Post on 13-Jul-2015
Laurie’s & Greg’s
house
3 apt house: one-basement apt. / one-1st floor apt. / one- 2nd & 3rd floor apt.
Site conditions: Multi tenant house
Not many access paths
to entrances/exits.
Evergreens in front
North-west corner and
along the East Side
2 Deciduous trees in
the front yard (North
side) providing some
shade to the yard but
not the house.
No privacy from street
or buffer from winter
wind.
North facing street
South facing backyard-high maintenance lawn
Site conditions continued…
Outside/extended area
–mostly open fields &
farms.
South/South west side
is mostly open, high
maintenance lawn.
The farm beyond the
backyard creates dust.
Side house
Backyard
Laurie and Greg will (most likely) move out in few years but intend to keep this house as a rental.
They desire:
A low maintenance but neat yard
To catch rainwater off roof
To have a social area for their
tenants to gather
To have raised bed vegetable
gardens for themselves/tenants
To have more privacy near the
hammock in the front yard.
Create an energy efficient, low maintenance landscape by creating more: PLANTING AREA, PATHS, & SOCIAL AREAS
Use grass ONLY as an accent
and in between large areas of:
plantings / paths / social space.
No more weed whacker!
Keep grass to
minimum!
To save time, energy,
money, and fossil fuels.
Use “no mow”
varieties like delta blue
or buffalo grass.
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Create an energy efficient, low maintenance landscape by creating more: PLANTING AREA PATHS, & SOCIAL AREAS
Create planting beds
around buildings and edges
of your yard using
woodchips, PERENNIAL,
hardy shrubs and small
trees.
Woodchip covered beds look
great even when simple and
sparse.
And you can add to your plantings over the
years for more complexity & diversity.
Less grass
More fun
Think about a….
A patio!!!
for eating outside
• picnic table
• pergola for shade
• grapes,
• Lanterns
• Christmas lights
Think about planting some nut trees around the edges to have
valuable harvests for years into the future with very little
work….also fruit trees, peaches, pears, persimmons, paw paw, and
cherries. Capture and store the sun!
Pathways are important
It defines space and gives tenant a safe place to walk, especially when it’s wet and muddy outside.
Underneath the stairs would
be a perfect place to place
gravel , wood chips, or stone
Less to mow but also it will
increase function think:
• bike rack
• Rain barrel
• Storage for Frisbees and
bocce balls
• Wood chips and beautiful
plantings that put a smile
on your face
Less to mow for years in the
future
when you place
• wood chips and
perennials near the
house.
• A gravel path leading to
the front of the house.
• Gravel underneath the
stairs and storage
container for the tenant.
Time is money
Think about…
Clump grasses
They don’t need to be
mowed and are:
• Low maintenance
• Provide year-round interest
• Many types are drought tolerant
• Move gently in the wind
• Glow when the sun is low.
• Fast-growing
• Attract wildlife
Bring beauty and color to
your landscape in the
winter.
Use a grass called
“Flame Grass”
It’s brilliant!
I lined your grey fence -East side
with a beautiful bush called the
Redosier Dogwood
Which has brilliant red stems all
winter long.
Winter-berry holly-red berries persist
through out the winter season
Blue Holly evergreen-keeps leaves and
berries
I also recommend the hardy
Elegant Black Tupelo tree
The trunk is dark while the
leaves in summer are glossy
green…in the fall they turn a
brilliant range of colors.
Create an energy efficient, low maintenance landscape by creating more: PLANTING AREA, PATHS, & SOCIAL AREAS
Separate your backyard
from the farm fields with a
blueberry hedge.
The hedge will filter dust,
provide privacy, and give
you and your chickens
blueberries!
Put your raised beds in the sunny
south lawn using pea gravel or wood
chips in between.
Create an energy efficient, low maintenance landscape by planting a row of dense evergreen shrubs by St. (North side)
Make your house dramatically warmer
in the winter by blocking
cold north winds.
Create a more private
setting.
Filter dust and dirt from
the surrounding farm
land.
Line the evergreen
shrubs infront of house
along road.
Create a energy efficient, low maintenance chicken area.
Catch Rainwater for your chickens.
Build top-enclosed safe
chicken areas so you
can leave them for a
couple days without
worry.
Make the coops mobile
so you can move them
over different patches of
yard. Connect them to
temporary chicken runs.
Create a energy efficient, low maintenance chicken area.
Grow Chicken food in your yard in a
weekly paddock system.
You can also add these grazing
screens in the paddock so they don’t
uproot plants and just eat the top
Chicken can feed themselves in the
summer saving you money.
In the winter, you can grow food to
store
Chickens also love compost!
Place your compost pile in with the
chickens.
Create a energy efficient, low maintenance chicken area.
I suggest planting a Dwarf Mulberry tree in the
chicken area.
They berries will drop all summer into the
paddock.
Mulberries are especially good because they
vitamins, carbs, and protein.
They also can be dried for winter storage.
Create a energy efficient, low maintenance chicken area.
kale,
dandelion
plantains (high in calcium)
chickweed
arrowroot
New Zealand spinach
brassicas (radishes, mustards),
alfalfa,
clovers- Strawberry
clover, Ladino Clover, White
Dutch Clover, Red Strawberry
Clover
purslane
black oats,
pumpkins,
Cucumber (seeds de-worm)
squash
Sunflowers,
amaranth,
chard,
cabbage
spinach, lettuce, broccoli
pigeon pea
Birds foot Broadleaf Trefoil,
Red Cowpeas
Strawberries
Radishes
Perennial cereals
grapes
peas
climbing spinach-
corn salad
lambs quarters
dock
alfalfa
flax
buckwheat
perennial rye
winter rye
forage chicory
winter wheat
Bergamot
Clary sage
Yarrow
borage (self-reseeds freely)
Feverfew
Wormwood
rue
Garlic (de-worm)
Plant vegetables that you can eat and store
Plant paddocks differently, give paddocks rest especially if you need to harvest something- leave left overs
for chickens. Include reseeding plants so it will save you money and time. Rotate annual crops each year.