Help me plan my landscaping in a weird spot

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

We have only 2 acres, here in Zone 5, the plains of Colorado. Sandy loam (mostly sand!). Most of our space I can easily plan... paddocks for the goats and chickens, with crops growing in some of them. Areas for a small orchard, berry brambles, nut trees. But there's one place that stumps me.

That red line ... we are gonna put telephone poles where that line is ... we park right there anyway. The driveway goes down to the right, which is west. Notice the really weird front door of the house: open the door and try to hold the dog's leash as I hold on to the railing to get down the (now) icy steps ... very difficult. We can't move it to there the pentagonal window is because there's a heat vent on the floor right there. So as much as I hate it, the door has to stay where it is. Grrr.

When we have money, we want to replace the steps with a handicapped ramp (I'm disabled).

That being said, we need a place to sit and look out at the mountains (to the west). Beyond beautiful view. Very very hot in the summer, not to mention the bugs. VERY windy. Would like to enclose a part right against the house (see the blue lines in the below pic). The green lines show my son's service dog's "business" area (how he managed to train himself to do everything in that one spot, I'll never know!

In this third pic, I've added a white line which shows where we plan to put up a big 4-6 foot solid fence, white, so that the back acre will be completely cut off. Just to keep the front acre animals separate from the back acre animals! Where the blue lines and white lines meet, will be the gate to that section plus to the back yard. Well, one of the gates.

Working with a limited budget.

Anyhoo, in that front area, it's rock and some dirt on top of landscaping cloth. The last owners ruined original landscaping ... scooped up almost all rock to sell for money. Wondering if we could do like an outline of where we want the enclosed porch area to be when we can afford.

Thought we'd scoop up the rest of the rocks (and hopefully landscaping cloth that's really in tatters), then dump top soil on the area, and maybe build some planters. We want edible landscaping, but between the house and those two trees, we get only about 5-6 hours of sunshine there (in the summer, about 2-3 in the winter). Will wrap around another 30 feet towards the side of the house, which is the south side and gets a LOT of sun.

Recommendations for herbs or berries that would do well there? Maybe some roses too? Something that's easy-care because I have two other acres to look after PLUS lots of animals and a special-needs child.

Would you recommend pots or making planters with concrete blocks or bricks with dirt in the middle for plantings? Or straight in the ground once we dump the top soil there (I'll amend with chicken and goat poop).

Help! I want to start sketching it out so we can budget then start in the Spring.

 

[StupidBird]

Ok, this actually isn't too bad, you know.

Here are my recommendations:
Skip the tiny stairs and useless rail. Extend/pull out that level into a useful sized landing, 4x6, 6x8 or so; then ramp it down in two directions - one wide path to the gate/drive, the other to the lawn and around to the other areas along the house.

Dress up the entry big time. Trellis with gate? And in the main part of the fence in the "lawn", one section should be removeable for easy access with pickup truck, tractor, etc.

Screen the far side with evergreens, add some small trees/flowering stuff. A nice big band of rough taller stuff, wildflowers and the like, in the doggie doo zone.

 

[StupidBird]

And, as you find big rocks - you do get those? - use in the borders and as accents. How is the runoff? Um, can you tell anything with this quick sketch?

 

[thistlebloom]

I like it 'bird!

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

And, as you find big rocks - you do get those? - use in the borders and as accents. How is the runoff? Um, can you tell anything with this quick sketch?

Wow... that's an amazing sketch!

I wish I had that kind of talent.

Yes, have several double-hand-sized rocks where the original owners used them to make different levels along the house. Can move several. I usually pile them up for the goats (especially now that we have babies) or to hold tarps down in the wind.

The runoff is great. The house sits on 2 acres, on the top of a ridge, and both the front and back acres slope down so between that and our sand-for-soil, melting snow and rain don't puddle.

I love the trellis idea. Been thinking about using something like that for a grape arbor. Wondering if it would stand up to our very strong winds, tho. Gusts up to 80 mph for 7-8 months out of the year. Blew over my chicken coop in September!

Love the splashes of color too. Maybe roses (yellow and red -- climbing and bushes) mixed with bushes of raspberries (some red and some yellow) and rosemary, with splashes of jewel marigolds and herbs as edging. The house is butter yellow with white trim.

I can ALMOST see it.

THANK YOU!!!

 

[StupidBird]

Simply build the trellis yourselves, no prefab. It's called, in some places, overkill, but it works for me. And since you have sandy soil, sink those posts really deep so they don't heel over.

And with rocks, the bigger the better for visually anchoring a spot.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Are there free plans online for an easy-to-make trellis that will hold up to high winds and laden-down grape vines? But that will still be pretty when it's kinda bare in the winter? I'll have to make it 7 feet tall because my teen is already 6' and still growing. So will need to be 9-10 feet on sides to sink 2-3 feet into the ground, with concrete.

ETA: Took another look at your drawing. Looks like your sides might be about 4-5 feet, with more height that meets in the middle. That might be better.

The big rocks we have about about 2-hands worth in size (maybe 8-10 inches wide?). Maybe on the outside of the little fence I'll use short boards to make "planters" for the bushes, and hide the boards with the rocks. Would that work?

ETA: Forgot to mention that the planters would be big enough for the roses bushes and raspberry bushes, then in the front, marigolds. Or maybe tulips! That's more perennial. But the tulips wouldn't get much sun in the summer with the bushes at full leaf. Looks like I have more researching to do to see if that's ok.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Okay, I've had someone with a bobcat come out yesterday and bucket-scoop and move the rocks along the edges of the little area. Then he smoothed it out. Sure looks different. Poor puppy is so confused because his poo spot is now completely gone.

Hubby and I talked about this plan. Although we'd like wood fence along this area, we would need it 6' tall to keep the puppy in and the coyote, fox and mountain lions out. Would also block our view of the mountains, so we're putting up chain link. Not as pretty, but I'll have vines and bushes growing .. will make it beautiful. We both love the trellis and grape arbor. Thinking all of this might wait a couple of weeks until I can get a handiman to do this in the cold!

Bought some bulbs for daffodils, hyacinth and ?? (mind is going blank right now) ... is it too late to plant them?

 

[markbatham2009]

Hi,

I like the StupidBird recommendations for your garden, but my suggestions is it would be find if you prefer to plant long/tall stuff in front the lawn, this will protect your lawn's small stuffs to be seen by the animals to make damage. And also plant some durable fencing products to protect your valuable investments.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Here's what I did: Welded wire with t-posts along perimeter of "dog run" except for where it met the 6' tall wood panel privacy fence. Gate from the driveway. Short gate on the other side by the house to lead where I'm making a "flower and herb" garden. We also used welded wire and t-posts to create a dog-business area that sometimes he uses and sometimes he doesn't. And another small area inside for containers of unusual tomatoes.

At the portion that fronts the driveway, I built raised beds: 3 of them have tulips, daffodils and hyacinth. In one the tulips and 1 hyacinth have started peeking out. The other raised beds will hold cranberries and lingonberries. The other two sides will have raspberries and blackberries against the fence.

Once I have all of them planted and they are blooming, I'll take pictures.

I still get rabbits in there but they are magicians and can get in almost anywhere! So far, no other dogs have been seen in there.

Mark: really didn't understand your post. There's not exactly a lawn in this area: weeds, cactus and lots of dog, er, stuff. It's not meant to be a lawn at all. Although we do plan on putting a 2-person swing there, and maybe a gazebo later down the line.