Home and Garden plans 2012

So for planning purposes I took some of these pictures with my GoPro helmet cam to better capture the slope of the terrain. But it's obviously exaggerated with that camera. This spring we'll finish the fence on the last side of the yard and put new gates in front and back corner. 

The front of the house faces East. The tall pines/evergreens there are on North border. Neighbor to the South.  There are no trees in our yard at all. We have trees nearby the edges of the property line but the front of our house is HOT in the summer. You can't even touch the front screen door without burning your hand. So that needs addressed. I also hate those bushes right in front of door. So I want the path to door to come straight out a ways before turning to go down steps to driveway. Then we need some type of overhang (pergola?) over entryway.

The neighbor to south's back yard  has a tree I have to trim branches or shades my vegetable garden. When I dug 2 spades under where I put the raised beds I had some roots that were from that tree but I chopped them off.  Neighbor behind us two very tall very old trees. I'll need to trim one branch that's about to fall off the tree behind my veggie garden if it's still hanging on in spring. Luckily they so far have always said go ahead I don't care when I ask if I can remove a branch here or there. They are definitely very patient with us since at times we're definitely the UGLIEST yard on the block. I dream that my next house will have much bigger yard and gardens. Although a friend of mine that lives out in country can't keep a garden because the raccoons always get it before her. She even had 8 foot fencing and I know they can climb or dig into about anywhere. I'm not interested in sharing with wildlife per se. And our house is ours because we're right across the street from my parents that are 96 and 85!

So back to our West side neighbor's house sets much lower and he's told us he had serious water table issues. We sit up on a hill like most raised ranches or splitlevels or whatever you call this house. Box in hill is a good name. See below.

Front Yard

To get a feel for the slope on the North side of the property see this shot. Again with the fisheye lens it's sort of exaggerated but it is a really big grade. This spring when Pat takes the fence down on that side I will finally be able to pound in stakes and use string to calculate the grading of our North side and Front (East) yards.

North side of back yard looking East.

Look at that front yard mound. Wouldn't a Red Japanese Maple be stunning in front of those tall Conifers!

So back to the neighbor so I wanted to plant a dwarf weeping or curly willow somewhere IF there was room and it would help the water table issue for Mike. So I thought perhaps putting it in that Northwest back corner would be just the place. But I am going to get advice from Anne at www.barkandbloom.com first.

This is that side of the yard that still has the chain link fence with the back of our house in the picture. So see it's not really huge. And there are all of these trees outside our property line but we don't have a single tree on our own yard. I will have to check with the city about water lines. I know we have water lines in front of the house but never hurts to be sure.  We have lots of landscaping to do!

For a bird's eye view I can insert a diagram from www.floorplanner.com  program. Or www.growveg.com layout. I love these web based planning programs for laying out and such. Originally I wanted to add additions to the house although now I'm not sure. My husband is very good at laying out space and he's altered the inside so that we already have more space then I thought so 2 additions probably not necessary although I still like the idea of "disguising" our split level/raised ranch so it's not this boring brown box.



 Initial Future Plan

Overall Dream Plan with two additions



But anyway this was the initial future plan. We still plan to put the decks on the back, potting shed at rear of garden, I want to do landscaping along the North side to capture rain run off and be this "Chinese Shade garden with Mexican beach rocks and ferns and hostas...". My daughter and I hope to win the "we want a pool Dad" eventually.  And I loved a nearby neighbors front yard that he terraced. Our yard is deeper because we don't have a sidewalk but I'll enclose a picture of that too. I want to intermingle a lot of edible ornamentals, like purple kale, curley parsley and such.

Here's my "plan" for 2012 but it may be a little too ambitious plus I want to do front yard first my husband want's to do decks and back yard so that may be before front. Either is exciting really.



2012 Plans for landscaping



So I need to ask Anne what's the size of that white leafed willow. I was picturing it perhaps as one of the "shrubs" in the front. And I also was wanting some dwarf burning bushes but the purple smoke bush is even prettier to me. I don't know they're all so beautiful it's so hard to decide. I like plums and purples and greens both silvery and chartreuse.

Here's the www.growveg.com layout.

http://www.growveg.com/