Big Backyard Dreams

So, as I said in my earlier post we could have a nice view but we don't because of an eyesore block wall and we have no privacy because of a rickety wire fence that runs along the back of the property

So faced with these two setbacks I've decided that I need to block the mountain view out with this...

I like the clipped hedges for the backyard because I think they will add some interest to a very small space. The boxed hedge is called Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa' and it is slow growing to 1-2 feet. You can find it at Monrovia.com.

I like the climbing roses. The pops of vivid red against the crisp white trellis and lush hedge behind it really make them pop! I'm fond of this one for the trellises. The canes get 10-12' long. It's called All Ablaze and it too can be found at Monrovia.com.

For a bush I prefer
The rose bushes would provide privacy while providing fresh cut flowers for the house. If I can't do that here I definitely want to do it along the back wall.

It's just one idea. I'm sure I'll come up with more.

An Itty Bitty Back Yard

Okay, so here's what I've got to work with...
I'm thankful we have a small patch of lawn, but the block wall really cuts the yard space in half. This was taken before we moved in and the dog has really done a number on the grass so we need to reseed it and fertilize to bring it back to this condition. It's not his fault. He's got to go somewhere and we realize that. It's just that the park has standards that we have to adhere to.

All the plants that you see in the picture below have been removed and there's nothing but dirt there right now.

This is the other corner of the yard. As you can see it wasn't very well thought out. Had I had my way I would have poured concrete all the way to block wall and made a useful patio but we can't do that so I have some other ideas in mind. You can see the cheap fence that borders a busy street and deprives us of any privacy because there's a footpath there that people use all day long so I have an idea for adding some privacy which I will go into later.

Forgive my finger in the shot...here's the  little patio we have to work with. I have put my patio set there now but it takes up the entire patio so I don't know what I'm going to do at this point. I'd put down pavers but as you can see in the photo above the sprinkler valves are in the corner so I'm stuck. Once again a not very well thought out plan. Why didn't they put the valves near the fence?

I suppose I could move them or give the patio set to my daughter and buy smaller set for us. Perhaps something along this line...The idea is from Home Depot. I love everything about this set from the colors of the furniture to the accent pillows and solar lamps on the wall. I really like the idea of an outdoor rug too.

This project will be a work in progress. I'm sure I will have many ideas before I come up with a plan that I'm definitely going to do. So here we go...

My Garden Ideas for a Small Front Yard

I live in a mobile home park in zone 9b in Southern California. Right now both the front and back yards are almost a blank slate and I look forward to starting a with a new plan that is of my choosing.

The front is approximately 20 feet wide by 10 feet deep. I like the red brick work and am going to change the color of the house to accentuate that, but that's a little later.

We have pulled out all of the bushes and gotten rid of the dated wrought iron white bench. Only the tree and deer remain. They are very expensive and when I'm though they will be a nice feature in either the front or back yard.

In the brick planter to the left there are a bunch of succulents that will soon find their way to the dumpster. Living in the low desert for 10 years I learned to loathe cacti. I'm going to fill it with colorful flowers - hopefully next month so check back.

There are two statuary lions sitting on top of the brick pedestals. I don't know what the original owner was thinking of when he built those and put the lions there. This certainly isn't a mansion and they look ridiculous.

So back to the tree in the front yard...I wasn't sure what it was until I did some serious internet research and compared the leaves and spent seed pods with photos I found on various sites. I discovered that it's a Zuni Crape Myrtle. It grows in zone 9 and takes full sun well and it's drought and disease resistant. The tree grows 12' to 15' tall and 8' to 10' wide which means that our tree is just about fully grown. I found out that ours is worth about $300! Yikes! I was going to tear it out. So glad I waited to see what it was. Ours looks so scraggly because it hasn't been getting any water. I fixed that today so hopefully I'll see some changes in the next few weeks.

It supposedly keeps some of it's dark green leaves while adding orange, red and yellow into the mix. I will have to update you on that this fall. Since this is our first year here we haven't seen the tree in all it's glory. We moved in, in December when all the leaves were virtually gone.

There's a hedge to the left of the brick planter that runs most of the length of the mobile home but for some wacky reason some previous owner had them terrace the hedge in decreasing increments towards the backyard so it's not all even. We are in the process of rectifying it. Hopefully, before this fall the hedge will be at least 5 feet tall from front to back.

It's called Viburnum tinus and it has these lovely white clusters all over the tops where the hedge hasn't been clipped. I want to leave it that way. I just have to have the sides trimmed only and let mother nature do all the rest. Only downfall is that the bees love it so it's not a good hedge for the patio area but I have a solution for that.

So that's the front yard.

I'm really hoping that in the coming months I will be able to plant some new things in the yard and that it will begin to take shape.

On a good note we got a new gardener (one that knows what he's talking about) so we are all set!