If you are following along in this mini post series about our garden, this is the third and final post about the foundational plants and projects we have tackled thus far. Our vision for our backyard was more varied than the front since we use it more frequently and for more things. We will entertain on our patios; want to grow edible, as well as ornamental plants; have a treehouse, trampoline and lawn space for kids to play in; need to address erosion caused by rainfall; and have areas with dense shade. We also want to maintain a sense of thoughtful cohesion throughout.

The first summer we lived in our house, we removed a small pool and the original patios, plus copious amounts of honeysuckle. All this really destroyed our back lawn. So our first task, apart from relaying the patio, was to simply grow grass. We ordered a full truck load of compost to lay over the clay soil and spread it out over the course of about a week in the spring. We then spread fescue seed and hay. The grass grew pretty well, so by the fall, we had an almost normal looking lawn again. We plan do repeat this process every autumn and spring, as needed.

Patio

The patio is the project we have the most “man-hours” spent on to date. It runs the full length of our home. My husband wanted to lay the new patio himself, which was a project he started in the fall of 2021. He made it about halfway before cold weather set in. He restarted in the spring but with the other projects and commitments we had (ie. having a newborn!) it took him all summer to finish. However, we started enjoying the patio immediately and feel his efforts will continue to provide enjoyment for many years. We envision it to be the future gathering space for cherished time with family and friends.

The patio includes a fish pond, outdoor sofa furniture, a beautiful reclaimed teak table set, our grills, a solo stove, a raised stone planter bed and two in-ground beds. From a gardening perspective, the raised bed is probably the main focal feature. We planted an espalier pear tree in there. I also plan to fill it with kitchen herbs next growing season. The other two in-ground beds are proving themselves to be a bit tricky since they are on the north side of the house. The patio gets a lot of hot sun during the day, but both the beds are full shade. I had planted some forget-me-nots around my grandmother’s bird bath in one of the beds as a memory garden, but I will have to rethink that for next year unless I want to stare at bare soil all summer again.

The Fish Pond

The pond at our house was a surprising little treasure we discovered when we viewed the house for the first time because there were no photos of it on the listing. It is near the house, and visible from the back living room, which has a large, 3-pane sliding door. Our first summer in our home, my son and I had great fun filling it and adding some small fish.However, as new pond owners, we accidentally killed all the fish a couple weeks later. Then when the contractor removed the original patio, he cracked the pond, so now it doesn’t hold water. Such a bummer. But I really do want to make something of it once we have our more pressing projects completed.

Some previous owner used rock around the pond as a hardscape, but no weed fabric was laid. As a result, the rock is mixed with the sticky clay soil approximately 6 inches deep. It will be a bear to remove. My vision is to plant a collection of hardy ferns around the pond. I am undecided if I want to simply repair the pond, or change it in any way. I will also plant some peonies along there since it is a sunny spot prior to everything leafing out in the spring. I have already planted a couple of peonies. I have also planted a few hostas because it is partially shady during the heat of the summer. The peonies and the hostas provide a bridge from the hydrangea path to the hardy fern collection around the pond.

Creekside Slope

The creekside slope in the back yard is definitely the most challenging area of the area because it is prone to erosion. I have divided it into two areas, which is marked by the treehouse. The creekside slope to the east of the treehouse is heavily shaded and steep. It is filled with several mature trees, honeysuckle, weeds, english ivy and poison ivy (ask me how I know!) One of the largest trees, an oak, is sadly dying and we will have to cut it down eventually. I wish we didn’t have to because it provides shade to our back patio. I have already planted three dogwood trees and two redbud trees in anticipation of removing that oak. I also want to create a flourishing shade garden on the slope with hellebores, Lily of the Valley, astilbe, hosta and perhaps a few other shade-loving plants. I had planted ten lily of the valley and three hellebores last fall but nothing came up this spring… except weeds. So I am prepping to try again this fall. Currently I have laid huge cardboard sheets down to hinder the weeds. Then I will add compost, the pips and mulch. Hopefully we will have flowers in there next spring.

Creek Hillside

Past the treehouse is the area I have named the “Creek Hillside”. There was honeysuckle there but no trees. It gets plenty of sun but is even more vulnerable to erosion. We made the mistake last year of not planting anything immediately after removing the honeysuckle, so the bare hillside erupted in weeds. It is unmowable, due to the steep slope, so it has to be weed whacked. It is also prone to flooding when it rains.

At the beginning of spring, I cleared the soil and spread a large amount of hummingbird and butterfly wildflower seed from Johnny’s Seeds. It washed away in the spring rains. I reseeded in June but but that time the weeds had taken hold again. Apparently it will be an ongoing process of combating the weeds to try and establish a wildflower “meadow” on the slope.

Meanwhile, we decided we also wanted to plant a few trees, preferably fruit trees back there to help with the run off. We went to a nursery on Saturday and they actually had their fruit trees 50% off! We bought two double apple twist trees and one peach (single variety). Then, just a few days after planting them, St. Louis had a record rainfall and that whole area of our yard flooded! The trees had not yet spread their roots so they were washed away by the waters. Miraculously, we found all three trees and thought we’d try replanting them. Talk about transplant shock! But all three still seem to be alive, so we’ll see how they do. I have a feeling I will say that ever year about this area, regardless of what I plant.

Backyard Cutting Beds

On top of the hillside, in the sunniest part of the yard, my husband built me 4 raised beds, each measuring 20ft by 4 ft. Now, as a dedicated follower of Floret, I had big plans for these beds. I carefully made my wishlists, calculated the needed supplies and costs, and ordered All. The. Things. I began starting seeds in February, and continued planting and tending them, in succession, all spring long. The one thing I didn’t plan for, which laughably is the most obvious of all, was Emmitt: born May 10, 2022. So despite my trays of seedlings and newly built raised beds, I ended up without much of a cutting garden the summer of 2022. But hey, there’s always next year, right? Although I will have a one year old in tow, so I should probably account for him better this time around.

I was able to plant one bed of Zinnias, seeded directly, which performed pretty well. In another box, I planted one seed each of 4 types of specialty pumpkins. This box flooded, along with the fruit trees; pumpkin vines strewn across the lawn after the waters receded. We threw the vines back in the box dejectedly, but did still manage a small bounty! We will move the boxes to protect them from future flooding.

Pergola

Looking out over the back half of the lawn, attached to our garage and storage area, there was a fenced in concrete pad, which we learned had been used as a dog run by a previous owner. Apparently he bred little dogs in the storage area. Although we hope to own a dog again someday, the chain link fence was unsightly, and we didn’t imagine using that space for a dog much, so we took the fencing down. Then, rather impulsively, we decided to build a wooden pergola over the concrete pad. My husband found some UV blocking plastic boards and added them on top of the pergola for protection from the elements. Then we laid surplus patio pavers on top of the concrete pad. The result was a little private cabana that is relatively cool and dry. We love spending time out there. Since we have the structure now, I plan to plant some grapevines at the base of each post for a future of delicious grapes!

If you have made it this far, thanks for reading! Our yard is something we cherish about our house. I hope that these detailed plans are an inspiration for you to make a special outdoor space as well.