From my yard to yours

Southern Living, Feb 2004 by Bender, Steve

If I can transform an ugly side yard, so can you. Try one or all of these ideas around your own home.

In a way, side yards are the young Harry Potters of the garden-neglected, hidden away, and seldom appreciated. That's how mine was; the area only functioned as a pass-through from the front yard to the back. But beauty lurks in unlikely places. Sometimes all it takes is new eyes to see the potential. In this case, my colleagues at Southern Living helped me to conceive a vision. Together, we made the dream come true in iust two weekends.

Start With a Plan

Most successful gardens begin with careful planning. This doesn't mean that you must complete it all at once, but it does present a clear path to your goal.

The narrow, rectangular shape of the yard dictated a formal design with a walk down the center. Because the ground sloped several feet from the front yard to the back, we decided to install three low retaining walls near the bottom to make level terraces. A handsome wooden arbor would mark the entry to the garden at the top. Looking straight down the walk, all eyes would focus on a red gazing ball at the bottom.

In addition to improving aesthetics, we had some practical goals too. We wanted to screen the next-door neighbor's house and yard; hide the air conditioners on the side of my house; and, of course, make the whole thing as low maintenance as possible.

A Winter Wonderland

Although the finished garden looks great in all seasons, late winter is a phenomenal surprise. As you pass beneath the arbor, rows of coral bark maples (Acerpalmatum 'Sango Kaku') on each side of the walk frame the view. Their bright red winter bark echoes the color of the gazing ball. Opulent blooms of 'Kramer's Supreme' camellias (Camellia japonica 'Kramer's Supreme') placed behind the maples underscore the crimson theme.

At the foot of the maples and camellias, bright masses of Ogon' Japanese sweet flag (Acorns gramineus Ogon') gleam in the sun. 'Little Gem' Southern magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem') and 'Bright 'N' Tight' Carolina cherry laurels (Prunus caroliniana 'Monus') complete the screening of the neighbor's yard. 'Winter Gem' Korean boxwoods (Buxus microphylla koreana 'Winter Gem'), clipped into pyramids, add elegant formality at the head and foot of the walk. Royal Heritage Strain Lenten roses (Helleborus x Royal Heritage Strain), 'Catlin's Giant' ajugas (Ajuga reptans 'Catlin's Giant'), and a variety of bulbs keep blooms coming from February to May, providing plenty of color.

Making It Happen

Four of us did this work in a couple of weekends. Here are the steps in order.

* Used wheelbarrows to move stones delivered to my front lawn.

* Built the retaining walls. We first dug shallow trenches for the footings and set large, blocky stones in them to serve as the bases. Then thinner, flat stones were laid on top. Nothing was mortared. We left a gap in the middle of each wall to place stepping-stones.

* Ran the path down the center. We put down a smooth bed of limestone gravel and laid the stepping-stones on top of it. Then we scooped out enough gravel from beneath each stone so its top surface would be level with the gravel bed, then firmed it in place.

* Spread topsoil several inches deep on each side of the path and covered it with pine straw to prevent erosion.

* Set up a post and rope at the top of the path to be a centerline. This let us place plants on both sides of the walk at equal distances from the center.

* Watered trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground covers in their containers and planted them using a tape measure to establish even distances between them. Then we watered the whole garden.

* Built a wooden screen around the air-conditioning units. The screen's front panel comes off for easy access, and the pickets don't obstruct airflow.

Now It's Your Turn

Where once sat little but weeds and dirt now rests a beautiful garden. I guess we let Harry Potter out from under the stairs. You can wave the magic wand in your yard too.

All of the new plants shown are part of the Southern Living Plant Collection from Monrovia. To find a nursery near you that carries the collection, call 1-888-752-6848, or visit www.monrovia.com.

1. house

2. property line

3. arbor

4. 'Bright'N'Tight'Carolina cherry laurels

5. coral bark maples

6. air-conditioning units

7. stone terrace

8. lawn

9. gazing ball

10. existing Leyland cypresses

11. 'Winter Gem' Korean boxwoods

12. 'Catlin's Giant'ajugas

13. Ogon'Japanese sweet flag

14. existing tea olive

15. 'Kramer's Supreme' camellias

16. 'Little Gem'Southern magnolias

17. existing pine

18. existing Japanese cleyeras

19. Royal Heritage Strain Lenten roses

20. 'Plum Passion' nandinas