.  It appears that there's several spots in the back where grass doesn't grow, so I know I want to add a mossy stone pathway there   But, otherwise I'm overwhelmed about where to start.    I'm wondering if one of those computer landscaping programs would be helpful for someone like me or if I should shell out money and hire a landscaping designer?   I'd really prefer not to go that route, since we need money to work on the inside of the house.  But, I also don't want to end up with a busy hot mess in my backyard..

 

Any advice would be very welcome.

 

(oh, I live in Zone 7 - just north of DC).

 

 

The advice of waiting a year is pretty smart.  I didn't realize how much the lady before me had planted.  I didn't know plants and I started demo.  Later, the next year, a few came back and they were beautiful.   Oops.

Offering both sides of DIY and hiring it done here.

However, in real life, if you cannot wait ;)  then you have to decide:

 

How fast do you want it done?

 

For example, if you want it DONE, hire it out.

 

But, if you enjoy piecing it together, then take your time and do it.  Because, and here's the rub, you can't really get a crash course on understanding plants (how they'll fill a space, how much the love light/shade, how they balance together, etc.) and plant all in one season.  When you pay for a landscaper you pay for their experience, wisdom, and knowledge.  When you do it yourself, you learn a LOT about plants.  That in and of itself is valuable - unless you don't really care and you just want your yard to be insta-pretty.  This isn't a bad thing.  Sometimes people want to be in a gorgeous outdoor space and whether they dug everything themselves or chose the perfect plant isn't important, kwim?

 

I'm four years into landscaping this house and, to be honest, I'm digging out two trees when spring hits.  I loved the idea of the two, but now that I know more about them, I know I chose wrong.  One I'll replant.  The other I'll sell.  I'm learning a LOT.  Pinterest was AMAZING.

 

The one thing you do need to embrace with a lot of shade is a total and complete love of hydrangeas and hostas! :D

 

As I look back over the last four years, I'm glad I'm doing it myself BUT I LOVE the work of digging and I was in no hurry.  But I did spend money on plants that died (because of location) and I did do twice the work. (An experienced gardener would have told me that my flower bed had poor, compacted soil and not to even plant in there until everything had been dug out and amended.)  

 

So, if I didn't care about me doing it myself, the money is a bit of a non-issue because if you DIY, you will spend more in plants because of the learning curve, kwim?  Or at least I sure did!  That said, I *never* would have learned what I know about landscaping plants if I hadn't done most of it myself.  I just wouldn't have bothered. So if it's a hobby you think you'd like, go for it!

[KungFuPanda]

I’m on a bit of a “food forest†kick myself. I wish I would’ve thought of it sooner and put out a dwarf fruit orchard years ago. If you’re going to have plants, you may as well be able to get fruit, nuts, and veggies from them. So many landscaping choices have an edible-but-still-ornamental alternative. A nice middle ground between diy and a pro is having a relationship with your local nursery. They can have lots of advice for your area and even offer guarantees on some of their plants. Even online you can get guarantees. Bluestone perriennials has sent me a whole new set of plants when something died.

 

Your library probably has loads of books to help you figure out an overall theme. I have one book called “5 -plant gardens†or something like that that has simple combinations laid out for you so you can diy without having to be a plant expert. This book is the reason I have a perriennial “salt garden†on each side of my driveway. It’s soecifically filled with plants that won’t die when Dh piles snow there each winter. 😂

 

ETA: Your State University should have some sort of extension program for your region. Mine has some diy information and videos.

Edited January 24, 2018 by KungFuPanda

[PrincessMommy]

Thanks everyone.  We know we want to have a firepit and we want a horseshoe pit.   My son and dh want to build a treehouse or fort of some kind for grandkids.   

 

My idea is to have areas.  This is what I saw in several homes..  winding paths leading to each "area".  with small bushes kind of enclosing them. Plus we have a small deck I want to enlarge.  There's too many tree roots to do hardscaping near the house, so a slightly raised deck.  This will help with the issue of mud.  There's a lot of mud because the grass won't grow there.  

 

Yes, I want hostas and ferns.  We have a few hydrangeas, but they look very sad.  The azeleas look even worse.   We also have a lot of deer.  So I need to work on deer repellent plants (not hostas :( ).  

 

 

[Bluegoat]

Thanks everyone.  We know we want to have a firepit and we want a horseshoe pit.   My son and dh want to build a treehouse or fort of some kind for grandkids.   

 

My idea is to have areas.  This is what I saw in several homes..  winding paths leading to each "area".  with small bushes kind of enclosing them. Plus we have a small deck I want to enlarge.  There's too many tree roots to do hardscaping near the house, so a slightly raised deck.  This will help with the issue of mud.  There's a lot of mud because the grass won't grow there.  

 

Yes, I want hostas and ferns.  We have a few hydrangeas, but they look very sad.  The azeleas look even worse.   We also have a lot of deer.  So I need to work on deer repellent plants (not hostas :( ).  

 

 

Once you have a map with the things that need to be in certain places, and can see where some things ought to be, it will really tend to cut down on decisions and a shape may emerge.  Just don't forget boring things like access to utilities, storage, etc.

 

There are lots of great things that can go in a shade garden.  Aside from the main trees you can have an understory of lower trees and shrubs (goatsbeard is a nice one) and then groundcovers.  Spring bulbs can be really beautiful in that kind of setting too.

[merry gardens]

Some I know need to come out, which makes me sad, but they look very sad and elderly (dogwoods mostly).   There's a lot of vines that have grown up into several of the trees, which we started working to get out...but the vines are thick (at least 4-6") - so it's quite a job.  I'm looking at this yard as a blank canvas.

 

 

Before you remove any mature trees in locations that you want a tree, remove the vines covering them and give the trees a chance to get some sunlight. They may leaf out again and might be able to look far better than you imagine they ever will.

 

Vines that grow up trees can eventually kills trees, but before they kill the trees, the vines take up the sunlight and then the trees grow sparse and ugly. If you cut the vines and allow the trees to get more sunlight, the trees have a chance to revive.

 

I’d cut the vine, removing all the roots you can. (Be careful if there’s a chance they may be poisonous vines. When working in a wild or neglected area, I’d just assume there’s poison ivy, so I wear gloves, boots, long sleeves and pants, then when I’m done I shower with a specialty soap made for poison ivy.) I also use chemicals to help kill off weeds, being very careful not to get on the leaves or roots of the plants want.

 

Many plants can be cut back severely then they come back from their roots or a few stems. Weedy vines are notorious for doing that, but so can some very desirable plants--and sometimes it’s actually good for them to get cut back! Red twigged dogwood shrubs actually look better if they are cut to the ground from time to time because their younger stems are redder. Some other mature shrubs like spirea get scraggly and a severe cutback helps them look better. Before you write off any potentially desirable mature plants, see if you can save them. 

 

[ksr5377]

Didn't read replies so someone may have mentioned it, but it is possible to have a landscape architect do your design and then you do the labor.  About 10 years ago for a smaller city yard we paid about $150 for a design.  DH and I did the plantings in stages, a little the first year, a little more the second etc.  It was great to have a plan to work from.  In a way I think we saved money by not wasting it on plants that weren't quite right for the area, plus the many many hours we would have had to spend researching.