In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook beautifies a boring backyard.
Steps:
1. Dismantle old brick raised bed and carry away the bricks in wheelbarrow.
2. Use transplanting shovel to dig up plantings from the raised-bed area.
3. Remove the old lawn with a transplanting shovel.
4. Turn over and loosen heavily packed soil with pointed shovel.
5. Amend soil by adding 2 inches of compost; turn compost into soil with pointed shovel.
6. Dig down 3 inches deep to create a seating area, then cover the area with landscape fabric.
7. Install steel edging along edge of seating area. Secure the edging by using a hammer to tap in ground stakes.
8. Dump pea gravel onto landscape fabric; spread gravel with rake to 3 inches deep.
9. Dig holes along fence line for new plantings. Set plants into the holes, making sure not to bury them too deeply.
10. Backfill around the plants with soil and compost. Thoroughly water the plantings.
11. Spread 2 to 3 inches of bark mulch over the new planting area, but don't pile the mulch against the plant trunks.
12. Sprinkle starter fertilizer over the exposed soil where the old lawn was excavated. Lightly rake the fertilizer into the soil.
Source: www.thisoldhouse.com
Landscaping Tips
Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.
1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.
2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?
3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.
4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.
5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.