The 3 Common Landscape Challenges & How to Transform them into Features
Think That Your Landscape is Doomed Because of its Limited Size, Slope, or Drainage Issue? There are many common issues that homeowners experience with their outdoor space. New subdivision homes commonly have smaller backyards, and sometimes builders are not planning for drainage in the way that they should. With older homes, property sizes and shapes tend to vary, and it is common to have significant grade changes for one side of the yard to another. In the case that your property has one or more of these issues, there are actually many attractive remedies. Read on for tips on how to work with the property you ve got to make it the best it can be.
The Challenge: Creating Privacy in a Small Backyard A carefully designed and landscaped backyard can be a wonderful place for socializing and relaxing with friends and family. A backyard can also provide solitude and the quiet enjoyment of nature. However- designing for both group and individual activities often becomes more challenging when there is limited space. You might feel like you re in a fishbowl with your neighbours looking in, or that your space is not really separated from the surrounding properties. Creating privacy in your small backyard is often the first priority. More than likely, you do not want your neighbors to have a front row seat for everything that happens in your yard. Whether enjoying a dinner outside with friends or reading a book by yourself, it is nice to have a feeling of privacy within your own yard. Here are some of the ways that we can help you create a feeling of solitude in your small space. 1. Screening with Shrubs Planting shrubs to provide screening is a good place to start. You will want shrubs that grow taller than eye level, with a mature height of at least five or six feet. Planting shrubs in a straight line will result in a formal appearance and may be necessary if your space is really limited or narrow, while a loose or staggered row will look more informal or naturalistic. Though it may require a few more shrubs, it often results in better screening. Deciduous shrubs are likely to have leaves during the seasons when you will be outdoors the most, but for year round privacy, evergreens will provide the best coverage.
2. Privacy Fences If you do not want to wait for shrubs to grow to tall enough for screening, you can always install a fence. A wood fence is usually the most effective for screening. Sometimes a hard edge, such as a fence, can make a small space feel even smaller. Just a few scattered trees, shrubs or perennials in front of the fence will add some depth and soften the look. 3. Plant a Tree Adding one or more shade trees will help your small yard landscaping in several ways. An overhead canopy of leaves and branches can help define your space so that it does not feel so tight and narrow. A tree can also screen views to and from your own house. This provides a feeling a separation that will make your outdoor area feel larger. Select trees that will grow tall and prune the lower branches as they grow. This will give even more height to your space. 4. Partial Screening Rather than enclosing your entire backyard, sometimes partial screening is all that you need. For example, a fence along one side of your patio may be enough to block the view from a neighbor s window. A few carefully placed shrubs or small trees can achieve the same result. A structure such as a gazebo or pergola is another way to provide some isolated privacy. Planting a pergola with climbing, flowering vines can make it even more inviting and turn it into the perfect place for a dining table or an outdoor living room. If there is adjacent property that does not need to be screened, try to leave that view open. Whether it is the back portion of a neighbor s yard that is rarely used or a nearby wooded area, borrowed scenery will make your own yard feel larger. 5. Be Strategic in Your Design Strategically place your outdoor living areas so you re able to create a bit of privacy- for example- it is easier to shelter the area closest to the back entrance of your home than to create privacy in a space right in the centre of your yard.
The Challenge: a Soggy Backyard Moving into a new home should be a pleasurable and joyful experience. Though moving is often stressful, after the boxes are unpacked, you begin to relax and enjoy your new surroundings. Hopefully, your enjoyment extends into your new backyard. Unfortunately, landscaping is one of the first places where corners are cut to save money during new home construction. Also, many home builders do not realize that landscape construction involves a different set of skills and knowledge than house construction. Photo credit to tracey r under cc2.0 Is there a real problem? After you have moved into your home, do a careful yard inspection after the first big rain or series of rains. In particular, be on the lookout for backyard flooding. Though big flooding problems will be obvious, any puddles that do not drain after several hours, 24 at the most, are indications of drainage issues. Poor drainage might be caused by compacted soils, incorrect grading or improper sitting of features in the landscape, such as a fence across a drainage path. Fortunately, there are several solutions to drainage issues that are attractive and will enhance the value of your home. Dry River Beds A dry river bed mimics the appearance of a dry stream. It should follow the path that water takes as it drains from your yard. Think of it as a very shallow ditch. The bed will be lined with natural river rock and stone, stopping any erosion that might occur. Rounded edges will make the stone appear as if it is part of a natural waterway. Most of the stone should be a
consistent size, at least two or three inches in diameter, but no more than about six inches. Several carefully placed larger stones can serve as accents or focal points. When constructed by someone with an artistic eye, a dry river bed will appear to be natural and flowing, fitting into your yard as if it belongs there. Dry Wells Dry wells are a relatively simple approach to deal with drainage in isolated locations. Basically, a dry well is a hole filled with gravel or stone. It should be at least a foot or two in diameter and two or more feet deep. The worse the drainage problem, the larger the hole needs to be. Most importantly, a dry well should be deep enough that water can drain into a subsurface layer of soil with good drainage characteristics. Photo credit to Ben Lucier under cc2.0 A dry well will function best at a low point in your yard. This might be at the downhill end of a dry river bed, for example, or at a location where water is pooling. The hole for the well should be lined with landscape filter fabric and filled with gravel. After the filter fabric is folded over the top of the gravel, decorative stone or river rock can be placed on top. A good landscaper can integrate this into your outdoor space so that it is either hidden, or it looks attractive. Drain Pipe and Inlets A combination of drain pipe and inlets can be used to quickly move water away from wet areas. Perforated drain pipe is also commonly used for drainage. It should be surrounded with filter fabric and gravel in order to keep the pipe from clogging. Depending on the severity of your drainage issue, a combination of methods could be most effective, such as perforated pipe underneath a dry river bed. Adding some plant materials will make most drainage systems more attractive. Using native plants that can handle both dry and wet conditions gives the best results.
The Challenge: a Sloping Yard One of the most difficult challenges in landscaping is working with a sloped yard. While gentle to moderate slopes may create interest and actually help with some design goals, steeper slopes can create frustrations when planning for normally straightforward projects such as planting trees or building a patio. Despite these difficulties, creative solutions to sloped backyard landscaping can result in unique, beautiful and functional outdoor spaces. The most effective approach for a sloped yard usually involves both earthwork and one or more retaining walls. The number of walls and extent of earthwork needed depend upon several factors, including the size of your yard, the degree or severity of slope, the activities or uses you have in mind for your yard and the presence of existing trees or other features that should not Retaining Wall Materials The construction of retaining walls allows you to create relatively level spaces. These might be used for planting beds, patios, lawns or any other outdoor feature. Several different materials are suitable for retaining wall construction, including wood, stone, brick or precast concrete units or blocks. Generally speaking, stone walls and concrete retaining wall blocks are the most cost effective over the long term. If installed properly, they will last for many years with no deterioration. For less severe slopes, interlocking concrete units provide an attractive, effective retaining wall that is relatively easy to install. Concrete wall blocks come in a variety of styles and colors. Many of them are Photo credit to ARNOLD Masonry and Concrete under cc2.0 designed to look somewhat like natural stone. Choosing the right block for your wall is largely a matter of personal preference.
For more severe slopes, armour stone is often a better solution. These are very large stones, somewhat rectangular, but with some variation in size and shape from stone to stone. The size and weight of armour stones makes them very dependable for large wall projects. Wall Design Ideas Most retaining wall systems allow for some design flexibility. Walls can either be straight and linear or curved and flowing. Straight walls will often have a more formal appearance. Generally it works best to follow the natural contours or shape of the land. For significant changes in grade, a series of two or three terraces is often an elegant solution. A couple of smaller walls usually looks better than one tall wall, and creates more level space that you can use. With any material, steps can be incorporated into the wall. If it is necessary for your wall to be over four feet tall, your specific site conditions should be evaluated by a design professional- definitely don t try to do this yourself. Factors such as the type of soil, drainage behind the wall and the slope of the area at the top of the wall need to be considered. Photo credit to ARNOLD Masonry and Concrete under cc2.0 Construction Costs and Access The length and height of your walls, materials used and ease of access to your yard will all influence the cost of your retaining wall project. Sometimes smaller walls are more expensive because of the manual labor involved. Larger walls can be constructed with backhoes and other machines doing much of the work. This is often more cost effective, though there has to be enough room for machinery to get into your yard and maneuver around the project area. Eight feet of clearance is a typical minimum requirement.
Using Planting to Soften the Look Remember to add plant materials as part of your sloped backyard landscaping project. Perennials, shrubs and other plants can soften the look of hardscape elements and add more depth to your yard. They can make it look like the retaining wall exists for decorative purposes- not to remedy your property s grade issue. The final result should be a retaining wall that blends into the landscape and provides you with more usable space in your backyard. No Matter Your Space, We Can Make it Work For You A professional landscape designer can provide great guidance and loads of suggestions for you to increase your backyard privacy and enhance your space for outdoor living. Contact us for a consultation and quote