These are the before pictures for the Palmer Residence project. There are some drainage issues by the back door, and otherwise we are looking at a plain sod and sprinklers canvas for their outdoor living spaces.
I will post pictures throughout the project which will probably take a few years.
The park strip is a mix of colors and varieties, but I love the small patch of large, red oriental poppies mixed in with the purples of the sage and hardy cranesbill.
I want to add some more flowers and a couple of cherry trees to the plantings in the park strip. Then, if I can get some mulch in there, it will help with weed control! Let me know what you think.
I have a ground cover area in my backyard where snow in summer has taken off and the flax has spread proliferously. However, if you look closely, you can see small patches of blue star creeper with its dainty, little, baby blue blossoms and the stunning green of the green carpet.
Again, the groundcover has some growing up to do, but it will be a great floor for the outdoor living space that will eventually go there.
I decided to post the step by step directions for creating an informal flower bed in your Outdoor Living Spaces here so that those that wanted the how-to information but didn’t want to listen to the podcast on Informal Flower Bed Design, could have quick and easy access to the 10 steps.
Figure out how many square feet you have.
Once you know the area of the bed you are designing, you can figure out how many flowers/bulbs you need. Use the formula 1/x for determining the number of perennials that you want (x=the spacing of the plants). When using annuals, plan on about 2 plants and 2 bulbs per square foot for spring flowers and about 4 plants per square foot for summer flowers.
Pick your plants.
When picking your plants you must keep in mind that you are selecting plants to be skeleton (10%-20%), tendon (10%-20%), flesh (60%-80%), and sparkle (>5%)—these plants are explained more later. Keep in mind height, texture and color. Make sure when using perennials that all the plants fit in your hardiness zone and select plants that bloom at different times of the year. Visit nurseries at different times of the year to see what is blooming. Order free catalogs online and find new plants to incorporate in your designs.
Draw your spine.
Straight lines do not fit in an informal design. Use sine curves, J’s, E’s, S’s, C’s, 8’s and explosions. Try being fancy and drawing different lines for different bloom seasons.
Place your skeleton plants.
Use odd numbers and place the plants in triangles (but not equilateral or isosceles triangles) and groups along the spine. Leave space in between the groups for tendon plants.
Place your tendon plants.
Place the tendon plants in between and around the groups of skeleton plants. Expand the spine as much as possible.
Place your flesh plants.
Fill in the empty space.
Place the sparkle plants.
Put the sparkle plants in areas that you want to emphasize or where you want to draw attention.
Plant the plants.
Plant the bulbs about 4-6” deep pointed side up. Plant annuals with the top of the root ball just under the surface green side up. Plant perennials with the top of the root ball just above the surface. Rough up the sides of the root ball before planting.
Mulch and water the plants.
Mulch perennials and summer annuals with either compost or shredded bark. Do not mulch spring bulbs or spring annuals. Water in all plants except bulbs. Bulbs do not need watering.
Enjoy and maintain.
Take time to enjoy your flowers, especially by spending time maintaining them. Cut out the dead flowers and replace the dead plants. Watch for diseases and insects. Take a lot of pictures to show friends and neighbors.
Skeleton- Bright, vibrant colors; tall, pointed forms; large, significant flowers
Tendon- Colors, forms and flowers that compliment the skeleton plants
Flesh- Colors, forms and flowers that emphasize the skeleton
Sparkle- Frequently white or other significant or contrasting colors; usually small size or insignificant form; noticeable, but not detracting flowers; meant to emphasize or draw attention in a subtle way
Free Catalogs:
Usually, perennials and shrubs take about three years to mature, start filling in and begin to look good. This is year three for my flower beds.
I did use the informal flower bed design philosophy to design my flower bed, but I also went with a sort of monochromatic planting scheme for three different areas–red in the southeast, yellow and orange in the southwest, and purple in the west. I mixed in colors from the other planting schemes into each area to add interest, but for the most part, monochromatic is the pattern.
As you can see, there is still some growing up to do, but for the first time, I am not ashamed of the pictures of my yard. So enjoy the beginnings of my Outdoor Living Spaces and let me know what you think!
I have started to participate in the Better Homes and Gardens Gardening Forum. I really like forums because they provide a great resource for information on outdoor living spaces, finding out what others are doing, how they have solved the same problems you may have, and for posting pictures of your projects for bragging and critique!
I recommend you go to the website, register to participate, and start sharing as soon as possible.
The pergola construction is complete, and I have posted the completion pictures of the Allen Residence Outdoor Dining Room for viewing. To the right here is a picture of the installation of the pergola.
I want to thank 
for the pergola manufacturing and installation. I am very pleased with the construction and so are the Allens.
The Allen Residence Outdoor Living Space is now finished, with the exception of mosquito netting on the pergola. But, the mosquito nets will not alter the look of the area that much, so I have taken pictures and have posted them here below of the completed Outdoor Dining Room.
Also, the flower beds were designed using the philosophy discussed in the Artisan Landscape Outdoor Living Podcast Episode 3. Since the perennial flower bed is new, it is not really impressive yet, and I would expect about 3 years of growth before the plants really fill in and start to look nice.
The one thing that I would add to the space to make it even more complete and comfortable is accessories. I discussed that in a previous post. Enjoy and please let me know what you think about this Outdoor Living Space.
Remember going to the drive-in? My family used to load the back of the car with bean bag chairs, blankets and lawn chairs and then set up elaborate lounges in the parking lot of the drive-in to watch to double feature on the big screen.
Now you can have your very own version of a drive-in for your back yard and invite back that nostalgia into your life. This is a rendering of an outdoor theater. Along with the standard elements of an Outdoor Living Space, we have a weather proof and climate controlled, locking housing for the television and computer, a small shed for storing the blankets and chairs for the area, and terraced levels for seating.
The computer is networked with the computers in the house and all of the owner’s dvd’s and cd’s are stored on the computer and can be accessed from the wireless mouse and keyboard for watching movies or listening to music conveniently. The satellite or cable connection and the internet are also connected to the television through the computer so that you can watch t.v. or surf the internet outside.
So make your back yard the ultimate for parties or family time by adding an outdoor theater to your back yard!
After reading the previous post, you should be all primed for creative thinking about Outdoor Living Spaces. So, for those of you who have rooms or closets full of free weights, treadmills and exercise videos that are all collecting dust, you might consider recommitting yourself to toning that flab with an outdoor exercise room.
The rendering here is of an outdoor exercise room. The space includes the basic necessities for a decent at-home work out with the bike for cardio, the bench and free weights for weight training and a soft floor area and padded wall for stretching. Also included are outlets for the exercise equipment and for music for the area.
Could there be a better place to work out than in your own serene and peaceful location in your back yard, away from interruptions and excuses! An Outdoor Exercise Room is a great idea for an Outdoor Living Space.