Archive for Customer Testimonials – Page 2

Landscaping for Portland Back Yard Office Shed : Part 2 of 3

Posted by Carol 
· April 11, 2023 

Back Yard Office Shed And Dream Landscape – Have Both!

Siting for Portland back yard office shed and dream landscape.

Before back yard home office

Recently Stacy in NE Portland worked with Landscape Design in a Day  to add a 12′ x 10′ Tough Shed for her back yard home office studio. Stacy wanted her dream landscape with lots of outdoor entertaining space and a back yard home office for her very small back yard in NE Portland.

She had already ordered a 12′ x 10′ shed, (Tough Shed) to use as her office.  Our job was to figure out the best placement to be easily accessible for her ‘daily commute’ to work and also fit perfectly into her dream back yard.

Think Like a Designer – What Do You Need to Know to Put an Office or Studio in Your Portland Back Yard?

First we looked at the City of Portland’s rules and regulations and determined we could install the shed (under 200 square feet) without a zoning or building permit.

 Here’s a link to the page I often use.  A homeowner in the city of Portland can also schedule a 15 minute consultation with a zoning expert to be sure their area is eligible to build a shed without a zoning permit or building permit.  My advice is to be sure your plans are not a problem for your neighbor because if they complain to the city it can greatly complicate matters even if you are following the rules. 

Determine Where to Put the Office

NE Portland tough shed home office prior to landscaping.

Back yard home office in NE Portland is installed and awaits the dream landscape installation.

I considered Stacy’s outdoor living needs and ideas and agreed our best place was in the NE corner of her back yard.  Part of making that decision was based on the location of other aspects of her dream back yard to include a magnificent and huge Japanese maple.  See Part 1 Blog about Stacy’s patio and back porch design. I referred Stacy to a certified arborist for advice on the best installation technique for the foundation of the office and of course paths.

NE Portland landscaping plans concept 1.

Placing the Studio Concept 1 has grass for the dogs but no useable path through to the studio or driveway.

Placing an office in the back yard of  such a small city lot was more of a process of elimination.  In a larger property we have more possibilities to explore. We needed a path across from the back porch to the driveway and garage, and also from that same spot a path to the patio and to the office door.    Another influence was creating a small lawn area for  her two dogs.  In the end we had to put the back wall of the office right on the driveway line in order to make all the spaces work together.

Transportation – The Path to the Outdoor Office

Obvious paths such as from the driveway and parking area into the house are always first.  In this design we let go of having a person door out the side of the garage because it would spoil the functional patio space.

Designers think about how both people and pets come and go from the house and of course making daily access to the office convenient is a big art of this initial study.

Doors are very important – Where to put the door to the office?

I tried two locations for the door.  One had the primary access coming from the back porch and to a door facing into the back yard which limited planting space but was the most obvious location.

Or we could access the office from the public sidewalk and go out the front door  of the house for the daily work commute.  This had the advantage of plantings across the back of the studio making more of a garden plantings view from the patio and the house. But it felt too public to Stacy and she already knew she wanted to come and go from the back porch which is the part of the house she spends the most time in.  (See concept 2).

The solution that made all the transportation needs work was to set pavers into the grass for the primary path to the home office and the driveway.   

Protect Your Shade Trees when installing a Back Yard Home Office

NE Portland residential landscape plan concept 2.

Concept 2 has a different grass shape and path location.

NE Portland back yard prior to landscaping installation.Arborist to Advise on Best Installation Technique

I referred her to Issac at Honl Tree Care for an arborist site visit .  He helped her by showing her how to work with the installation technique for the foundation of the office to protect the tree roots and also gave her general care instructions to include how much and when to water her very special shade tree.  

After seven concept drawings, Stacy and I arrived at our preferred landscape layout with a patio sized and shaped to fit both lounging and dining, some grass for the dogs with a useful flagstone path through it and the back yard home office.   With the right placement and professional advice, Stacy was able to include her new office shed and create her dream back yard.

Client Testimonial

“Carol did a fantastic job designing our very difficult back yard space and worked in just about all our asks.  She was easy to work with, and I greatly enjoyed the format and how she got to know my preferences for this or that.  I’ll be asking her to do a plan for my front yard once the back is done!”

Contact Us

If you have a tricky outdoor living design project in your Portland area back yard and would like to discuss it with us, please contact us for a phone appointment.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Categories : Before and Afters, Customer Testimonials, Dog and Cat Friendly Gardens, Garden Tips, outdoor living
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What I am working on Now: Deck Patio & NW Natural Style Landscape in NE Portland

Posted by Carol 
· March 10, 2023 

Hardscape Landscaping & Updated Deck in Roseway Neighborhood

NE Portland hardscape landscape design for client with small deck before photo

Before Landscape Design -This existing deck in the Roseway neighborhood of NE Portland is only 8′ wide and 26′ long.

My clients Michael and Bruce purchased a home in NE Portland Roseway neighborhood. Their new home and neighborhood is perfect for them and this will be a long term home. Here’s the wish list:

Think Like a Designer

When I design a landscape,  first I think about all the ways a person will walk from the house and through the yard.  I find out what activities my clients want to do in their back yard and note those on my drawing.  Next I create concept drawings that show the hardscape and layout in different configurations.  Let’s start with the deck.

Poorly designed deck in the Roseway neighborhood of NE Portland.

The dining table is crammed into a corner and the chairs are in the access to stairs area.

The Deck Design Must Have Room for Walking and Activities

A lot of decks are flawed from the beginning because no one thought about how much of the space would be monopolized by how you need to walk through it. Often people settle on the shape and size of the deck  going for a simple rectangle without thinking about the different activities that will take place on the deck and if there is enough room for those activities.  It’s also important to remember that the deck is often the gateway to the back yard.

The existing deck was only 8’ deep, 26’ long.  It had too many interruptions of that space to be useful.  First the stairs leading to the yard (which were placed in the middle of the long deck) ate up too much of what could have been a nice outdoor dining table area for 4 outside the kitchen.  The stairs encroached on the potential area for a dining table for 4.    Another space stealer was the door to the basement also placed right in the middle of the back wall of the house and so right across from the deck steps and so the middle section of the deck was also not useful.

2/3rds of This Deck Was Used for Walking

The last 1/3rd of the deck was useful sitting space, about an 8’ x 8’ area out of this entire 26′ long deck.  My clients knew it didn’t work, (it is my job to know why it didn’t work).  They just knew they wanted something better.  Also, currently all activity on the deck was on stage for the neighbors and so along with  creating functional deck space. I will address privacy and screening solutions as well.

Hardscape landscape drawing for updated deck.

Concept drawing creates a bigger dining area by moving the steps, enlarging the deck to match the new angle. This gives us two larger useful outdoor rooms on the deck.

Deck Concept Drawings

We created a few layout drawings with the clients that showed different ways to use the space.  Here’s an example of one of the concept layouts I created.  While we didn’t go with this one it paved the way for the final concept we loved.

We added more dining space with an easy to access patio at the base of the deck.  It integrates the two outdoor living areas and now with 2 seating areas we can use the middle section of the deck for grilling.  My clients love their green egg BBQ by the way.

Outdoor Living oriented Landscape Design Drawing for Roseway neighborhood back yard in Portland Oregon

The winner concept drawing is incorporated into the overall landscape design.

Using various concept drawings I drew for them at their dining table, we worked through them together pro and con style to arrive at the favorite configuration.

Planning for a Cool and Shady Outdoor Living Area

In this next blog we will show how we worked with their existing shade tree and how we created a more lush and verdant landscape garden for this NE Portland Home.

Updating deck for better use in Roseway neighborhood.

The existing shade tree was nick named ‘Queenie’ and it’s location on the SW corner was perfect to cool down the deck and back yard of this Roseway neighborhood home. (Before Design of New Deck)

Client Comments

One of the things my clients told me they loved and were both surprised and excited by was my moving the stairs.  They couldn’t believe how much more functional space was added.  By moving the stairs we were able to add the new lower patio surrounded by lush plantings that could also be seen from inside the house year round.

They also appreciated my bringing in an arborist to determine whether their large shade tree could stay  and how they should take care of it.  This was something that would not have occurred to them.  They worked with Issac from Honl Tree Care.

I needed to know if I was going to be adding another shade tree or whether their existing tree had staying power.  If Queenie needed to go, replacing her with a small tree means no decent shade for 15 or 20 years.  Queenie is a very large Norway Maple and soo she does not have a good reputation or pedigree.  Norway maple trees are on the city’s nuisance list.

Contact Me

Before hardscape landscaping for Roseway neighborhood Portland.

Before landscape design this Roseway back yard has so much potential.

 

We love working with our clients to create practical spaces to enjoy outdoor living.  Contact us if you would like to have sitting and dining areas that are big enough to use and have good flow, have privacy and ultimately a back yard you will love to be in.

Categories : Before and Afters, Customer Testimonials, Deck Design, No lawn back yard, outdoor living
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Tricky Outdoor Living Landscape Design for Portland Backyard: Part 1 of 2

Posted by Carol 
· February 21, 2023 

Making The Best Use of Small Portland Backyard for Outdoor Living

Challenging Portland landscape design for outdoor living.

Room for a little lawn for the pups, an office and entertaining area will be a challenge in Portland corner lot.

My client Stacy needed privacy and a complete re design of the back yard of her 1940’s home.  She has an especially tricky corner lot.  They often have a much smaller back yard especially when the house faces one street and the driveway and garage are around the corner.

Where will the new office go?

There are some difficult and very important ways I needed to help Stacy make this new home work for her.  It wasn’t just having a nice back yard that was at stake.  She needed to add a 12’ x 10’ office to her back yard for her new job as the house was not big enough to accommodate working from home.

Small Portland lot needed a lot of landscape design for outdoor living spaces.

Not enough room for entertaining with friends in this tricky city corner lot-NE Portland

Not Enough Outdoor Living Space

Her past outdoor lifestyle had lots of outdoor entertaining with 10 to 15 friends over. It would be pretty sad to tell half the friends they were not invited to her next July party.  Her dream back yard needed to have a dining table for 6 and a large sectional sofa.

Protect the large Shade Tree from construction

The back yard had significant privacy issues on two sides, a magnificent (over the top amazing) 25’ tall mature Japanese maple and the strangest drainage system for her garage roof I have ever seen in my life.

Landscape design concept drawing for outdoor living spaces of Portland corner lot.

Concept drawing #3 of 7 – My client and I are looking for the best possible layout of the landscape to accomplish our goals. Sometimes 3 concept drawings isn’t enough. This one was better at accomplishing our goals, but not the winner.

She needed a designer to create multiple landscape layouts to find a design that would make the best use of her space and give her as much of her hearts desires as possible.  The word possible is important.  And there were many many different or slightly different layout designs created to find the best one for this tough city back yard.

Beloved Wood Table

I had created several drawings prior to our first on site appointment so I already suspected the bad news but ever the optimist I worked on site with Stacy for 2 hours before making the first cut in her wish list.

The challenge I hit right away was how to keep Stacy’s large beloved wood table she and friends had built.  It was a beautiful piece of handcrafted furniture and the table she had special dinners with friends for many years. It was very important to her.

We worked together at her kitchen table which is a typical way I like to work with my clients. Stacy will tell you the first thing she learned was that she didn’t have enough room to keep her beloved outdoor table that she and friends had built.  It was simply too big.

Challenging Portland landscape design for outdoor living included large table and sitting area on client's wish list.Seeing me work and re work the concept drawings right before her eyes helped her let go and open up to the next steps and that was a good thing.  In short letting go of her lovely table was important because it could not be done without giving up either the office or the sectional sofa lounging area. As Sherlock would say, “When you have eliminated all which is impossible then whatever remains, however improbable must be the truth.”  Sherlock Holmes aka Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Typically I do not design an entire back yard around a piece of furniture- it doesn’t serve my clients best interests but this loved table was well worth the time we took. Our design works well with a typical sized table but not an oversized one.

Locating the New Office

The next big challenge would be placing the new office.  Stacy had picked a spot for the office and in the end we placed the office in that corner of the back yard.  We had the size and shape of the new office but we also needed the location of  all doors and windows before we can start.  Another big issue to carefully consider was how the studio foundation would affect the health of the magnificent huge shade providing Japanese maple.

My next blog will share how we worked with placing the office.

Client Testimonial

“Carol did a fantastic job designing our very difficult back yard space and worked in just about all our asks.  She was easy to work with, and I greatly enjoyed the format and how she got to know my preferences for this or that.  I’ll be asking her to do a plan for my front yard once the back is done!”

Contact me

Tricky corner lot?  Not enough room for all your outdoor living needs and wants?  Contact us.  We love the challenge and the satisfaction that comes with finding solutions for outdoor living in small or tricky city backyards.  With my experienced designers eye we will find possibilities even with what seems like impossible scenarios.   I’ll tell you what you can have and also what doesn’t work after carefully applying my years of experience and creativity to your situation.

 

Categories : Accessory Dwelling Unit ADU, Customer Testimonials, Garden Tips, outdoor living
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Covered Outdoor Living for Baby Boomers in NE Portland Backyards

Posted by Carol 
· October 15, 2022 
Covered outdoor living landscape design

Covered outdoor area in Rose City Park backyard protects from  sun, rain and walnuts.

Landscaping Outdoor Living in Portland’s Urban NE Neighborhoods

Backyard Outdoor Living in Portland’s Urban NE Neighborhoods often requires a covered area.  While backyard outdoor living conjures up visions of  intimate gatherings with close friends and family sometimes only a covered area will offer any privacy from a 3 story apartment building next door.  A small urban home may not have enough entertaining space indoors and some clients use a covered outdoor space for an extra office or a place for messy arts and crafts projects.  Finding ways to create overhead cover is an important tool for my designs since I often work  in urban neighborhoods.

Rain proof outdoor living’s best benefit in my opinion is leaving the cushions in place for easy use 9 months of the year.  When the rain is pelting us from the south in the winter few people will enjoy being outside and the rain will come in under the cover typically and soak the cushions anyway.  But a gentle rain in the late spring or early fall can easily be thwarted.  If I can use my furniture without having to go fetch the cushions, or peel off a plastic cover….. if it is just waiting for me to use…guess what ?  I use the sitting area so much more.

Here are 5 Portland backyard landscape designs that use overhead cover for outdoor living.

Rose City Park Backyard

My client Anna wanted a cool shady sitting area to read in her landscape.  We called it the book nook.  Her cover has a traditional tile roof with enough angle to keep dry in a light rain but the most important aspect of the cover for Anna is to protect her from walnuts dropping from her neighbors gorgeous huge walnut tree.  She loves the tree for it’s shade, and  for attracting wildlife.  Her covered outdoor area is designed for 2 people and is mostly for Anna’s use.

Design tip: A translucent cover would have gotten stained and looked filthy in one season because of the debris from the walnut tree.  Translucent covers under some trees are doable here in Portland but one needs to go into it knowing there will be regular maintenance needed to keep the cover attractive and not a visual detriment, (and not under a walnut tree).

Covered outdoor living landscape design includes motorized louvers

Covered outdoor dining in Creston neighborhood has motorized louvers to let the sun in or keep the rain out.

Creston Neighborhood Family Covered Dining Deck

My clients in the Creston neighborhood wanted the option of sun or shade plus rain protection so their furniture would stay dry. Their pergola by Cardinal Aluminum is steel posts and supports but the motorized louvers in the pergola are aluminum.  The louvers give them the choice of sun or shade.  I have several clients who have gone with Cardinal and been quite happy with the results. Given the cost of wood this no wood option is now seen as more affordable than in the past.

 

Covered outdoor living landscape design includes transparent roof.

“We all love the new space and have basically been living out there every time the weather is even a bit decent.” Clients in Richmond neighborhood

Richmond Backyard Year Round Outdoor Living

These clients  in Richmond neighborhood wanted it all.  After working with Landscape Design in a Day they have a heated covered patio with a translucent cover.  They wanted a comfy sofa under the cover and have a table up on the deck near the house.  Our client Emma says this.  “The summary is that we all LOVE the new space and have basically been living out there every time the weather is even a bit decent. We’ve been using the whole backyard too — before the redo the back part of the yard was kind of dead zone (except for the veggie beds) but now we find ourselves out there almost every afternoon, not just puttering in the veggies but sitting out on the little patio or kicking a ball around with our toddler.”

They have overhead heat (electric) for primary use and in the colder months they also use their tower heater which can be moved about.  They can leave their furniture outside year round.  The cover structure is steel posts with a wood structure for the translucent overhead cover.  This photo was taken in late spring so they still have their second heater out in the patio.    Most of the heat is electric so it has less of a carbon footprint than a natural gas firepit or propane or wood burning.  Design by Alana Chau, Landscape Design in a Day

Design Tip: Angle the cover to protect from south or SW sun to create a cooler summer retreat and help protect your cover for possible winter snow load.

 

Large covered outdoor living landscape for dining.

Outdoor living for these Mt. Tabor clients includes two barbeques and covered dining.

Large covered outdoor living patio designMount Tabor Backyard Transformed into Year Round Outdoor Living

My clients in Mount Tabor also wanted the entire backyard turned into outdoor living space.  Their wood pergola structure has a translucent cover.  They especially love the drama added by lighting the top of the cover.  The light is very soft and diffused coming through the semi opaque cover.  They have room for cooking, counter and storage space.  The posts for the cover are set into the property 5’.

Design Tip:  We used the corner of the property to gain the most useful square footage and space.

 

Heated covered outdoor living landscape design.

Here’s where I get my massage and body work done. This lovely covered area provides heat and protection from rain.

Outdoor Office in SW Portland

This is my massage practitioners heated outdoor treatment room in her SW Portland back yard.  This was her response to keeping her clients and herself safe when Covid came into our lives. As her patient I love hearing the birds, including the buzz of hummingbirds and the squirrel scolding while getting my treatment.  No music required.  I have  been treated out here even in November and December.  The powerful electric heat in the top of the arbor is directed down by the shape of the cover.  The shape also keeps the rain out except when it is too windy.  I’m very comfortable and I love listening to the birds while I’m getting a massage.  This structure is wood with a translucent cover.

Deluxe umbrella for covered outdoor living landscape design.

Concordia neighborhood backyard outdoor living gets a deluxe umbrella to create shade for dining.

Concordia Backyard  Patio gets Cover with an Offset Umbrella

My clients Ryan and Sam live in a very urban area of NE Portland with a pub next door that has outdoor dining.  This landscape design in particular was a very collaborative process, even more so than usual.  We had a new back porch in the design but the expense (wood is so expensive these days) blew our budget.   We kept the old porch and steps and together created this outdoor room that is such a perfect fit.  It distracts from the next door pub garden, creates privacy, integrates the other two important areas of the backyard beautifully and is highly useable.  A collaborative relationship with clients and installer always opens the door for new and even better fitting ideas.

Design Tip:  Using an off set or cantilevered umbrella creates a physically and visually spacious dining area.  An umbrella with post in the center of the table often makes a dining area feel small and blocks potentially good views, in this case the steel privacy panels (which add so much pizzazz to the space) would have been greatly diminished.

Contact us

Looking for an outdoor landscape design that can create solutions for your city property with all its challenges? Contact us.  We have the experience to know what is doable and the creativity to find the best design for you and your wish list.

Categories : Customer Testimonials, Design Basics, Landscape Styles, No lawn back yard, Privacy, Shade Garden Tips
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Coming Back to See Fully Grown Privacy Landscape of North Portland Back Yard

Posted by Carol 
· August 31, 2022 
Lush plantings create back yard privacy in Concordia neighborhood of N Portland

Privacy Landscape Design includes finishing touches applied by design collaborators Ryan and Michael

North Portland Back Yard Gets Private, Colorful Plantings

My new clients, Michael and Ryan, moved to N Portland’s Concordia neighborhood from a farm in Pennsylvania.   They knew some horticulture science and had a lot of confidence coming into the project from both a design point of view and working with plants.

Their new home in the Concordia neighborhood was a 1910 bungalow.     My clients hired me because they had no privacy and have a difficult landscape to work with. They believe in working with a designer and were sure I would amaze them with my solutions.  It’s great when clients have high expectations.

My clients wish for a landscape design also included:

  • Privacy for the patio to include dining and using the new hot tub
  • Dog friendly areas and grass for their two dogs to play and poop on
  • Interesting and colorful plants with lots of texture
  • Integrate the existing patio into the new design
  • Work with the existing aspen trees and magnolia

Privacy Landscaping

North Portland planting day shows wisps of the clumping bamboo for privacy screening.

Planting day shows only wisps of clumping bamboo.

Privacy was a very big concern.  Behind the house we had 3 homes with second story windows that had a good view into the patio and kitchen.  The properties to each side also had views not advantageous to our private hot tub plans.  Living in the city does mean getting to know your neighbors but not that intimately. And while in the hot tub we want to see natural beauty not someone doing their dishes.

The back porch was very attractive and had room for two people to sit and lounge but was too narrow for four. We tried a design that expanded the deck to fit a 4 top table but it was right on top of where we wanted the hot tub to go so it and a few other concepts went into the round file.

The former owners had installed a concrete patio and while I am sure it made sense to them, these odd concrete pedestals made no sense to us.  They were 4′ long and about a foot tall and wasted so much valuable space for outdoor living.  Huh? I’d love to know what they had on these pedestals. Big concrete lions?

Like most new homeowners they had already spent plenty of time and money getting the interior just right so I would consider carefully how to use the assets we had.

Lush plantings create back yard privacy for hot tub in Concordia neighborhood of N Portland

Our privacy planting solution for the patio is already thick in just 2 years.

The Privacy Solution for the Patio and Hot Tub Room

We measured the sight angles together and discovered that 10’ tall evergreen plantings would block the views into the hot tub area and the proposed dining table corner of the patio. My design solution put our privacy plantings in right next to the patio not out at the back fence line.

Kitchen view and privacy – We also had Ryan stand in the kitchen while we mocked up the height at various locations for privacy plantings.  It’s lovely to work on site and get the facts of exactly how high our privacy solutions needed to be.  Virtual design has it’s merits but there is nothing like being on site to create the best fitting design.

My favorite clumping bamboo worked beautifully for the patio privacy solution.  Ryan and Michael loved the texture and lush greenery of the Fargesia robusta ‘Campbell’ which grows 10′ in full sun (in Portland) and 12′ to 15’ tall in shadier settings.

I use this plant often for privacy solutions in city back yards because it’s tall enough to give us privacy, but doesn’t turn the whole yard into a shade setting.  It is evergreen and so is ideal for hot tub privacy even in winter and my clients love the drama and tropical effect of the leaves and form in the garden.  My only caveat on clumping bamboo is the amount of water it takes for it to thrive.  I prefer it to be on its own irrigation zone for this reason.  It needs more water than your other plants do and it will not become drought tolerant.  To put it on the same zone with other plants means you will waste water by over watering your other plants.

North Portland backyard shows privacy problems before privacy landscaping.

Planting day photo shows privacy problems.

Existing Tree in the Perfect Spot

We  had an evergreen Magnolia virginiana tree but  because it looked wimpy my clients wanted it gone.  Here is the cool thing.  This is the only magnolia tree I know about that will be happy as a companion to the frequently watered bamboo.  Both plants want evenly moist soils and once this magnolia recovers from two years without proper watering it will get taller than the bamboo and screen out the rest of those windows….oh did I mention it grows really fast and has a very fragrant flower.  I was and am very excited about having this existing tree to work with. It was planted in the perfect place to provide year round privacy from a corner neighbors windows. All it needed was a few years of proper watering.  And the bamboo is fine with some shade so the Magnolia can grow up to be itself without goofing up our lovely scheme. This is a rare moment in my design life but one I am always looking for.

Evergreen Privacy Selection Issues

Stepping aside for a moment:  I have limited plant choices when a privacy solution calls for evergreen plant material. Most clients don’t want to give up the space that a hedge takes but more important….they don’t want to prune a hedge regularly which is what they need.  I had already placed one evergreen hedge plant, Rhamnus Alata Varigata Variegated Buckthorn, between the hot tub and the side yard neighbor and it will have to be sheared a few times a year to keep it nice and thick.  That is a lot of work so adding another hedge was out. Trees are too big and just the wrong solution for the center of a small city back yard.

Lush plantings with custom planter and moon gate add drama to back yard landscape design in N Portland

Moon gate with lights and planter designed and built by clients.

Working with the Existing Aspen Trees

Aspen Trees in small city yards is a bad idea and yet we had 4 existing mature aspen trees to work with. And hey there, Aspen are beautiful trees with white trunks, fluttering leaves and gold fall color.  Since some butterflies and native insects lay their eggs in the leaves they are desirable for that reason alone.   Too bad they can be evil and sucker over an entire landscape and then head over to your neighbors.  I never put them in a design ever.

Second Opinion-Can I trust these Aspen trees to behave?

We removed one of the four existing mature Aspen trees as it was not growing well.  The remaining trees were so beautiful, well placed and were providing summer privacy and habitat for pollinators and birds. There were no evil suckers, not even one and my clients loved them.  I was so torn about them so I sought professional advice from the head grower at Heritage Seeds who said since the aspen had not suckered yet there was a very good chance they would not ever.  He grows and sells a type of aspen that is now (last 15 years or so) being used in the Willamette Valley by braver(?) or more fool hardy designers than I am. It is a different Aspen than the ones I have avoided but he says no guarantees about suckering even with the new ones. And if I had 20 years experience with using Aspen that was positive I would feel differently.

Colorful back porch adds to privacy landscape design in n Portland backyard

Check out the fun vine grid made by my clients that dresses the down spout.

Careful Plant Selection Starts with Experienced Designer

You are hiring me to recommend plants that I know and trust.  As a landscape designer it’s easy to want to use an in vogue plant (that you have no experience with) in designs.  This is wrong for me and my practice and I don’t do it.    OK yes occasionally I will use a sort of new perennial or even a shrub if my clients want a more adventurous planting palette.  Even then I have seen it in other designers gardens or it comes from a grower I trust.  If a plant has a well deserved reputation as being destructive, it won’t be in any of my designs.

Experience counts and I have been around long enough to see what harm aspen can do especially for small city properties.  I would not hesitate to use the new ones from Heritage seedlings on large properties where we are doing nature reclamation.  In these settings they are not typically irrigated so grow slowly and are planted as a community with other native plantings that are a benefit to wildlife.

Portland residential landscape designer Carol Lindsay stands in back yard privacy design of North Portland

Carol Lindsay stands in Concordia neighborhood privacy landscape design going on year 2.

Finishing the Privacy Design for Concordia Back Yard

The Aspen do a good job of making summer privacy from the houses behind us but we still had holes.  We used evergreen magnolia ‘Teddy Bear’ to finalize our privacy plan.  Teddy Bear Magnolia has a cute name due to very fuzzy gold brown felted backsides to the dark green leaves.  This tree has a narrow silhouette, is evergreen with large white summer flowers.

Plantings to go with the Aspen Trees

We added some native plants including flashy Echinacea to provide for the Aspens visitors, Western Tiger Swallow Tail and Loquinns Admiral butterflies.  A native blue fescue grass is part of the planting plan here and it hosts a variety of butterflies and insects.  Ryan is experimenting with different native flower seeds to include Gillia capitata, California poppy and Lupine to expand the diversity of visiting pollinators.

The north facing Aspen got a very different planting mix.  It already had a large group of autumn fern around it which we kept.  I added 3 white flowering clethra shrubs, Summersweet or Clethra alnifolia   The clethra, has a strong enough root system to compete with the Aspen and attracts hummingbirds, and bees including bumble bees.  The fragrant white flowers in spring with the white bark of the aspen create a beautiful vignette. I also use it around the edges of rain gardens in Portland.  We used Japanese forest grass ‘All Gold’ to add color.  This soft grass is also very popular with their dogs who love to munch on the blades.

Path and Surface Materials for Back Yard Design

Colorful coralbells collection enhances the privacy landscape of this North Portland backyard.

Ryan’s collection of colorful coralbells.

Materials used:  New concrete was added to mask where the odd concrete pedestals were.  Path materials used were both crushed rock with steel edger, and cedar chips for paths without edger.  The lawn was replaced with a tall type fescue which takes less water than a traditional lawn.

Clients Add Their Design Expertise

I mentioned they brought a lot of confidence into the project and were strong collaborators.  After the contractors installed our design, a great looking landscape I will brag on us all……. Ryan and Michael went to work adding the curved arbor pergola called a moon gate that became the heart of the design, and a custom wood vine trellis to the back porch exterior.

Look at the way they added both the lighting and the fern baskets to the arch.  The two planters under the curved arch were designed and built by Michael from wood and he used fiberglass for the top frame of the planter. They continue to experiment with plantings.

Dog friendly landscaping was required of this North Portland backyard. Hakonechloa macra pictured here.

Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’ being nibbled on by a 4 legged client Concordia neighborhood N. Portland

 

Planting Day

My clients found their own contractors and I worked with them to order the plants from my plant broker and again to physically place the plants and coach on planting some of the plants that needed special techniques.  They did a great job.

I was able to work with Brian to make any necessary plant substitutions.  Since Covid many plants are scarce so we had to swap a few out but mostly we found the plants we wanted. The design was installed in fall of 2020 and these photos are from summer of 2022.

Coneflowers bring color in client made planters in North Portland backyard.

Vibrant coneflower (Echinacea) sizzles with color in privacy landscape design for small city back yard

Testimonial

Ryan gave me this comment to use from our design process, “We loved our experience and would recommended you to all our friends! We are very excited to see our finished project, and will surely enjoy it for years to come.”
~Ryan N. of Portland

If you are looking for residential privacy landscaping in Portland, contact us for more information.

Categories : Before and Afters, Customer Testimonials, Dog and Cat Friendly Gardens, Garden Tips, Plants I Recommend, Privacy
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Portland landscaper Carol Lindsay, Landscape Design In A Day on HOUZZ, 2018 awardPortland landscaper Carol Lindsay, Landscape Design In A Day on HOUZZ, 2017 awardPortland landscaper Carol Lindsay, Landscape Design In A Day on HOUZZ, 2016 award

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