Update on My Big Landscape Design Project - Finally a Private and Useable Outdoor Space!

 

At long last, I have an update on my crazy landscape design project.  If you haven't been following this project - I have a Victorian home was built in the 1880's.  It sits on a quarter acre of land, the majority of which had a steep slope and was not useable.  The only space we had to sit outside was our front porch.  The porch is really not private and I like to sit outside and enjoy nature - not watch cars and neighbors go by.  We also did not have anywhere to entertain outside.  This new area is private on three sides!  I am thrilled with it.  It met all my expectations.

We are fortunate that our neighbor has a commercial landscape contracting business and offered to do our residential project.  He has great experience on building retaining walls and doing things the right way so they drain correctly and last.  Based on the slope of the yard, we had to do a five foot above the ground retaining wall.  We fenced in the new area with a lovely white picket fence.  We also did a two foot high upper wall for our patio area, leveled it out and filled it with rice stone.  We put sod in the lower area.  I love the lush look of the green grass!  So cozy and private!

This project took about two months total to complete.  I'm just thankful that there are still a few weeks of decent weather so I can enjoy it before it gets too cold here in New England.  Although, I can picture sitting out here in the fall with a hot cup of cocoa and a gas fire place to warm us up.



A before photo of the area taken many years ago...

The new space!  We kept some of the Rhododendrons for privacy.  They make a great natural screen.

We had to do a lot of digging and leveling in this upper space.  We exposed some of the foundation bricks that needed repointing.  My husband repointed the bricks and I painted this new silver color that goes with the house (much better than the old bright red color - yuck).



We have a lovely lattice screen that will be going on the back up the upper patio to cover the ugly basement window.  My husband has put it together and now we just have to paint and install it.

This is an antique porch swing I restored that was in my barn for over 10 years.  I purchased the swing frame online and put it together.  The lake is down the hill behind those trees.  We get a great lake view after the leaves fall.  We're going to trim out some of them to try to get a little view during the summer months.

 

 These are the urns that I found at Brimfield Antique Fair this summer... 

 

LOVE! LOVE!  LOVE!

I planted boxwoods across the front of the upper patio area to separate the space.  I love the smell of them.  They make me think of an old estate.

It's so nice to swing and look up at the pretty old house.


 This was the upper patio area "before."  Overgrown and a totally useless space...

AFTER... much better! The house has a lot more curb appeal and this extra useable space will definitely help with resale in the future.


Here's an updated photo of the space!  I've been searching high and low for patio furniture to go into the upper patio area.  I finally found this set below for half price at Lowes!  Sometimes it pays to wait until the end of the season!  I'm going to be covering that ugly window behind the screen so it blends in with the foundation.  I was hoping the screen would cover it but it's come up a little short.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing this project with me.  Hope you have a wonderful day and can find time to do the things that you enjoy!


Great parties that I'm linking with...
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
Thursday
Creative Things Thursday @ The Vintage Farmhouse
Inspiration Gallery Link Party @ The Golden Sycamore
Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch To Yours 
The Humble Brag Link Party @ One Project Closer/The Better Half
Paint Party @ Start at Home
Throwback Thrusday @ Glitter Glue and Paint
Create It Thursday @ Lamberts Lately Show Me Extraordinary Thursday Party @ The 36th Avenue
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Creative Things Thursday @ The Vintage Farmhouse
Blog Stalking Thursday @ The Crafty Blog Stalker
The Weekly Creative Saturday Party @ The Girl Creative and Reasons To Skip The Housework
Friday
Fabulously Creative Linky Party @ Jennifer Rizzo
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
TGIF Linky Party @ A Peek Into My Paradise  

Saturday
Any Link Goes Party @ Bacon Time With The Hungry Hungry Hypo 
Weekend WrapUp Party @ Tatertots and Jello 
Serenity Saturday @ Serenity You
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal
What To Do Weekends @ Crafts A La Mode
Sunday
Get Schooled Saturday @ Too Much Time On My Hands
Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn 
Sundae Scoop Weekend Wrap Up Party @ I love Nap Time 
That DIY Party @ DIY Show Off
So Darn Crafty Party @ Sew Many Ways
Think Pink Party @ Flamingo Toes
Let's Get Social Sunday @ My Turn for us 
Sunday Show Off Linky Party @ Twigg Studios
DIY Sunday Showcase Linky Party @ VMG206
Get your DIY on Fall Party Challenge @ Confessions of a DIYer

My Beautiful White Picket Fence!

I'm so excited to share these photos of my new white picket fence!

 

We've come along way over the last month in our major landscaping and retaining wall project.   Now that the fence is in, I can order the sod and the rest of the shrubs and plants! 

 

The fence is a special order through Home Depot. It's pro series fencing called the "Veranda Silverbell" scalloped fence.  It is a very sturdy white vinyl fence that does not look cheap and never needs painting!  The wide pickets definitely give it a more high-end look.





The gray stone retaining wall needed some sophistication and this beautiful white fence does the job!

There will be plantings of Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Blue Hydrangeas and Large Hosta in front of the wall to soften this large area.


The upper area is going to be a small formal garden with sod, boxwoods, cements urns and pretty annuals.

 

Lots more to come!  We hope to have the sod delivered this week and start planting next weekend.

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Have a wonderful day!

Crazy stuff going on at my house... Landscape design

Here's a peek at all the crazy stuff going on at my house... 

We are on a quarter acre city lot and the majority of our yard sloped heavily.   The good news is that section of the little yard is private on three sides and if we cut out some branches on our trees we get a lake view!  I'd been frustrated about not being able to use this side of the yard.  The upper part had very overgrown bushes and you couldn't even put a chair out there because of the steep slope of the yard.  Mowing wasn't much fun either.

My home was built in 1885 and it surprises me that so many large families lived in the house but no one ever dealt with the sloping lawn.  I think most of the kids walked to a park close by or played in the street.  Just seems like such a waste of space not to utilize that yard area.

My neighbor owns a commercial construction business and agreed to do a residential job for us.  To bring it up to level, we would have needed a very tall retaining wall.  We decided to do two levels and have a raised patio and lower lawn area.  It's not a large space but at least it will be functional.  I'm looking forward to enjoying morning coffee in our new patio space.

It's a work in progress...



This is how the house looked when we moved in 8 years ago. 
So dark... It was like it was in a cave.

 

Above is the most recent photo before the project started.  Believe it or not we pruned and cut back all the overgrown trees so you could see the house.  The Oak took over again.  You'll see in the new photos we've pruned it again. :-)  I love Oak Trees so I would never cut it down.

 

Unfortunately, you can't get a good idea of the steep slope in these photos.  The pallets in the front are for our walkway project (which will be in another post).

This is taking A LOT of fill!  The lower wall is about four to five feet above the ground.  It just looked like such a mess.  I was really worried about how it would turn out.  Once the upper part was built and leveled, I could start to see how it would come together.



There's my poor neighbor working hard on a humid, 90 degree day.  You can get an idea of the slope we were dealing with from this photo.  I'm not in love with the grey block but once it is all landscaped with shrubs it should soften up a lot.  Unfortunately, the choice was about budget.



We had to remove huge Rhododendrons from this area. Now we've exposed the ugly red foundation that needs some re-pointing. We'll be painting that ugly foundation a color that goes with the house and fixing those windows.



Now the fun part begins...  dressing this thing up and putting on the lipstick.  This upper part will have a clean row of boxwood with some cement urns on each side of the stairs.  It will be filled with this pretty rice stone.  It actually has a sparkle to it that you can't see in this photo.  The lower level will be sod with a white picket fence. 

 I bought a set of these gorgeous urns at Brimfield Antique Fair.  Can't wait to use them on the new patio! 

I'm still worried about how it is all going to look.  Keeping fingers crossed that we can pull it all together.  At least we will have a space that we can use and that will help with resale in the future.  Watch for my updates on this project.  If you have any advice on plantings, landscape or garden ideas, I would love to hear from you.

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I hope you have a wonderful day!

How to Design a Traditional Garden Landscape on a Small Budget

Mrs. Whaley's Charleston Garden ~ Classic Garden and My Favorite! http://designinspiration.typepad.com/design_inspiration_planet/2008/07/mrs-whaley-and-her-charleston-garden.html

It is possible to create a traditional garden landscape on a small budget if you keep in mind the design elements that go into formal gardens.

While Mrs. Whaley's garden is my all time cozy favorite, I realize that I do not have the space or the funds to recreate her garden in its exact form.  What I can do is get the same feeling by understanding the elements that go into a formal or traditional gardens and incorporate as many as I can within my budget

If you have an inspiration photo of a garden you absolutely love, try to pick out the parts that appeal to you the most.  You may not be able to have everything you want but you can be creative and add some statement pieces to your garden.


Photo - The Enchanted Home

For example, when I look at Mrs. Whaley's garden what appeals to me is the privacy, the white fence, the outline brick shape around the grass and the focal point of the statue at the far end.  I also like the shrubs mixed with the roses and potted flowers that add color against all that lush green.

Keep in mind that most formal or traditional gardens have the following three main elements:

1.  Classic accessories such as:
Urns or ornate planters -  Use one as a focal point or use two or more symmetrically.
Statues -  Always a favorite of mine in a beautiful garden.  Statues offer a higher level of sophistication to a formal garden.  You can have it as a focal point like Mrs. Whaley's garden or in another area surrounded by boxwoods.
Fountains or bird baths -  If you can't afford a fountain consider a cement bird bath.  Some of the large home improvement stores are carrying them and they are an inexpensive way to add interest to a section of your garden.  The little birdies will love you for it!
Garden Screens, Arbors or Pergolas - If you have the budget for these items they can really make your garden feel like a separate room.

2.  They are tidy and orderly:  Think clean lines.  You can create this by making a path out of inexpensive crushed stone or pavers.  Just be sure to keep the lines around the paths edged and clean looking.  You don't need to add brick or metal edging around your gardens but learn how to edge your gardens yourself to save money.  Turns out it is very easy and there are a lot of YouTube videos on edging a garden (I've included a link to one below).  You probably already have the tools to do it since all you need is a flat ended spade or you can buy a half-moon edger at your local hardware store.  Properly edged gardens are beautiful.  I tend to like them better than the ones that are too busy with stone, metal or horrible plastic edging.  Save all that extra work for your pathways.

This Old House Video on How to Edge Your Garden

3.  Balanced:  When you look at most traditional gardens they repeat plantings.  You'll see lines of boxwoods and symmetrical plantings across walkways or seating areas.  You can keep you cost down by watching for sales at the end of season sales on hydrangeas, boxwoods, dwarf spruce to add the outline to your garden space.  For example, consider using large cement or black urns at each end of a garden bench.  Plant each urn with a dwarf alberta Spruce surrounded by white impatiens or petunias.  Then continue the white with a couple of hydrangea bushes.  This balance and symmetry can make small gardens feel larger. 

                

 

 

Photos: Pinterest

 

Photo HGTV

 

 

One last point to keep in mind on your garden landscape budget is to spend the most you can afford on the permanent fixtures and focal points such as a pergola, urns, statues and walkways.  This is the same way you would treat your home decorating budget - spend on the big impact items first.  Even if you have to buy one item each season, you will save money in the long run and will have a space you truly love.   Creating a beautiful, traditional garden space on a budget is very easy to do as long as you're willing to do some searching for bargains and a little gardening work yourself. 

 

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