I’m excited to share several landscape transformations right here in NE Portland. March brought us a rare run of sunny days, and it was the perfect time to visit clients and check in on a few newly installed front and back yards. If you’re curious about how outdoor spaces transform—and maybe dreaming about your own back or front yard makeover—read on for three stories of small changes with big impact.

Here’s a landscape design for anyone whose yard has more time with four-legged than two-legged visitors! This NE Portland family has two large dogs and a shady, heavy clay-soil backyard where grass just didn’t stand a chance. The existing paver patio was in good condition, but too small for their needs, and the table crowded the space.

Plan the Space for Dining Outdoors on the Typical Number of Guests

Instead of tearing everything out, we simply re-thought how the family would use the yard now that their kids were leaving the nest. We took out the table leaf (no need for a six-seater every day), and switched up the furniture arrangement for better flow. We replaced the patchy lawn with NW Play Fiber chips (from Mt. Scott Fuel), which pretty much eliminates muddy paws and makes the yard much easier to keep tidy. Bonus: there’s plenty of room for a future granny swing back in the “chip zone”!

A promisng “before” — and just wait!

We also added classic 24” x 24” concrete slabs as a path, repeating the pattern between a few dramatic whiskey barrel planters for visual punch. It’s simple, clean, and dog-proof—and I can’t wait to show you “after” pics once the plants have filled in next summer!