Garden and Path Install

A complete revitalization of the front yard / path

Our customer here in North Portland wanted to revitalize their front yard with something more fun to look at, and with more function. One of the primary goals of this redesign was to flatten out the slope and add an informal retaining wall to prevent erosion. We agreed to use a natural scattering of basalt boulders, combined with ground cover that would take root and spread in between the rocks. This gave our customer the function they wanted without breaking the bank on a costly unit paver wall. They wanted to add a path to access the backyard, and plants in the new bed between the street and sidewalk.

We tailored a plant list with an assortment of lower flowering perennials and a specimen Japanese maple for the front. In the back a shade loving Pieris, ferns, heucherra, and helabores where they had been having trouble growing things due to low sunlinght. Here is the complete plant list:

After excavating the sod and disposal, we started on regrading. We brought in 5 yards of 3 way soil and reshaped the grade. Next came the path. After laying down a layer of fabric, we laid down the gravel for flagstone steppers, and set them. We surrounded those with black metal edging. The voids were filled with 1" river rock. Next came planting. (My favorite part) After getting down and dirty, we watered. After bringing in a 3 inch layer of bark mulch, and a final grade, we could call it a day. We were really excited with how everything turned out, as were our customer.

Thanks for the work guys! We are so excited to see everything bloom and transform over the next month. Will update with spring time blooms when the photos are available!