I live in Porterville, Ca. (central California) and have half an acre of backyard to fix up. My wife and I want to have a combination of a place to entertain and somewhere to get away and relax. She wants a variety of fruit trees, I want many trees that will provide a forest-like atmosphere, trees where I can throw a hammock onto, look up into the branches and daydream. Our back porch is small and I want to expand it soon into some sort of deck in which we can have barbeque’s. Im not interested in a pool or anything…ok maybe a spot for a hot-tub or something. I also had an idea in my head of maybe a gazebo as a focal point but that’s not set in stone or anything. Any ideas on what kind of trees, shrubs, plants, etc. that I should be looking into? Oh, probably an important piece of info to know…I have two dogs that love to play back there as well. My wife and I plan on doing all the work by ourselves and can spend a decent amount of money…but not a fortune. The area is a large rectangle where my backdoor is set in the mid-line. I want my guests to see a beautiful backyard as they step out of the backdoor. Any ideas and help would be greatly appreciated!
You have plenty of room to work with. Be careful to think ‘big’. Many people come from small blocks and get a large block and put in small garden beds that look silly. Think in proportion.
If you don’t think you have enough knowledge to do your own design, take pictures etc of what you want to a garden designer and just have the design done, then build it yourself at your leisure and with available money as time goes on. this will allow you to have a ‘flash’ finished product and save alot on dead plants due to poor selection. Ask to see some of the designers works to check if you like before you commit.
if you go ahead yourself, make sure you can’t see the whole garden from the back door. if you want to make the gazebo the feature place it towards the back fence and in line with the backdoor. Then make a path to lead you to it. make the centre one garden ‘room’ and then to each side make two more (preferably hedged) so you can’t see into them unless you go up and look in. In one put your orchard (fruit trees are not usually good enough to make a design feature off), and in the other make your forest ‘room’. In the area directly behind the house make your entertaining area including decks, hot tubs etc. Being able to see the whole backyard isn’t as interesting as ‘mystery’ areas.
I’m not sure off your climate as I am in Australia. some areas of California are similar in climate. Ours ranges from 40 deg C to -5 Deg C. Dry with winter rainfall. Some trees that may suit Pistachio (Chinese), Chinese Elm (Ulmus), Chinese Tallow, Claret Ash, Golden Ash, Silk tree, Robinia, Liquidamber, Pin oak, Pyrus, all flowering fruit trees – peach, apricot, almond, pear, crabapple, cherries (kanzan). Just need regular garden water.
Most fruit grows here – pears, peaches, apricots, nectarine, figs pomegranate, apples, almonds, pecans, cherries grapes, and all the citrus (with initial covering for winter frosts). If your climate is similar to mine you will have a host of interesting plants to grow.
Remember to put in lots of shrubs to give your garden ‘depth’. they look good in layers – usually three high at the back then medium and then low. Buxus, Euonymus, some viburnum, smoke bush (cotinus), oleander will all be happy.
Put a lot of time into the initial plan and soil preparation and you should be successful with water. It’s easy to create a ‘park’ like vista if you have the land and water. good luck!
I am not a fan of a jungle in your back yard, I would go with mostly fruit trees and a few shade trees. Look around the neighborhood for trees you like and ask the landowner what they are. For fruit trees, apricots are hard to grow since they bloom so early. Pears blight in some areas, here again, check and see what is growing in your town.
References :
Fruit trees would definitly be a good idea. Try a pomegranate tree they are very drought hardy or perhaps a mulberry. Satsuma trees are also great fruit trees. I believe that area is somewhat arid..right? Landscaping with native plants would save water.
References :
You have plenty of room to work with. Be careful to think ‘big’. Many people come from small blocks and get a large block and put in small garden beds that look silly. Think in proportion.
If you don’t think you have enough knowledge to do your own design, take pictures etc of what you want to a garden designer and just have the design done, then build it yourself at your leisure and with available money as time goes on. this will allow you to have a ‘flash’ finished product and save alot on dead plants due to poor selection. Ask to see some of the designers works to check if you like before you commit.
if you go ahead yourself, make sure you can’t see the whole garden from the back door. if you want to make the gazebo the feature place it towards the back fence and in line with the backdoor. Then make a path to lead you to it. make the centre one garden ‘room’ and then to each side make two more (preferably hedged) so you can’t see into them unless you go up and look in. In one put your orchard (fruit trees are not usually good enough to make a design feature off), and in the other make your forest ‘room’. In the area directly behind the house make your entertaining area including decks, hot tubs etc. Being able to see the whole backyard isn’t as interesting as ‘mystery’ areas.
I’m not sure off your climate as I am in Australia. some areas of California are similar in climate. Ours ranges from 40 deg C to -5 Deg C. Dry with winter rainfall. Some trees that may suit Pistachio (Chinese), Chinese Elm (Ulmus), Chinese Tallow, Claret Ash, Golden Ash, Silk tree, Robinia, Liquidamber, Pin oak, Pyrus, all flowering fruit trees – peach, apricot, almond, pear, crabapple, cherries (kanzan). Just need regular garden water.
Most fruit grows here – pears, peaches, apricots, nectarine, figs pomegranate, apples, almonds, pecans, cherries grapes, and all the citrus (with initial covering for winter frosts). If your climate is similar to mine you will have a host of interesting plants to grow.
Remember to put in lots of shrubs to give your garden ‘depth’. they look good in layers – usually three high at the back then medium and then low. Buxus, Euonymus, some viburnum, smoke bush (cotinus), oleander will all be happy.
Put a lot of time into the initial plan and soil preparation and you should be successful with water. It’s easy to create a ‘park’ like vista if you have the land and water. good luck!
References :
Horticulturist