Archive for privacy screening – Page 4

Portland Landscape Design creates privacy for small city backyard in Woodstock neighborhood

Posted by Carol

· December 19, 2018

Portland Landscape Design creates privacy for small city backyard in Woodstock neighborhood

Colorful small tree for Woodstock neighborhood backyard Case History: Portland infill home in Woodstock neighborhood needs a professional landscape design. The biggest problem for new infill homes with tiny yards is privacy.

Roger and Meghan, no dogs and no kids, had recently moved to Portland and purchased a new home in the Woodstock neighborhood. Roger wanted an interesting and easy care garden to putz in, colorful plantings and no lawn. Most of all they wanted privacy.

Solving Privacy Issues-It’s about making a beautiful view

There were bad views on all three sides of the backyard. The house behind had a visually obnoxious roof and we could see their neighbors doing their dishes quite clearly in the evening. The house to the west had a shed which was useful for some privacy, but was infested with Norway rats. The owners were elderly and not keeping up with their home. It’s tough to start making demands of your new neighbors so most of my clients don’t. The house on the other side was also a new infill house and there was no privacy between the two properties.

Designers Viewpoint on Screening Plants

I needed to create beautiful views to see from inside the house and from the back patio that would simultaneously create privacy and block bad views. The plants needed to grow quickly but not get too big for the tiny yard. There are not a lot of plants that will slow down once they are mature. Most will get too big too quickly.

I selected my trusty clumping bamboo-Fargesia ‘Robusta Campbell’ paired with an evergreen narrow semi dwarf Magnolia tree. The contrast between the feathery bamboo and the magnolia’s large dark green leathery leaves would have been exciting and this would have been a fast-growing solution. My clients decided against the bamboo because rats sometimes eat bamboo shoots and they didn’t want to encourage the rats to come into their yard. I substituted drought tolerant Boxleaf Tree-Azara Microphyla for the privacy screen and they were back on track. Azara has a tiny leaf and would contrast well with the Magnolia’s large leaf.

Path as a design feature for a small yard

The back yard is all planting solution with a flagstone path that circles and dramatically frames a focal point planting. The path is wide enough to walk or to pull weeds from. Roger laid the flagstone himself.

Plants with vibrant spring color

I dropped by the following spring (I was next door creating a design for their neighbors) and saw the magnificent coral orange leaves of Japanese maple ‘Shaina’ with lime gold ground cover, (Saxifraga) and peach foliage coral bell. The emerging spring foliage puts on an intense and vibrant show. The new landscape has many seasons of beauty and the spring view is no exception.

Portland Residential Landscape Design Woodstock neighborhood Roger and Meghan are enjoying their new home and landscape and Roger enjoyed installing the garden so much he might take it on as a second career in addition to his professional photography. So far the rats have not caused a lot of problems………How Portland lives with, not against, its rats is a fascinating read.

Plant List

Backyard planting in Woodstock neighborhood Portland, Oregon The spring color vignette included:

Japanese maple ‘Shaina’ – Acer Palmatum ‘Shaina’

Coral Bell ‘Marmalade’-Heuchera x ‘Marmalade’

Saxifraga x urbium ‘Aureopunctata’-Saxifrages ‘London Pride Aureopunctata’

Brunnera macro. ‘Jack Frost’-Bugloss ‘Jack Frost’

Categories : Before and Afters, Garden Tips, No lawn back yard, Plants I Recommend, Tree Selection

Tags : difficult small garden, landscape design, No Lawn, no lawn back yard, privacy landscape, privacy screening, small back yard

Trees for Portland Residential Landscape Design in Woodstock neighborhood

Posted by Carol

· April 4, 2018

Young Japanese elm in Woodstock neighborhood

Trees for Portland Residential Landscape Design in Woodstock neighborhood

One September afternoon while in Portland’s Woodstock neighborhood I drove by a former client’s home. My clients had moved, and I was curious to see how the design (installed a dozen years ago) had held up. Once clients move I rarely have continuance with the landscape.

This drive by is a mixed bag.

Shade Tree for the backyard

Affordable Landscaping Portland design in residential Woodstock.

The shade tree for the back yard is absolutely perfect, and exactly what I had envisioned. This is the part of drive bys I like the best. I used a Japanese Elm – Zelkova serrata variety called ‘Wireless’ because it’s one of the few shade trees that is compatible with lawn and ‘Wireless’ is the perfect shape and size to provide shade for city landscapes.

Their leaves are smaller than most shade trees and allow dapples of sunlight through the canopy to the lawn while filtering out the heat. The exaggerated vase shape of the tree also allows light to come in under the tree in the morning and late afternoon. This tree provides shade to the south facing deck and the back of the house. It will get over 30’ wide at the top. It matures at 25’ tall so it is a tree that will be wider than it is tall.

If you are a discerning shade aficionado you will say hmmm…… the shade tree doesn’t have low branches so how can you sit on the back deck and have dinner without being blinded by the south sun? We kept a mature mixed hedge at the back of the property and it will block those dinner hour sun rays. The shade tree will filter the hottest sun of the day.

Privacy Screen Planting for side yard

Residential Garden Design Portland, Oregon Woodstock neighborhood. Less successful is the privacy screen planting for the side yard. I used a narrow variety of Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Franz Fontaine’) to block the view of the neighbor’s driveway and their vehicles and also to create an attractive view from the bedroom Affordable Landscaping Portland residential trees. windows. For the design to be functional, the Hornbeam would need to be pruned once or twice a year to become a 10’ narrow wall of thick leaves. The maintenance did not happen since my clients moved. Now the side yard privacy screen is wildly out of scale and the charm is gone.

Make an appointment to start your Portland residential landscaping with designer Carol.

Categories : Before and Afters, Design Basics, Garden Tips, New Improved Plants, Plants I Recommend, Tree Selection

Tags : backyard garden, backyard landscape design, city trees, fall color, hedge plant, privacy screening, shade, Shade tree

North Portland Residential Landscape Design for Shade

Posted by Carol

· February 7, 2018

North Portland Residential Landscape Design for Shade

Chris and Jennifer of North Portland contacted me for help with their large shady back yard.

Problems

They were overwhelmed with the high maintenance of lawn under huge trees. They wanted a back yard for entertaining a large family (with lots of adult kids and future grand kids). They wanted to DIY and had a strict budget, so spending 20 grand on a concrete patio was not realistic. Cedar chip patio makes affordable landscaping for North Portland home. Views over the fence included other neglected yards and they had a large (evil) tree of heaven that had to go. Many plants had died or looked leggy and sun starved.

The back yard was longer than deep and made creating a design on their own more difficult.

Solutions

My best contributions were getting the shapes of the new rooms to work with their long but shallow yard. Introducing them to the concept of using cedar chips as their primary surface for entertaining and paths was a perfect fit also. It looks great with their NW Natural style landscape, it’s affordable and it’s very easy to care for. If you get the right kind of chips you can even use a leaf blower on them and they don’t blow away.

We tucked different outdoor rooms into the perimeter of the landscape and kept the existing small concrete patio as a spacious entry to the house and the BBQ center. No more trying to fit a dining table on it as they had done before the design.

Selecting low water plants

Sword fern works well for the woodsy nature of this North Portland garden design.

The plant selection was also critical. Shade plants had to survive on the water the big trees would let them have so our palette needed to be all low water plants. We used a lot of sword ferns and kept native plants wherever possible.

On the south end we used one of my favorite little evergreen trees, Boxleaf Azara – Azara Microphylla. They planted them up on a berm which made them taller and helped do a faster job of screening out the neighbors garage wall. Planting Azaras up on a berm prevents root rot since these plants do not tolerate poor drainage.

DIY installed

Their DIY install of the landscape turned out fantastic. They loved their back yard. When change came along, and they had to put their house on the market, the yard was another major asset and selling point. These photos, which they took, are from their marketing page.

I especially love the hammock room. The fire pit patio is clearly the largest entertaining area and is used for lounging with or without a fire. Their fire pit patio is a crushed rock surface, not cedar chips.

low maintenance evergreen screens tall wall in Raliegh Hills garden design

Azara Microphylla has fine evergreen leaves that add texture to this wall in SW Portland.

The chips continue around to the side yard gate and match the rest of the now low maintenance landscape.

“Carol understood us and got our style for a NW Natural landscape design for our North Portland yard. We were very happy that she surpassed our expectations for low maintenance, no lawn, great textured plantings, backyard design. She understood that we wanted to do some of the work ourselves and helped us make a beautiful-yard-on-a-budget a reality.”

Categories : Dog and Cat Friendly Gardens, Dramatic Flowers, Garden Tips, Low Maintenance Landscape Examples, No lawn back yard, Shade Garden Tips, Shade Plants, Tree Selection

Tags : cedar chip paths, drought tolerant plantings, low maintenance plantings, low water plants, native plants, no lawn back yard, nw native plant, outdoor enertaining patio, outdoor living, outdoor rooms, privacy screening, shade, Shade plants to go under your trees

Swim Spa Low Maintenance Landscape Design

Posted by Carol

· January 25, 2017

Landscaping The Swim Spa That Took Over The Backyard

Swim spa in small backyard required low maintenance privacy landscaping.

Rachael and her family like to swim even in December when this photo was taken with the blooming Camellia Sasanqua ‘Yuletide’.

Rachael and her family like to swim. They have twin toddlers who have been swimming since they were three months old. Seeing them playing like baby otters is adorable, even cuter than puppies which is saying something!

Existing Conditions

Prior to the swim spa their backyard was a pleasant place with a tiny lawn, a covered patio, and some easy-care plantings. They also had a beloved gorgeous 36-inch diameter trunk California myrtle tree that shaded half the yard. The new swim spa dominated the back yard and the mud from the construction process made it a poor place for toddlers to play. This new situation was beyond heading to the plant nursery to select a few new plants. They needed a designer to re-design the backyard, create solutions for privacy and manipulate the space to maximize every inch.

Landscape Design in a Day

Rachael and I talked on the phone and we were a great fit. We scheduled a Landscape Design in a Day, my collaborative design process, and they started preparing their base drawing and working through my landscape survey questions. I was really looking forward to this one but it was going to be so tricky! We met at their home one cool spring day to create the design together.

Privacy

The new 10′ x 20′ swim spa sits four plus feet above the ground making the swimmers very visible to neighbors. They wanted privacy for themselves and in case their neighbors didn’t really want to watch them swim, for the neighbors too.

Low maintenance screening plants for swim spa backyard.

Camellia Sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ helps screen swim spa.

The privacy issues for small properties with close neighbors is often tricky. On one side of the property it was easy. The California myrtle and a couple of mature rhododendron would solve most of the problems on that side. Three things would need to happen. We needed to stop pruning back the tops of the old rhodies, they would need to be treated each year for lace bug and be irrigated. For the last privacy hole on this side we would fill it with a New Zealand Box Tree. I will prune it myself the first few times, Azara Microphylla to help it fit into the difficult spot that is right next to the gate. It is needed to screen out a neighbor’s window that is on the first floor. It’s important to use a small tree that won’t get too big for this spot and this tree was the perfect solution.

Bamboo Screen

The back-property line was difficult because the swim spa was right next to the fence. We had only a few feet for a privacy planting and it needed to grow to 10 feet tall and very narrow in order to fit. I used my faithful clumping bamboo up in planters. This variety of clumping bamboo, Fargesia Robusta ‘Campbell’, stands straight up so it will not weep over and interfere with the swimming. Most varieties of clumping bamboo have too much weeping and arching shape to them and don’t work well for tiny landscapes. The planters were advantageous for many reasons. 1^st we would not need to dig deep and disturb the root system of the beloved California Myrtle tree. 2^nd we could use an ideal soil mixture in the planters so the bamboo would thrive. They will grow in our local clay top soil but will do much better in a soil mix that drains well. 3^rd by putting them in planters they would be taller from the beginning.

Newly installed landscape around existing hardscape.

We utilized the existing walkway which fit the client’s cottage garden style and her budget.

The privacy for the driveway side was the hardest. We needed to screen out a second story window at the neighbors and had no planting area to do it with. We decided to use an arbor. It fit beautifully and we were all enthusiastic about it. However, when all the numbers came in, the arbor wasn’t a practical choice. When I visited recently to see how things were growing along we talked about a more affordable solution.

Before swim spa low maintenance landscaping was installed.

Before – The new swim spa dominated the back yard.

Two small trees in very large pots placed strategically will be part of a future phase. In a small yard situation like this tiny backyard we can’t afford to leave the driveway to the garage read as a driveway. They didn’t use the small garage for parking a car. Using furniture and pots we made this area a sunny sitting area.

Rachael says

“Hi Carol, Nice to hear from you. Yes we would love for you to come by and take a look. All the Camellia Sasanqua are blooming and they are beautiful! The bamboo is already growing and we love our little backyard oasis. Thank you for referring us to Scott Schultze, Tellurian Gardens. He and his crew did a great job installing the new landscape.”

Categories : Before and Afters, Customer Testimonials, Plants I Recommend

Tags : dramatic winter plants, privacy, privacy screening, small back yard, stamped concrete pathway, swim spa

Planters Are a Designer’s Best Friend

Posted by Carol

· July 1, 2015

Steel planters with yucca, heather and succulents create year round color with a modern twist.

Hardscape Is A Great Addition To Your Landscaping

I use large built in planters to solve a variety of landscape problems and here are some of my favorites.

planter uses hardscape to create privacy.

This front yard planter is about creating privacy for the living room window. Their Willamette Heights house is 12 feet from the public sidewalk and they live near a park so there’s lots of foot traffic. Juniper Communis ‘Gold Cone’, semi dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea Quercifolia, ‘Sykes Dwarf’, California lilac ‘Concha’ (Ceanothus) purchased as a tree form at Kinens Big Phat Plants. This is a specialty wholesale only grower who shapes his plants beautifully before selling which is why I love to purchase a focal point plant such as the California Lilac tree from him.

hardscape planter with arbor in Grant Park neighborhood

Grant Park Side Yard Privacy Planter – Anderson

This planter gets a privacy boost with an arbor which creates a visual barrier between the neighbors’ utility side yard and my client’s driveway. The kids play in the driveway and the adults use the planter for edibles so this area has become an important part of their yard. It also adds dramatic curb appeal to the entry. Read more

Raleigh Hills NW Natural Backyard – The Coles

Here we use green peeled logs to make a raised beds/planter. We wanted raised beds so the plants would be safe from the dogs (two very smart and active standard poodles) who fly through paths. I chose the peeled logs because they fit into the woodsy Northwest natural setting of this property. I also had the specialty cedar chips laid at 6″ deep. It’s too shady for lawn and other medium encourages fleas and doesn’t last. It’s the perfect dog friendly solution for a shady back yard. The plants pictured are native Sword Fern and Hardy Geranium, Geranium Macrorrhizum ‘Mrs. Ingwersen’ also have a woodsy look.

NE Portland Entry Landscape Design for Alameda corner lot

Michaels planter – this stone planter gives us the opportunity to jazz up the curb appeal of this bungalow in NE Portland. It’s about creating a dramatic and colorful entry experience and visually softening the foundation below the front porch. Helianthemun ‘Henfield Brilliant’ billows over the cap of the planter.

Beaverton Condominium Patio – Knight

Here is a very modern patio and it would be nothing without these planters. We chose planters rather than at grade planting beds because of ginormous tree roots that invaded all the planting beds. There was no room to even dig holes for new plantings. Gardening will be easier for my client who is approaching an age where bending down to tend the ground is a less attractive idea. Read more.

After photo of hardscape landscaping stone planters with privacy tree just installed Buckman Neighborhood

Tiny urban courtyard needed privacy-planters with small trees will provide it. See barely visible new vine maple trunk in center of planter.

The Tiny Urban Courtyard Needs Privacy

My client’s 1909 house in Buckman Neighborhood fills most of his 36’ by 100’ lot. My mission? Transform his tiny narrow utilitarian “yard” into a private sanctuary for relaxing outside. His new planters create enough soil space to plant small screening trees that will provide privacy and ambiance for being outside in the summer. The small trees (Acer Circinatum ‘Pacific Fire’) will be easier to walk around and easier to care for up the in planters. Read more

NE Portland home needs privacy on narrow side yard

These clear cedar wood planters are 30″ tall and 4′ wide to house a large clump of my favorite screening plant for city properties. The plant is a clumping bamboo called Fargesia robusta ‘Campbell’ and the custom planters are beautifully crafted by Victor Vincelli, who worked with the design installer Donna Burdick of D and J Landscape Contracting. He also built a perfect fire pit cover that acts as a table. I’ll add a link here so you can see the final results in 2021.

Privacy solution planters for clumping bamboo in Irvington neighborhood

Donna Burdick of D and J Landscape Contracting sits on large custom privacy planter for clumping bamboo

If you are interested in how hardscape landscaping can be added to your garden, contact me for more information!

Categories : Design Basics, Dog and Cat Friendly Gardens, Garden Tips, Plants I Recommend

Tags : Aging in place in the garden, curb appeal, garden design with stone, Gardens for seniors, Hardscape Design, hydrangea, peeled log planter, planters, privacy screening, raised beds, Stone planters

Archive for privacy screening – Page 4

North Portland Residential Landscape Design for Shade

North Portland Residential Landscape Design for Shade

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