Small Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

Posted August 27, 2015

This St. Augustine home owner wanted some small front yard landscaping ideas and swimming pool landscaping incorporated into her backyard landscape design.

Colby’s St. Augustine landscape was plagued by multiple issues in both the front and backyard.  The front yard was cluttered with an over grown hedge which blocked the front porch, untrimmed palm trees and dead plants.  The previous homeowner used retaining wall block as a landscape boarder around the trees and planting beds in the front yard landscape design.  The hardscape boarder was uneven, sinking and dysfunctional.  The St. Augustine sod was dying on the side and backyard do to over watering by multiple sprinkler heads watering the same areas.  In the backyard, around the pool deck perimeter, were areas of washout exposing concrete and irrigation pipes.  There was very little plant material other than the queen palms which were placed on the corners of the lanai.

After an initial consultation, we made plans and incorporated small front yard landscaping ideas which included removal of the large canary island date palm and all of the plants and hedge in front of the house.  As part of the small front yard landscaping design flowers were used instead of hedging plants, center piece evergreen trees were added and we shrank the size of the flower beds.  This new garden design requires less maintenance and trimming.  We installed new St. Augustine sod grass and trimmed the sylvestris palm.  In the backyard landscape design we used all of the retaining wall block removed from the front yard and built a retaining wall creating an elevated planting bed. This also prevents further erosion around the pool deck.  The swimming pool landscaping was filled with colorful tropical foliage and year around blooming interest.

Colby’s ideas for her home expanded beyond the small front yard landscaping ideas and she decided to paint her home  a different color. She went from a terracotta brown to a bright sunny yellow with white trim and black accents. Being from Philadelphia she had visions of her new home being a reflection of our laid back beachy lifestyle.  With this new information via her father-in-law, I decided to change the plant and mulch selection to reflect the changes she made on the exterior.  She couldn’t have been more pleased with the finished product and loved the colorful tropical foliage and blooms we added to her new small front yard landscaping design.

Backyard Garden Ideas Jacksonville Fl

Posted August 7, 2015

Backyard garden ideas Jacksonville Fl and St Augustine Fl add points of interest and turn a neglected beach hideaway into a functional space designed to fit my client’s needs.

It was clear upon arrival my new clients landscaping was in desperate need of a few backyard garden ideas. The swimming pool landscape consisted of weeds and an awkwardly placed robellini palm.  The lack of any type of sod grass made life with four dogs a dirty mess.  After several consultations with my client it became clear the condition of her new home was the product of the previous homeowners 10 years of neglect.  The home as well as the yard was in desperate need of an overhaul…

We first tackled the backyard so she could release her dogs in the back without fear of tracking in dirt and mud.  We recommended Bermuda sod grass because it will hold up best to the foot traffic of four dogs as well as establish itself as a thick, lawn grass.  She also wanted a paver sidewalk from the driveway to the pool deck when entering the home from the backyard.  Gravel and existing patio pavers were  installed around the AC/pool equipment to keep within budget.  We also added a small retaining wall and plants as a point of interest but elevated enough to keeping her small dogs out of the bed.

Along the left side gutter downspouts were creating erosion of the hill.  We installed drainage, built a series of stairs, and installed beautiful jade pebbles from Indonesia to hold the hillside and make access to the backyard easier for my client.

The front yard landscaping was in complete disarray.  Overrun with weeds overgrown plants and palms that had never been trimmed properly, kept her home hidden from the street.  Because her front yard was on a hill we decided to get rid of the planting bed in front of the retaining wall.  Washout of mulch and erosion around the stairs was exposing irrigation pipe.  New St Augustine sod grass was installed to hold the hillside and prevent further erosion.  We then trimmed all of the Sago Palms, the Canary Island Date and the Sylvestris Palms.  All other plants and weeds were removed.  Because my client moved south from New Jersey to enjoy the Florida Coast lifestyle, we replaced her old shrubs with a variety of blooming tropical plants as well as plants with colorful foliage to give her the beach surf-side feel she was looking for!