Our client wants to stay in her home as she ages and fully enjoy her yard. A spread of suburban lawn doesn’t interest her, so a diverse palette of native and edible plants is much more appealing. First the old lawn was smothered and densely planted. The borrowed view of a neighboring water tower and agricultural field has been enhanced with a new fieldstone wall. Pieces of the old cedar fencing have been repurposed as garden features, including a raspberry trellis. Smooth bluestone walkways now provide easy access. A rock scree holds a slope. And the pollinators have arrived!
New slightly raised beds are shaped, revealing where the bluestone path will be sited
Goats in action: all leaves of invasives have been stripped, weakening the plant and making it easier to extract root systems
Bluestone path helps define blank canvas garden beds
Monarchs on native milkweed
Before: Driveway entrance to back yard
Tearing down the old cedar fence: all wood is stored on site and reused in future projects
Before: South yard with original split rail fence
Raspberry canes are planted in root barrier, and recycled cedar posts will be strung with wire in Year 2 to accommodate growth. Planting intentionally designed to take advantage of borrowed view of neighboring agricultural field.
Before: Driveway entrance bed with Digsafe utility flags
Bluestone pathway has wide margins for planting ground cover plugs
Drip irrigation is key to a successful planting
Two ways to reuse old cedar: one a masculine look with linear lines, the other more feminine with curves
Before: North yard is difficult to walk through and the slope is full of invasive species
This hardscaped area is now easy to walk along and to spend time enjoying the forest below.
Native fieldstone is harvested locally and creates naturalistic steps and retaining walls in the lower North garden
Close-up of young apple tree bed with companion perennials: chives, lavender and comfrey
Phase One completion of this native- and permaculture-themed design