Recently moved into a house with the backyard over ran, but also patchy? I have a landscaper coming to clear it but i want to do what I can know to what would work well for a yard this size? yard will be primarily for the dogs to use so it will be high traffic, in the pnw so we get a lot of rain. Any advice?
by Sweaty_Bread_1484
2 Comments
PNW rain and dogs in a small space means a grass lawn is a losing battle. You are going to end up with a mud pit. Have your landscaper rip out that patchy turf and clear the old garden junk. For the main traffic zone you want a deep layer of playground cedar chips or five eighths minus crushed rock. Both drain fast and stand up to heavy dog traffic. If you go with rock make sure they lay down a proper sub base and use heavy edging to keep it contained so it does not migrate everywhere.
Do not scatter random plants in the middle for the dogs to trample. Push all your planting to the perimeter along the fences to create a thick structured buffer. You want sweeping connected masses of tough native evergreens like Sword Ferns and Salal mixed with Red Twig Dogwood. This gives you that essential mid level structure and visual calm without getting in the way of the dogs. Grouping them tight means they protect each other and naturally shade out weeds instead of creating that restless polka dot look.
Before you pay a crew to haul in tons of rock or mulch you should run a picture of the cleared dirt through the GardenDream web app. It is a solid blueprint tool that lets you overlay different hardscapes and plant layouts on your actual yard so you know exactly how it will function together. Seeing the difference between a mulch dog run and a gravel setup visually will save you a massive headache and keep you from paying for expensive mistakes later.
Thank you! That thats the route I was hoping to go, and quick google on those plants sound awesome for this space! I appreciate the feedback