Re-landscaping the front yard to create a "Woodland Garden"

Jim has been fighting with his lawn since we met. It looks ok during the winter months when it's flooded with rain, but come summer it becomes a patchwork of tan, light green, dark green, and clover. I've often joked that if we are going for a camouflage look, we're super successful. But, since a solid green patch has been his goal, we've missed the mark. 

About 5 years ago, Jim and his brother dug down a foot, carted away all the yucky clay, and put down nice soil. Then, the brothers put down sod. You'd think that if all the sprinklers are working, and they are, that would have been "problem solved." He sure did! But, unfortunately, you're both wrong. 

As I LOVE gardening, I suggested that we do away with the hateful lawn and try a more woodland setting for our front yard. I enjoy walking around neighborhoods and always am drawn to front yards that show some imagination and thought. I'm especially fond to front yards that have a path and make you feel like you just want to wander into the yard to explore. 

So, that's going to be our goal at our house. Since this is a gardening blog, I thought I'd endeavor to share the whole experience with you. It seems daunting right now, and I know that I still have rose colored glasses on as I've never worked on a project that was easier than I thought it would be. Quite the opposite, it always seems that when I'm halfway finished, I feel that it was way more than I could do. In this case, I'm working with Jim who is a hard worker, comes up with great ideas, and is fun to boot! 

What we have is a pretty blank slate. What we plan to have is a woodland garden with raised little hills, trees, plants, and a couple of paths. I'd like to sprinkle in some whimsical elements as time goes on. 

This first phase will consist of running water to where we need it, creating the first set of mounds,  and planting our three Coastal Redwood Trees.

I've taken "before" pictures for you to see. We've already progressed past this point, so tomorrow I'll show the next step.

full view of front yard... You can see the problem!

from this angle it doesn't look that bad, but you can see various colors of green

Here you can see some dead patches

This is right where we park. So, this is the view we come home to. Yuck!

June in our garden

Wow! A month goes by so fast! Well, it's been an exciting month in our little garden. The tomatoes are growing great and we added an essential source of relaxation! Also, a mama Robin has taken up residence on our back porch. She and her mate created two nests. One was destroyed by a bullying blue jay. The other, situated above our wind-chimes seems to be working out great. Most of the day I can peek out my back door and see a darling Robin sitting on her nest. 

Our Robin tending her nest

Mama Robin above our wind chime

Our yard has a great deal of shade which means that I have to be careful to select plants that like to be out of the sun. And, just when I think I've got that down pat, I realize that one of my shade lovers is actually getting too much sun because of a break in the trees that allows in too much light at some point during the day. But, that's gardening. The challenge each gardener faces is to figure out our own little patches of ground and make something beautiful out of it. I had very ambitious plans for this year in our yard but with necessary repairs, traveling, and my own physical limitations, I may have to scale back.

Gnomes ready for company thanks

tomato plants

We’ll get all the broken fence posts repaired, re-do the front yard, but the play-house may have to wait another year. *sigh* That’s life, I guess. The necessary takes precedence over the fun. Honestly, I can’t complain. For Mother’s Day, my sweetie gave me a hammock and a little dirt bike so I can get more comfortable with all the controls! 

Hammock in the shade

I hope you’re gardening dreams are coming true. See you next month unless something wonderful happens in the garden before then.

Brand new gardening blog

The veggie garden we started because Jim's brother, Bill gave us lovely heirloom tomatoes and squashes. It's only about two-thirds full, but I'm looking forward to all the fresh veggies!

Welcome to my brand new blog! I think it would be really fun for me to follow another artist/gardener through their experience of crating a lovely garden, so I've decided start my very own gardening blog!My interests include creating art, photography, gardening, writing, and a many other creative pursuits. I also have an art blog at www.laurapallatin.blogspot.com.   I love gardening and want to make my back yard a lovely place to enjoy. It's not really bad now, but it definitely calls my name and I know that it could be so much more. I thought it would be fun to chronicle the changes as we take our yard from a nice place to a stunning one. To get started, here are a few pictures of our yard today.  

Our little shed

The left side of our yard which is pretty bare except for some redwoods and Gracie the dog.

My Japanese maple nursery shaded by a pretty little maple tree.

Two chairs on in the area that I hope will have a little playhouse before the winter comes again.

a pink hydrangea shrub barely blooming. At the upper left corner of this picture you'll see a little mushroom garden art. We like gnomes, so silly mushrooms are welcomed here, too.

This jasmine arch is one of my favorite features in our yard so far. Those white things on the ground are Cottonwood mess. :(

This is our redwood nursery. These trees are waiting for the bed to be prepared for them in our front yard. They were also our Christmas Trees last year!

This view of our yard is the walkway toward the front of the house. This view includes some irises, a red Japanese Maple, a climbing rose, and (at the very end) a very happy wall flower.