Creating An Outdoor Courtyard



Side of House Before



 The east side of my home was an eye sore to say the least. The soil was poor and dry; the fence was old and needed to be replaced and this side of my home did nothing to enhance the curb appeal nor did it reflect the rest of my planting areas. Over the fall and winter I started planning out how I wanted the courtyard to look and feel. I researched ideas on new plants I wanted to grow and materials I wanted to encorporate into my "vision". The design I came up with featured a flagstone walkway, stone mosaic center featuring a water fountain, three raised 4x4 beds, and outdoor lighting.



Side of House After



The old wood fence was replaced with 6 white "no maintenance" vinyl panels. A bulk of the spring was spent taking out the old grass. I used my design as a reference while I marked out the walkway and center circle for the mosaic. I added my electrical line for the water fountain, repurposed old brick pavers for the edging, and amended the soil with 6 yards of topsoil, compost, sand, fertilizer, and perlite. The walkway was completed first and then it was on to the fun part...PLANTING!  I chose many perennials and shrubs for my zone 5 and I wanted to make sure the courtyard encorporated different sizes and shapes, as well as texture. The plantings I chose were black eyed susan, lavender, cardinal flower, sedum, phlox, bleeding heart, lamium, globe arborvitae, 3 varities of hosta, 2 varities of knockout roses, golden spirea, rose of sharon, weigela, and boxwood. Each of the varities were planted in multiples and the height and spread were considered. I crowded the plants a little more to achieve a more dense look as the years go by and the plantings reach maturity. The 3 raised beds contain herbs and vegetables during the growing season and I enjoy planning my vegetable garden each year. I purchased a beautiful red bench for a glorious view of the courtyard. Overall, my design came out better than expected and the butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds love the courtyard and it's my favorite place to be!

The greatest gift of the garden is the
restoration of the five senses. 

~Hanna Rion