I realize my last post was a while ago. My excuse is preparation for a road trip to Idaho. I’m in Idaho now and trying to get into a routine of posting on a basis as regular as I can manage. Before my trip, I was also in the process of helping my parents, primarily my mother, design and implement changes to their backyard. The yard’s dimensions are about 50 by 65 feet with a garage that takes up about a fifth of that space. Throughout my memory of the backyard only a few of aspects are constant: the sidewalk leading to the garage, three dwarf Canadian hemlocks, and the red bench next to the west fence.

My mother was keen on having something that she called an “outdoor room” that involved a pergola. Other than that stipulation I was free to design (I use that word very loosely) a new backyard and garden as I pleased. I think a garden should be, in order of importance, environmentally sound, nutritive, and aesthetically pleasing.

By environmentally sound, I mean using native plants suited for your climate as to reduce anthropogenic watering and fertilizing, while providing habitat and/or forage for wildlife. The more structural and biotic heterogeneity in your garden, the more hospitable it becomes for certain wildlife. Well, in this case, more layers of vegetation are best suited for providing shelter for avian critters. Obviously, some birds prefer open fields and fewer vertically oriented vegetative impediments. Given the location of this backyard and its urban setting more canopy layers suit the birds of the area, but any plant assemblage can be created to attract the desired wildlife. Specifically, for this backyard garden, I wanted the changes to increase carbon sequestration.

Creating a garden to be “environmentally sound” doesn’t exclude its ability to grow food. Perhaps some sacrifice on the side of environmental integrity must be made in the name of food production, but too often are humans removed from the notion of being natural. Humans are natural and the fact we are conscious of it makes us a very special part of nature. Plus, we are not the only living thing to modify their environment to suit survival requirements. At least in temperate areas, berries and nut trees can provide healthy, native sources of food for humans and wildlife. Of course, traditional garden veggies can also be grown more sustainably by using organic gardening practices and planting heirloom vegetables bred for your climate. Enough can’t be said for compost.

Different folks have different ideas about what is aesthetically pleasing and that will ultimately dictate what a garden will look like. Lawns have been popular for far too long. They are like parasites that have lodged themselves in the brain of homeowners across North America and instruct their hosts to feed them. The low functionality of lawns is probably the reason why I’m vehemently against them. Sure, you can have barbeques on a lawn and run without the worry of tripping over anything, but not terribly useful otherwise. Besides, most places have parks and other public places where such needs can be met without sacrificing the potential of your own property. We fertilize lawns to grow, but we don’t want them to grow too much so we cut them. After patches of grass die, instead of letting them produce their own seed to fill in bare spots for free, we go out to the store to buy seed. We then spend money on water for growing the seed and the grass. Michael Pollen’s words are more eloquent than mine when it comes to the inanity of grass and lawns. My point is, don’t fall into the trap of conformity. By a gardening magazine, Google images of garden styles you fancy. Develop a garden that suits your tastes and your lifestyle.

Consider how much maintenance you want to invest in a garden. For most, the less work the better. Nearly all gardens, including those consisting of natives will require regular care until establishment, weeding, the occasional trim, staking, etc. In most cases, less lawn equals less work. One option for maintenance is absolutely nothing, which rewards the onlooker with the phenomenon of succession.

Unfortunately, this is not a popular idea and doesn’t always appease my garden criteria. So I set to work looking for a nursery that sold native plants and to my surprise, there was only one within a reasonable distance. In fact it was a small native plant nursery called Fiddlehead Creek Nursery that has a very informative website and a fair amount of stock to choose from. Using the plants the nursery had in stock that fit the site conditions, the backyard renovation plan started to gain momentum.

To increase sunlight It was agreed upon by my family that one of the Canadian Hemlocks would be cut down along with the two invasive Norway maples. The two maples being cut down had grown rapidly to a height of over three stories after a mature hemlock overshadowing them was removed for fear of falling on our garage. Because of their proximity and apparent preference to fall near power lines, I nimbly ascended to the canopy to limb the maples. After my aerobatic arborescent maneuvering the trees were truncated to a size safe enough to avoid electrical damage. The Canadian hemlock slated to be cut acted as a cushion for the falling maples. When the maple branches were cleared, it was time to cut the dwarf hemlock. It was a little sad because the tree had been there throughout my childhood and my mothers. I wound up counting approximately 76 rings! Good ol’ tree. The maple was a third that age. With the trees gone and stumps removed an image of the garden to be emerged. Sunlight was introduced to a part of the yard that hasn’t had it in years.

While cutting down the Norway maple and Canadian hemlock created a new space for the desired outdoor room, it also destroyed two significant carbon sinks. To mitigate this loss, I would obviously need to plant woody species. The outdoor room would increase the privacy of my parents’ backyard and woody species were ideal. A couple other strategically placed small trees would, in a few years, enclose the backyard nicely. An American Hazelnut and a chokeberry met the size and soil requirements as well as my three garden ideals. Although they are not native, I proposed planting two cherry trees (Prunus cerasus) and a Honey Crisp Apple tree (my favorite kind of apple). They are moderate growers that will be really fun to have around, especially after about five years when they can start producing fruit.

Purple flowering raspberries and elderberries (both native) were also selected to quickly fill in lower vegetative layers, while the woody species became established. The raspberry can be staked to aid in giving it shape, which will hopefully blend effectively with the elderberries. The rest of the garden is self-explanatory from the diagram. The area of grass was decreased significantly by rototilling then mulching. Raised beds were to be put in one of the sunniest locations of the yard. Eventually, a butterfly garden will be put. I estimate it will take 10 years for garden to grow into what I and my mother envision. In the interim, elderberries, raspberries, the raised beds and an established grape vine will keep my parents occupied with making jellies, jams, tasty salads, and hopefully wine!

See attached drawing of the new layout here!