Article Suggestion:  Side Yard Solutions

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate several very different styles of side yards.  It would include a large photo with 4 to 5 break-out boxes w/expanded captions to explain what makes that particular side yard so effective.  I’ll also discuss what makes side yards so difficult to garden in (ie: uneven lighting, little to no space, difficult to irrigate, privacy concerns, ‘inside out’ design, etc. –  all the while trying to find space to store the ‘necessities of life’ (ie: A/C units, composters, garbage cans, BBQs, kids equipment, etc).

I’ve presented this topic to many garden clubs on this topic, and the audience is always very interested as those skinny little strips of land perplex the best of us!  I’m including several here to see if you like any of them – here goes!

1.  Pretty & Practical

A lovely retired couple lives here who both enjoy gardening. The husband, Bob is a former engineer who loves to build things that serve practical purposes (as you’ll see below) while his wife, Margaret, enjoys having a more traditional garden.

*  Wisteria that serves double-duty:  This deciduous vine allows much-needed light to brighten the living room during the dark winter months while shading the room from summer’s intense heat.  I especially like the wisteria trellis Bob built to train the wisteria along the roofline.

* Ample storage shelves -to house his garden tool collection, and a hard-working (and discreet) soil storage bin, hiding his many different containers of soil, amendments and compost.

*  Unifying color scheme – All of the storage units are painted the same gray/green color as the house, helping them to seamlessly blend in with the garden

* Narrow solutions that add interest in tight spaces:

- window boxes

- attaching a vine (in this case a clematis) to grow on the chimney

- pots set within the narrow garden bed

- wisteria trained along the roofline (previous photos)

2.  Shady Side Yard

This is a pretty remarkable before and after of a shady side yard.  And amazingly enough, the footprint of the house didn’t change one inch – even though it looks so much bigger! This was created by a good friend of mine who wanted to create a lush and layered garden but only had a narrow space in which to do so.  The problem was made even worse as the neighbor on the other side of the fence built a giant two-story house that not only blocked out any sunlight she might receive, but resulted in a very claustrophobic space.

* The gently curving pathway  – by placing the pathway directly against the house, ample room is created to comfortably move a wheelbarrow from the front to the back garden.  The gentle curves on the outside of the pathway visually help to break up the ‘bowling alley’ feel of the long and narrow space.

* Vines, vines and more vines - to create a lush and layered garden in the tightest of spaces it’s important to take advantage of every vertical space, such as fences, walls and chimneys.  Consider planting different vines, remembering to use those with staggered bloom times.  For example, the Pink Jasmine on the fence blooms first in early spring, immediately followed by a spectacular show from the neighboring Star Jasmine.  This combination results in 6-8 weeks of delightful fragrance.

* Plant Choices- Chartreuse Foliage: The bright and cheery chartreuse  foliage of the daphne ‘Mariani’, liriope and hakone grass acts as the ‘missing sunshine’ in this otherwise dark and shady side yard.

*Dwarf Varieties: Just because the space is small doesn’t mean you can’t include some of your favorite shrubs, just seek out smaller varieties that will be at home in tight quarters (‘Ruby Slippers’ Oakleaf Hydrangea, ‘Dwarf Red’ abutilon, ‘Shaina’ Japanese maples)

* Contrasting Colors - when gardening in a shady area, the first thought might be to avoid dark colors, like maroon.  But don’t be so quick to rule them out!  When placed near chartreuse foliage, an illusion of shadows is created that helps to make a very narrow space seem deeper than it actually is.

* Arbor - Placing a vine-covered arbor at the end of the narrow pathway not only adds additional vertical interest, but entices the viewer along.  The pop of color from the burgundy maple placed outside of the arbor further helps to signal ‘come along, there’s more!’

3.  Wild and Whimsical

 A few years ago Carol and her husband retired and downsized to a much smaller urban garden.  Yet, despite its tiny size, she was determined to get just as much ‘visual pop’ as she did with her previous larger property.

A fun and creative artist, Carol has decorated just about every vertical surface (fences, walls and chimneys) to reflect her personality and love of art and gardening.

(Carol made all the ceramic and tile art shown here)

*   Fences - Don’t forget to take advantage of fences, walls and railings – look at them as ‘blank canvases’ to support artwork or personal collections.

*  Containers - Tall and narrow pots can easily tuck into the tightest of spaces adding stunning year-round beauty (even when empty) while  also adding much-needed layers and height.

*  Pathways – In a small space, it’s important to consider every square inch as another opportunity to inject personality.  For example, when creating a pathway, instead of using an ordinary material why not go the extra step and tuck in pebbles, tumbled glass or other small ornaments?  

*Whimsical plants - such as the Dr. Seuss-like blooms of the ‘Charles Grimaldii’ brugmansia and the Foxtail fern (above) not only create a lighthearted atmosphere in the garden.  And, when they’re  placed at the end of a pathway, visitors are intrigued to explore what might lie beyond.

4. From Driveway to Destination

Only one year old, the goal of this new garden makeover was to transform an unused (and dreary) driveway that ran the length of their house into a welcoming part of their garden.

 * Seating area - consider creating a private seating area in your side yard where you can sneak away and enjoy a morning cup of coffee.

* Pathway To add an old-world feel to the garden replace ordinary asphalt with tumbled cobblestones.  The permeable cobblestones are not only pretty, but they allow precious rainfall to percolate through to the ground instead of running off into the street.

To break up the monotonous lines of the side yard, avoid the temptation to create a straight and narrow pathway by making it as wide as possible with a few gentle curves.  

* Containers – Who says containers need to be placed on a hard surface?  Considering tucking an oversized container within the narrow garden bed to not only visually break up the space, but also to create additional layers within a skinny garden.

* Plant choices - The delicious fragrance of many vines are intensified in small spaces, so use them judiciously to avoid overwhelming the senses.  The cheery colored foliage and flowers from  the Heuchera ‘Citronelle’, Hosta and Corsican Hellebore help to brighten a shady garden.

5.  From Cluttered to Calm

One day I received a panicked call from one of my former clients.  While the rest of her garden was finished and beautiful, this was one of the areas she never quite got around to finishing (alas, a familiar scenario!)  The reason for her panicked call was that she just found out her garden was chosen for a prestigious garden tour and – drumroll, please – and the side yard was going to be the entrance and exit!  We needed to do something quickly to transform this neglected part of her garden into something worth of a garden tour while still finding a place for her grandchildren’s outgrown play equipment and garden tools.

*Pathway - 9 times out of 10, side yards have a narrow, stick-straight pathway that does nothing to create an inviting atmosphere.  Creating a wider, and winding, pathway not only gives the illusion of more space, but it is also more enticing to visitors when exploring the garden.  And when made out of a rustic, organic material, like this decomposed granite, each step produces a satisfying ‘crunch’ when walked upon.

* Plant choices - So as not to overwhelm the already cramped space, plants with delicate and fine foliage were used.  Plants like liriope, Japanese maples, daphne and the graceful cestrum newelii provide year-round interest from colorful foliage, flowers and berries.

* Vertical surfaces -Fences and chimneys are ideal surfaces for  vines such as the Star Jasmine and Creeping Fig to scramble up – not only providing year-round greenery but sweet smelling blooms, as well.

* Art - Even with a narrow garden bed, there’s always room for antique garden art!

6.  Edible and Private Side Yard

If this side yard looks familiar, it’s because it is!  ;)

One day, new neighbors decided to cut down every living tree in their garden leaving me with unsightly views of their roofline, as well as blazing hot afternoon sun that heated up this side of our home.  While the obvious solution might be to plant evergreen trees for screening, there just wasn’t space.  We needed to keep this narrow area open for practical purposes (wheeling the composters and wheelbarrows and room for the A/C unit).  We had so much fun once we started that we decided to take advantage of the sunlight that hit the fence and grow edibles in Woolly pockets, as well as climbing peas in the spring and beans in the summer.

* Trellis One solution was to build a narrow trellis that attached directly to the fence to add additional height (and privacy) to the existing fence.  The sturdy trellis supports evergreen vines for privacy, as well as scrambling peas and beans planted at the base.

* Plant Choices - The trellis supports an espaliered pyracantha (providing year-round coverage, stunning red winter berries and cascading white flowers in the spring) as well as a ‘Cecil Bruner’ climbing rose (whose petals are delicious and beautiful when sprinkled in salads)

*Portable trellis A decorative, free-standing trellis firmly placed in a large container not only looks good in the early spring (before edibles have had time to grow) but supports bushels of peas and beans in the spring and summer.

* Living Walls Take advantage of vertical spaces  (and precious sun) to create a vegetable garden. With so many dwarf varieties of edibles on the market today it’s easier than ever to grow tomatoes, peppers, bush beans and eggplant in the smallest of spaces. 

It’s never easy finding privacy when you live and garden in a fishbowl.

Located on a busy corner within a stone’s throw of two nearby schools, giant picture windows throughout the home and only a low, 4-high wall (a Lookiloo’s fantasy!) surrounding most of the garden meant the homeowners were on constant display to traffic and pedestrians alike.

The lack of privacy would tempt many to build a fortress-like wall to surround the home.  But instead, this homeowner wanted to create a garden that others might equally enjoy as they peer over her low and inviting garden wall.

Tired of her threadbare, water-thirsty lawn and random mish-mash of plantings, she wished for a more responsible garden that not only used less water but one that incorporated native plants, vegetable beds, secret rooms, and anything else that might encourage wildlife to visit.  Her driving goal was to create a garden filled with wildlife, color, scent and edibles so she might better be able to teach her young grandchildren to embrace all that nature has to offer.  In a nutshell, she wanted to bring life back to this garden.

The first step was to remove the tired front lawn and reinvent a smaller one using the tough-as-nails Silver Carpet (Dymondia margaretae) interspersed with Sedum and Berkeley sedge (Carex divulsa).  Winding planting beds meander throughout a generous stacked stone vegetable bed and help to enclose the secret garden under the apple tree.

Nothing tells a story better than before-and-afters, so enjoy the process!

1.  Pleasing the public

BEFORE

AFTER

2. Dreaming of dymondia

BEFORE

AFTER

3. Edibles

BEFORE

AFTER

4.  Apple tree hideaway

BEFORE

AFTER

5.  Year-round beauty

6.  Visitors

The combination of succulents, vegetables, native and drought tolerant plants has come together to create a garden loved not only by her grandchildren (and Max, the dog) but also by many of the nearby neighbors who frequently visit.