divedaddy03
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Location: York, SC

Low Cost Landscaping Ideas Needed!

Here is a walk around (see video below) of our house and yard.



The front of the house is starting to come together and look fairly nice however.....the back yard is a different story!

I'm in need of ideas that can be easily implemented at a low cost (notice the pile of rocks on the driveway) that will make a nice improvement in the aesthetics and functionality of the back yard.

I would love to transplant a 100 year old Oak Tree but I don't think that's happening any time soon! :)

Cheers,

Wayne, SC

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rainbowgardener
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a blank slate in the back yard! :) Start by figuring out how you want to use it. Do you want an outdoor eating area? outdoor (mini-kitchen/ grill), sit and read a book area, do you have kids and want a play area, would you like a water feature and/or a fire pit (both are available pretty cheap these days especially at the end of the season), a veggie garden, a fruit tree, do you want more screening from the back neighbors?

Make yourself a plan that includes the elements uses you want. Draw it up on paper and then outline it on the ground. Then start with all the hardscape (paths, furniture, arbor, etc). Then trees and shrubs.

divedaddy03
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Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:18 am
Location: York, SC

rainbowgardener wrote:a blank slate in the back yard! :) Start by figuring out how you want to use it. Do you want an outdoor eating area? outdoor (mini-kitchen/ grill), sit and read a book area, do you have kids and want a play area, would you like a water feature and/or a fire pit (both are available pretty cheap these days especially at the end of the season), a veggie garden, a fruit tree, do you want more screening from the back neighbors?

Make yourself a plan that includes the elements uses you want. Draw it up on paper and then outline it on the ground. Then start with all the hardscape (paths, furniture, arbor, etc). Then trees and shrubs.


I know, right!? I'm loving the idea that we have some good space to work with! Wish we had a couple of shade trees but that's ok, we can make due with with what we have.

Great ideas, I'm going to use the fire pit (see the video) that we picked up on Craigslist for now but may build a permanent one later. I'm thinking that it will go directly behind the deck and maybe slightly to the left side (looking toward the garden).

I'm going to be adding a raised garden bed in the back between the seedlings for now, that can be easily moved as needed. I'd love to have an outdoor cooking area near the fire pit and maybe a deck height hot tub towards the right side (looking toward the fence).

I'd add some type of a paver walkway between the deck steps and the fire pit area...and I'd love to put a sun/rain cover over the deck to make it more functional. As far as the garden, I'd say it could all be rearranged as needed per the decisions to add some 3 dimension stuff toward the back! Maybe a tiered garden.... :)

Thoughts?

Wayne, SC

divedaddy03
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Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:18 am
Location: York, SC

Happy Spring Ya'll!

Here's an update of some of the first things that I reviewed in the video above...I'm finally making some progress.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXdIHGE_hik

You can see that I'm fairly studious at finding things at an extremely LOW cost...I'd love to help others do the same, hopefully these Ideas can help.

Wayne, SC

*dim*
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close lonting hardy tropical plants .... plants such as hardy palms (trachycarpus), fatsia japonica, hardy ferns, tetrapanex rex, ricinus, and other large leaved plants, bamboo, heuchera for colour, jack frost brunnera, hostas, some jasmine creepers, some star jasmine and a few extra fragrant plants/shrubs (not sure if they all grow in your area)

you have a blank canvas, but take your time before decidng and do your research to see what grows well in your area/climate, but in the meantme, get your lawn to look like a bowling green

by planting shrubs, they take more space, and it works out cheaper per running meter than planting small perennials .... plant evergreen backbone plants, then fill in with those that loose their leaves in winter

divedaddy03
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Location: York, SC

*dim* wrote:close lonting hardy tropical plants .... plants such as hardy palms (trachycarpus), fatsia japonica, hardy ferns, tetrapanex rex, ricinus, and other large leaved plants, bamboo, heuchera for colour, jack frost brunnera, hostas, some jasmine creepers, some star jasmine and a few extra fragrant plants/shrubs (not sure if they all grow in your area)

you have a blank canvas, but take your time before decidng and do your research to see what grows well in your area/climate, but in the meantme, get your lawn to look like a bowling green

by planting shrubs, they take more space, and it works out cheaper per running meter than planting small perennials .... plant evergreen backbone plants, then fill in with those that loose their leaves in winter
Thanks for the great ideas!
You make all really good points and note taken.

Removed promotional link from discussion area.
webmaster.

divedaddy03
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I was able to put a full weekends worth of work into my yard on Fri, Sat, and Sunday and I recorded a video to show you all the progress.

I'm super excited to have added a garden bed and flower bed, I'm so ready to get seeds in the ground...I've got spring fever!

Here is the video (Projects Update 4.8.2013) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwSPjJ84 ... e=youtu.be

Ok, so now I need continued ideas around the things that I've been building...

Cheers,

Wayne, SC

divedaddy03
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Well, here's some progress to the back yard...looking to incorporate this Garden Bed into the landscape a bit (below).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv0GwPeq_6I

I also went and bought a soil test and my N didn't even register, P was super low, and K was below medium...(on the existing garden bed)...didn't test the new one yet as this was a one time use test.

Not sure what I will use to fertilize but I'm open to options!

All the best,

divedaddy03
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Well, I've been making some progress in the yard and it's starting to look much more full of life! I'm so thankful for all of the ideas and I'm excited to continue to implement some of them.

I've made a new video that is a projects update video and it covers the gardening and seed starts as well as the flower garden and I'd like to get some feedback if at all possible. I need some ideas of things that I should be planting right now and also some thoughts on the seed starts and how to get them to grow better in the first three weeks.

I also would like to know if anybody has experience with growing lotus flowers and if anybody knows of a good place to get the red elephant ear plants here in SC.

The video link is here, if you don't want to watch all of it I understand, I put links in the description that you can use to "jump to" different parts of the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEPpMBXCrLM

Thanks in advance!

Wayne

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rainbowgardener
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I don't love messing with video on my slow computer. Could you put up a couple of still photos of how it is coming along? Sounds like you have done great work.

divedaddy03
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Sure thing, I'll be glad to next week when I have time. :)

Wayne, SC

divedaddy03
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rainbowgardener wrote:I don't love messing with video on my slow computer. Could you put up a couple of still photos of how it is coming along? Sounds like you have done great work.

rainbowgardener, sorry it took so long to get these posted, been running short on time lately!

Compost Pile
Image

Where Corner Flower Garden Will Go (FREE Concrete Retaining Wall From CraigsList)
Image

Working on Corner Garden and New Raised Bed
Image

Corner Garden Nearly Finished
Image

Garden Partially Planted & Dog House (not finished)
Image

New Raised Bed & Tomato Arbor (all FREE reclaimed wood)
Image

Hope this helps to illustrate what I have going on...if you want to keep up with it in more real time and see the results of some of my gardening experiments then you may want to check out my YouTube channel.

All the best,

Wayne, SC

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rainbowgardener
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Thanks, very nice, lots of good work going on! :)

Love that you lead off with the compost pile! A true gardener :)

And you have done a great job of coming up with free materials! Reduce, reuse, recycle and save your pocketbook all at once.
Last edited by rainbowgardener on Fri Apr 26, 2013 7:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

divedaddy03
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rainbowgardener wrote:Thanks, very nice, lots of good work going on! :)

Love that you lead off with the compost pile! A true gardener :)
HaHa, thanks! I'm working more and more toward fully organic but having a hard time doing in for little money....so, I'm just working with what I have! :)

Stay in touch, Wayne.

cynthia_h
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Actually, I found that re-starting (in 2008, after all three of my part-time jobs fell out from under me) as an organic gardener on a zero budget was easier than it would've been as a conventional gardener:

1) materials for building raised beds -- free from Freecycle.org
2) materials to fill raised beds -- mostly free, some had to be paid for (peat, some of the vermiculite)
3) compost -- most of it mine; since I hadn't emptied it for a long time, the BioStack was pretty full! and refilling it comes from the kitchen and cereal boxes, shredded newspaper, scrounged leaves, etc.--also free :)
4) seeds -- used old seeds but gradually filled in with new ones. Fortunately, seeds for food plants are exempt from sales tax in California.

All told, DH and I got the first four boxes built, filled, and planted for less than $50.

Now, our only recurring expense is the plant starts, since we just don't get it together to start seeds on a regular basis. Too much else going on (esp. work at his mother's place, just keeping her house going...).

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

divedaddy03
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Location: York, SC

cynthia_h wrote:Actually, I found that re-starting (in 2008, after all three of my part-time jobs fell out from under me) as an organic gardener on a zero budget was easier than it would've been as a conventional gardener:

1) materials for building raised beds -- free from Freecycle.org
2) materials to fill raised beds -- mostly free, some had to be paid for (peat, some of the vermiculite)
3) compost -- most of it mine; since I hadn't emptied it for a long time, the BioStack was pretty full! and refilling it comes from the kitchen and cereal boxes, shredded newspaper, scrounged leaves, etc.--also free :)
4) seeds -- used old seeds but gradually filled in with new ones. Fortunately, seeds for food plants are exempt from sales tax in California.

All told, DH and I got the first four boxes built, filled, and planted for less than $50.

Now, our only recurring expense is the plant starts, since we just don't get it together to start seeds on a regular basis. Too much else going on (esp. work at his mother's place, just keeping her house going...).

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
Cynthia,

You are exactely right! Most everything that I've picked up have been from freecycle and craigslist all for free. Every now and then I need something that I have to get from Lowes or for the purpose of being easily replicated I chose to get it there so others can duplicate the project but for the most part, it's super easy.

There's alot of waste in this world and I'm proud to say that I take part in reducing that dramatically! Repurposed wood can look aesthetically very pleasing, most people don't crasp that one. :)

Thanks for reading,

Wayne, SC



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