kathy miles design
landscape solutions
creative | practical | beautiful
This is my house, purchased April of 2018. We remodeled the inside prior to moving in and, like most people, will save the landscape project for later. It may look like a reasonably nice landscape, but it was 70+ years old. Trees were sick and dying and shrubs were overgrown. The 7,000 square feet of lawn was a water suck, not to mention the tree roots made the grass near impossible to mow or walk on. This photo is deceiving.......
The plan is to reroute foot traffic from the side of the house to the formal front door. The current 'front' door is on the side of the house leading right in to the dining room table. We'll address privacy, irrigation, shade, paths, water feature, and add a pergola-covered seating area and garden beds.
OCTOBER 2020
That's right. Three years after we removed the trees we just left the landscape to slowly die a horrible death in the full western sun. We're a corner lot, the first house you see when entering our neighborhood. Our poor neighbors.....
NOVEMBER 2020
It's got to get worse before it gets better.
DECEMBER 2020
Once irrigation and drainage were complete, we laid 7,000 sf of weed barrier and 66 yards of mulch. (As a landscape designer, I do not make it a practice of specifying weed barrier in my designs. I believe building a healthy soil with good structure through proper organic amendments, such as compost, worm castings, and using organic slow-release plant food, is a responsible approach to building a healthy landscape. A 3"-4" thick layer of mulch is typically a good weed barrier, but let's be real.....who's got time to weed 7,000 square feet? We had horrendous weeds, bermuda grass, and a very aggressive vinca and ivy hedge that had to be contained. If I didn't use weed barrier, I'd be spending all my time hosing the landscape with Roundup (cringe). We brought in 20 yards of top soil/compost mix, then amended individual planting holes. We'll continue to add amendments to the plants annually. So please, do as I say, not as I do.)
FEBRUARY 2021
Fountain time. Looks pretty insignificant, doesn't it? But hang in there, I have a vision.
APRIL 2021
Ahhh, that's better - trees, shrubs, a fountain, pergola, and a bit of fencing. So much more work still to do, but the budget needs to catch up. You'd think $28,000 would go farther....
Just prior to demo....
And here we are. The curb has been replaced and rocks tweaked. We have a long way to go. Still need the rest of the fencing (materials stolen), plants, sidewalks, trees. Oh, and money.
NOVEMBER 2021
The new flagstone walkway leads to the formal front door. The stone is from the Arizona Buff group and the gravel is 3/8" Ione Gold. Love it!! Next time we'll use a product to lock the pebbles in place while keeping the surface permeable....stupid deer.
APRIL 2022
We spent $400 on one of each plant we thought we would like in the front yard and set them out in the front yard for three weeks. What the deer didn't eat we purchased more of and planted the area in front of the fence. The rest of the munched victims were planted in the backyard. Lots more planting to do as budget, energy, and time allow...