Extreme Back Yard Makeover

Back Yard West Garden Corner 03-29-10

Here I am writing about gardening, wonderful, nature-attracting plants, and yummy, succulent veggies while my own back yard needs an extreme makeover.

Bland Patchy Grass

Fear not garden friends, Rachel Mathews of Successful Garden Design could be the superhero my garden needs to rescue this lack-luster space from bland, patchy, grass and turn it into a little bit of Eastern Kansas Eden.

Goodbye Grass and More

I’ve lived in my Eastern Kansas home for over 10 years, yet my garden is absolutely not my dream landscape. When I signed up for Rachel’s landscape design class for homeowners one of the first things she had me do was look at my requirements. Here are some things I wrote down:

• more vegetables
• native fruits (for me and and for wildlife)
• herbs
• less grass
• more flowers – edible flowers
• compost area
• brush piles
• maybe a storage spot for wood for a wood-burning stove
• mosses, sedges, rushes, and ferns
• native plants for butterflies and hummingbirds
• a rain garden
• better movement of water through the garden for soil conservation
• rocks, maybe a pond

Maybe you’re getting some idea of why I didn’t previously succeed in planning my garden makeover, trying to do it on my own. And because I want so much, and had so little idea how to make a plan for it all, I’ve simply resorted to minimum maintenance. Weed removal and mulch applications were the order of the day, while I experienced a good deal of garden frustration.

If It’s Worth Doing, It’s Worth Doing Well

Prairie and Woodland Garden 2009

If a project is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. While I have made some garden improvements over the years – two raised beds which I love and a native woodland and prairie garden – I always felt that there was no point in digging and planting without a comprehensive landscape plan.

Without a comprehensive landscape plan for my yard, the chances were I’d end up later trashing whatever I did. In fact my woodland and prairie garden is in the perfect spot for a rain garden. But, given that it was two months worth of back-breaking labor to build…

My Plan for a New Garden

A few weeks ago I broke ground on the west corner of my all-new back yard landscape. The photo at the top is what it looked like before I started: a broken and rotted, old kids’ sandbox; patchy non-native grass; and a path which needs relaid. As part of my new landscape design this area will turn into raised garden beds for veggies.

I’ve no idea how far I’ll get with implementing my plan during 2010 – I’m doing all the work with the help of my loving and  supportive husband (we will not be hiring landscapers). I’m sure I’ll not get as much done as I’d like (I’d like to do all of the back yard and even some of the front). I’ll be bringing you updates here over the coming weeks.

It’s Spring – It’s Good to Dig

Right now I’m hoping for some more beautiful, dry, spring days, just like today. I’ll be out digging with my trusty spade, moving sod in my wheelbarrow, and happily enjoying the sounds of birds singing as I create something new from the masterplan Rachel helped me to come up with. Thanks Rachel!

Rachel Mathews has been really wonderful to work with – knowledgeable, helpful, and supportive. My garden turned out to be quite tricky to design (more on that later), but Rachel helped me beat the odds. I’m really excited about my plan and I’ve even decided to join Rachel’s Great Garden Challenge (it’s free for now).

What about your back yard, is it the way you want it, or do you dream of giving it a makeover?

Related posts:

1. Back Yard Makeover – the plan
2. Who’s Yard is it Anyway?
3. How I Wasted $350 on the Wrong Garden Designer (and you don’t have to)