Tag: Outside

Our New Cedar Fence

We have a new fence! In December, which is kind of weird. We had been trying to get this scheduled since the summer, and it only now happened. But at least it happened! No more temporary plastic mesh fencing to keep the dogs out of the garden area. No more fence panels that blow over with a strong wind.

Ah, look at all that fresh orange cedar with the dormant plants. Beautiful.

The fence needs to be toned down, obviously. Hydrangeas, boxwoods, and whatever else to come too. But look at how pleased I am to have a securely fenced in yard.

(Hi! My pink coat is a few years old, but the faux fur wrap is new and fun, as are the suede heels.)

I had mentioned my idea about creating different areas with fencing when I was working on the backyard last spring. More recently, I shared these renderings on Instagram. I don’t own a drone and have no interest in climbing a tree for an aerial shot, so these give a good overview of our plot and garden layout.

The sandbox is now oddly enclosed in the dog run, so that should probably be moved. It’s great though to be able to let the dogs out into just the dog run from the back door, or choose to let them explore the larger part of the yard while we’re out there with them.

The arch and trellis create a nice separation without blocking the view or chopping the yard up in a way that makes it feel smaller, but I think I’m most excited about the circle gate toward the front of the house. We hired Suburban Fence and the guy I talked to said that what I was asking for isn’t something they have ever offered, adding that he’d only “seen in on Pinterest.” Busted, I guess, but they made my circle gate happen!

Those of you that have either stained or painted a wooden fence, would you share your experiences? Does it hold up? Does it need to be maintained every year? I had a recommendation for Cabot Bleaching Oil (which seems to have been discontinued with only the stain available now) and have seen some discussions about bleaching oil vs. weathering stain, or a mix of the two (?). More research is needed in this area, and I would love your input.

After the wood is painted/stained and new plants have gone in, it might look look something like this? Eventually!

December 17, 2018
A Small Garden Victory, a Formal Plan

I have a boxwood update for you. They bounced back! Two years ago, the hedges flanking the front walkway were overgrown and encroaching upon the sidewalk. I pruned them back, hard. Last year, they looked better. This year, they’re fully filled in!

So now that I’ve had a little success in the boxwood department, maybe I’m ready to go all-in? I’m in planning mode, wanting to work on the front garden this year. I was out there all day every day last spring and summer, cleaning things up, moving and planting. There are two distinct sides to our front yard, since we have an asymmetrical house on an asymmetrical lot. The smaller side has a blue gazing ball on a small fluted column with a ring of flagstone around it. Near the gate, there is a dwarf lilac, a rose bush, and clematis that climbs and covers the fence. It was never very clear what was supposed to be going on in the middle portion, and I let things grow last year to see what they were. Guess what grew? Weeds! There are also some scraggly bushes near the house that I’m not a fan of, and I’m thinking it’s a good time to go at it with an overall plan.

I’ve been reading up on various styles, researching period Victorian gardens, and I’m drawn to formal layouts. Do a quick search of “parterre” on Pinterest, and there are tons of inspiring images.

The layout is really the key though, not necessarily the hedging. Here’s another example with just a few boxwood balls.

I can’t think of any other formal front gardens in the area, but maybe that’s not a big deal? Our house, with our next door neighbor’s, are the only ones with a front fence too, and it’s not like there’s all that much cohesiveness on my street as it is now anyway. I love the idea of a centering a flowering tree.

Images: Formal Front Garden Parterre — Brocaatje Landelijk Brocante Wonen • Garden Design Dublin

April 10, 2017
8 Round Metal, Stone, & Concrete Outdoor Dining Tables
Our rectangular dining table is a tight squeeze on our patio. A round table would be a much better fit, size and shape-wise, so I’m always keeping an eye on what’s out there. I’m not interested in wicker, glass-topped, mosaic, or metal mesh tables, so right away that rules out a lot. I like painted metal bistro tables, but we need something larger, so we’re left with wood, concrete, or stone.

We’ve had two wooden outdoor tables, one acacia and the other pine. The acacia table lasted four years before totally falling apart, though to be fair, we didn’t keep up with the regular sanding and oiling maintenance (twice a year) that was suggested. We replaced it with the pine table we still have today. Many of the planks in the table top warped immediately before its first summer was even over, but there hasn’t been any further damage. I know that teak is supposed to be far more durable, but we weren’t in a position to afford it four or eight years ago. Looking at a lot of wooden tables though, I’ve realized that I like the material best for rectangular tables because of the planking. I like right angles.

So! I think concrete or stone could be a good choice for when we eventually replace our table with something round. I worry it would get hot in the sun (right?), but our patio is in shade pretty much all day. These are appealing to me because they (for the most part) have heft and a sense of timelessness, but they can be made to look more traditional or modern by pairing them with different chairs. Below are some of my favorites. Since we’re in the middle of summer and retail is always looking ahead, some of these are already on sale and the rest may soon be too.
1. Treviso Outdoor Round Dining Table
  47″ and 55″ diameters available, ~~$2140-$2649~~ $1799-$1899
2. Geneva Concrete Round Dining Table, Pottery Barn
  48″ diameter, ~~$1874~~ $1499
3. Suzanne Kasler Orleans Round Pedestal Dining Table, Ballard Designs
  48″ diameter, $1199
4. Belgian Trestle Weathered Concrete & Teak Round Dining Table, Restoration Hardware
  38″, 48″, 60″, and 72″ diameters available, $2355-$6405 ($1766-$4803 member pricing)
5. La Coupole Indoor/Outdoor Dining Table, Round Pietra Cardoza Top, Williams-Sonoma
  (also pictured above) 42″ diameter, ~~$2995~~ $2396
6. Klismos Round Dining Table, Restoration Hardware
  48″, 60″, and 72″ diameters available, ~~$1495-$2495~~ $1345-$2245 ($1076-$1796 member pricing)
7. English Trestle Weathered Concrete & Teak Round Dining Table, Restoration Hardware
  48″, 60″, and 72″ diameters available, $3580-$6720 ($2685-$5040 member pricing)
8. Round Outdoor Dining Table, Horchow
  42″ and 60″ diameters available, $950-$1150
July 28, 2016
Progress on the Kids’ Sandbox

The sandbox and its cover/fort took about a day to build. The instructions only called for a screwdriver and a wrench, but a T-square and tape measure were helpful additions, and I also picked up some landscaping fabric to line the bottom that I’ll staple into place.

(I hate those bigfoot and yeti toys. SO UGLY!)

I’m going to let the cedar gray. I’ve thought about painting the yellow plastic corners, but I’m concerned about the longevity of a paint job on them. Anyone have experience with painting plastic that has stood up to the elements and kids’ play?

The blue awning will definitely go. I initially liked the idea of black and white stripes, but the railings aren’t going to play well with stripes, and black and white (as much as I love it) doesn’t fit with the exterior paint colors very well. Polka dots seem too cutesy, a solid color might not wear well, and I’m not into the idea of florals or foliage outside competing with the real thing. I’ve ordered a purple paisley outdoor fabric that I have to say isn’t my favorite fabric in the world, but I think it’s the right thing for this application. The paisley has enough movement in the pattern to hide dirt, and the purple will tie in with the house trim. I only needed two yards, so if it’s horrible, I suppose I’m only out $20.

The whole thing is going in the yard near the back door.

I prepared the area by moving the antique seated sword sharpening wheel (for real), clearing out the weeds and saving a couple of plants to be relocated, and trenching the dimensions of a pea gravel surround. I won’t be bringing the gravel right up to the fences because I want to leave a little room for planting to soften the edges and screen the yard a bit. Those are peonies there along the cast iron fence now, but they don’t get enough sun to be happy where they are.

I still have to remove more dirt, level the ground and tamp down the soil, stake in some garden edging (you can see it coiled up there in the photo above), and line the whole thing with landscaping fabric. Then I can finally site the sandbox and get the gravel in there. I can’t really do anything more until the ground dries up a bit though, so I’m in planning mode, trying to research shade-happy plants that can take some abuse from the kids. They’re so excited about playing out there — I wish I could speed up the progress for them.

July 25, 2016
Choosing a Sandbox
So… the kids have been really into digging in the dirt. Between them and the dog, a lot of plants have been destroyed, and we’ve been working on the yard to make it more kid-friendly.

We got a bunch of flagstone from a neighbor recently and I immediately started thinking about where we could add a small patio space. After reading a million garden design books, I’ve slowed down on my initial plans. I’m taking my time, gathering inspiration and dreaming about some big changes to make in the future, and the secondary flagstone patio plans are on hold.

We are creating a bit of a kid-zone though! Each summer is such a short window, and we don’t want to wait any longer to make it a space the kids can have fun with. The area nearest the back door, across from their clubhouse is getting an overhaul. I’d still like some grass out there for them (and for the dog), and that side of the yard gets the most sun so it seems like the best bet for giving it a go. We also want to add a sandbox*, and I gave the kids three options — each with a different type of cover.
They chose number three, which I had secretly hoped they would pick because it was my favorite of the bunch. It’s a sandbox! It’s a little fort! It’s cute! And I’m thinking it would be even more cute with a striped awning, flower boxes, a kid-sized chair… you know. The usual snowballing of projects.

Do you have a suggestion for the best material surrounding the sandbox though? Here are my thoughts.
- Grass: If we already had a patch of lawn here, I’d just plunk the sandbox down. The entire back yard is filled with hostas and other plants though, mostly beneath the shade of two mature trees. Establishing grass will be already be tricky enough without the kids potentially throwing sand all around the area.
- Pea Gravel: A rock garden type of thing? Could be a good companion to the sand — kind of a dinosaur dig / construction site vibe. We’d have to dig out a layer of dirt though, so there’s some work involved and it’s a more permanent change.
- Mulch: Easy. Cover up that dirt with mulch, and done. The biggest drawback is that mulch doesn’t feel so nice on bare feet.
- Something else? Use some of the flagstone? Who knows!? (Really. Who knows?)
The kids are pretty excited and we’re hoping to build the sandbox as soon as we can. What do you think it the best option to surround it?

*FYI: the cheap “play sand” that most of us think of for sandboxes is now thought to be a potential health hazard. An alternative is “safe sand” with no asbestos or silica, but it’s 10x the cost. The information out there is conflicting, but it’s something to be aware of and research.
July 18, 2016
The Lay of the Land

OK, done with the front of the house! For now at least. I’m eager to get out there and make some changes and additions, but the perennial beds have been cleaned up, the boxwoods trimmed and thinned, and everything fertilized and mulched. We’re good.

Onward, to the back! But first, a layout of the property. The lot (50’x145′) and house footprint are to scale, though the details on the house itself are not. They’re close, but the roof lines are definitely a little wonky (the house is not entirely the odd assemblage of angles it appears to be!). I gave up on getting them exactly right because the focus is on the overall land here.

There’s a 3′ purple cast iron fence out front, a 5′ black cast iron fence next to one neighbor, a 4′ wooden fence next to the other, and 6′ wooden privacy fences elsewhere. None of them match, none of them are in perfect shape, but they’re there. The boxwood hedges, we’ve talked about. Everything else is garden space, aside from the parkway, the small patch of grass out front, and the flagstone patio in the back.

Our neighbors in the greystone are clearing out their yard and putting in a paver patio. They had some flagstone that matches ours, so we’re taking it (thank you!). The plan is to either create a small patio, use it for stepping stone paths, or both.

The first option would be solely for the kids and their friends. We have a table and chairs on our patio, and there’s a kids’ picnic table off to the side. It’s cute and they like to sit there because it feels secluded next to the fence, beneath a row of lilac trees, but it’s just dirt and mulch beneath the table right now. I feel like we could turn it into a pretty cute space! It would only be useful for the next five years or so, but I’m OK with that.

Option number two would be to make a lounge area. There’s a dirt path to the egg chair right now from where foot traffic has trampled the plants. Go with what has already been started and turn it into a paved area, or just make a stone path? If we’re going to do a patio, we’ll have to do a lot more planning before we can get started, but if it’s just a path, I can dive right in and get it done.

Kids’ area, lounge area, or a combination of both? I’m thinking the way to go may be to do a stone path to the chair, leave the rest alone, and then a small patio area beneath the kids’ picnic table. I’m heading out now to figure it out.

June 7, 2016