GRAND BACKYARD PLANS

The method to the forthcoming madness is: go big or go home. My initial plan for this year’s backyard activity was to continue to wrap the beds around the right side of the lawn and that’s it. Now, we’re just doing the entire thing. It’s going to take me a while and it’s going to be a ton of work, but I’m excited to get started on this now so we can enjoy it soon!

Here is the backyard garden as of late last year during a visit from some turkeys:

It’s a good, flat yard and I’ve been added some garden beds to the perimeter each year since we moved in. Here are the plans for this year:

Some key notes about this design:

• Add a Pieris Japonica (Andromeda) hedge next to Arborvitae to hide some of the deer damage. Those little buggers got especially hungry this winter and it’s not looking great out there.

• Drastically reduce the size of the lawn. We don’t use it so we might as well get rid of it, right? The green areas in the plan above will remain lawn, and the tan/brown will be garden beds filled with drifts of deer-resistant trees, shrubs, and perennials. Think full, lush, wooded garden greatness.

• Add in areas of interest & activity - the pathway around the island bed, the cut flower garden, and the swing are the main elements to draw you out into the garden.

• Add more trees, because why not? Aaaand guess what - they’re already planted! The new additions are a Merlot Redbud, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, and a multi-trunk River Birch.

So, the plans are drawn and the big trees are planted. What’s next? I will be edging the beds and then doing a modified version of the no-dig method to smother the grass and create the new planting spaces. More to come!