This homeowner wanted to never see a lawnmower again, to rededicate her land to supporting wildlife and to add a new area for entertaining humans. We did a complete front and back yard lawn replacement with native plants, natural stone walls, a cobble-style patio, retaining seat walls and a fire pit.
This urban neighborhood is friendly but traditional, so we kept the very front of the property looking much more intentional by planting rows of native sedge along the sidewalk. A new native limestone retaining walls runs along the sidewalk and up the concrete steps that created new elevated beds allowing us to plant native ground covers, wildflowers, native grasses and shrubs, resulting in a pollinator and bird paradise within the city.
In the backyard, we replaced a failing retaining wall, adding effective drainage to reroute stormwater. We regraded the soil and installed low dry stack natural stone walls to create pocket gardens and accentuate undulations in the elevation. The elevation change culminates in a new paver patio with seat walls and a firepit.
In the front yard, the main construction challenge was adding plantings under an established honey locust and an eastern redcedar. Both of these had extensive, shallow root systems. The solution was a native dry-stack limestone wall, structured around some large roots. This allowed us to create the much needed soil space for the new native shrubs and perennials.
Another fun challenge was the honey locust and eastern redcedar created heavy shade in the north half of the yard while the south half was bright, dry and sunny. We were careful to select plants that would give a symmetrical look to the yard despite these mixed light conditions.
In the backyard, we ripped out a rotting fence, 40 linear feet of a failing retaining wall, and 1300 square feet of overgrown weedy turf and replaced it with another cool mixed light conditions habitat for animals and people alike. When clearing out the brush, we discovered native several native goldenrods and iris bulbs that got incorporated into the design.We releveled parts of the existing vintage brick patio to improve drainage, then edged it with limestone pieces native to the site. We regraded the site and installed low dry stack natural stone walls to create pocket gardens and accentuate undulations in the elevation. And get this: all the natural stone we used was dug up from this very property during our previous work!
A brick-edged buckshot gravel path meanders gently from the patio to an old-world-feeling small paver patio with seat walls and a round fire pit. This pathway from the brick patio to the firepit patio is meant to be a journey of discovery, playing with elements of mystery, immersion, ascension, and revelation. The shapes and textures of the plantings tantalize you with glimpses of the firepit area as you near it. And these shapes and textures, of course, change throughout the year, so no two walks are ever the same.
While excavating the far back, we found a lot of glass pieces from trash buried apparently in the 1960s, including pharmacy bottles, Avon cream pots, and a glass inkwell with some wet ink still in it. We washed these and returned them to the homeowner, who is considering crafting them into a set of chimes for her new outdoor space.
