And we're back! What can I say? That Carson Arthur keeps on sending us invaluable tips on how to improve your outdoor spaces and solve some of your most challenging Design Dilemmas. This week, our landscape expert and host of HGTV's Green Force helps the owners of a brand new home green up their square patch of grass and hide their deck from the neighbours' view - fast!
From Walter:
"Hello Carson. My wife and I, recently purchased a new home in the lovely Village of Brooklin. With low mortgage rates and lower home prices we traded up to three times the home but for the same price. Our first home, although very tiny, had a beautiful, private mature garden with a walkout deck and a custom coach house shed for storage. Mature plants hid us from the neighbours.
"Our new home is in a 5-year-old neighbourhood which is packed quite tightly and lacks any mature trees or growth. I will miss our yard, and with my diabetes flaring up in the form of swollen ankles I need a low maintenance, dog-friendly, bird attracting, relaxing oasis. I would like fast growth and colour and perhaps some focal structure or feature.
"The deck in our new home is nice but having many neighbours on all sides, it feels like we are on display. We lack shade and privacy and want to create a more spacious illusion. I'm not sure if a tent-style gazebo or perhaps a trellis partition would help?
"I'm not certain the proportions are correct either - the deck seems to take up half the yard. Also, I love the wood but for this house, would a white wash work?"
Carson suggests: Well Walter, welcome to the suburbs! The problem here is that you need privacy which is TALL -- tough to get quickly. These suburban spaces need trees badly but that isn't going to help you right away as the trees you have are about 15 years away from doing the job. If you are willing to start early and want to get the trees in the ground immediately, plant Aspens. They grow very fast and look great in a gentle breeze as the leaves 'tremble.' They also work very well as a complement to the maples that are already there.
From the left; Quivering Aspen in Fall colours, via Helena Montessori, Japanese Fern tree, via MedallionTrees.com, Hibiscus Tree, via Living the Scientific Life.
- I'd plant three Aspens in one corner (two on the side of the tree and one on the other side) and three around the other maple.
- While they are growing, try putting some large potted plants and tropical trees on the deck in the corners to help enclose the space a little.
- As far as the gazebo idea, I'm a huge fan. Go with one that has a large wind vent at the top just so that it doesn’t 'lift-off'. Double-check that the side panels come with the one that you select - often they are sold separately. Whatever you decide, don't sacrifice the size of the deck. Currently, it’s your only usable surface in the back yard.
- As for a stain, I prefer a semi-transparent. These stains are great for penetrating the wood and require less work in the long run. Stay away from the solid hide stains on a surface where there is heavy traffic as they tend to show wear-and-tear.
- What's also really helpful, is that garden centres are catching on to the idea of providing free designs which match these suburban backyards. You can check out a wide range at any Sheridan Nurseries in Ontario. They give you plants, trees and shrubs in addition to creative seating areas which work for your backyard.
- Its a tough challenge trying to create character in a space that doesn't already have some. In this case, plants are extremely important and with your health issues, you want to do it once and have as little maintenance as possible.
–Carson
What do you think? Anything to add?
Got your own Design Dilemma, outdoor or otherwise? Take a photo and send it in (in jpeg format) along with your question to blog(@)hgtv(.)ca and with Design Dilemma in the subject line, and we'll do our best to get you an answer!
Previously on Design Dilemma: Green Solution to Backyard Noise
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