Tuesday
Sep132011
Backyard inspiration
Tue, 13 Sep 2011This, my friends, is EXACTLY what I want to do in my backyard once the new house is complete. Maybe not the bamboo because I'm not sure that can grow in the climate up here in good 'ol Canada but whatever, I can stick all sorts of grasses around the perimeter (and the chairs blend too much with the concrete). I'd have to include a concrete box filled with cat grass though for my herd because they insist on eating it (and then barfing everywhere). I hate grass in general so this is my ideal yard. Modern and LOW MAINTENANCE.
via Dwell
Reader Comments (21)
Bamboo most definitely grows well in Canada! Which area of Canada are you in? Here in BC, you can purchase different varieties of bamboo from most nurseries. Fall and Spring are the best times for planting bamboo in BC, which is something we are planning on doing come spring. Just ensure that you don't purchase a "running" variety of bamboo that can spread like wildfire!
I love the pavers and the contained bamboo! I actually, I love everything about this garden.
Hello,
I would love to know where those chairs came from?
Thank you.
Kim, plant perennial tall grasses that require no maintenance. Also, try organic wheat grass (pet boutiques carry it) which is a favorite and healthy for cats and can be grown indoors as well.
I live in Barrie and I have bamboo growing. I got mine from Home Depot last year. Before that at our other house I had bamboo as well, so go for it.
Thanks for the tips! K-A, I'm in Ottawa, a bit harsher weather than in BC. I have 2 bamboo bush-like plants in the backyard and they've done nothing (it's been a couple years since I planted them).
Thanks for the tips!
Luciana, I have no idea who makes those chairs.
Good choice, this will look amazing!
Put lights under that long bench and it will float at night.
If you use one type of plant or grass it's pretty much guaranteed to look nice, simplicity and repetition make this look work.
I love bamboo but learned my lesson about planting them in the ground. We were told it was clumping, but it spread like crazy. Each spring we had hundreds of new shoots we had to trim. And the damage it was doing to our patio was nuts. I have pictures here. http://www.alamodestuffblog.com/2010/05/om-one-moment-meet-up-week-5-battling.html
I like how they planted them in a contained environment. I'm looking forward to planting some at our new home in Reno (we were in Rhode Island with the bamboo) but it will be in large modern containers.
The chairs were designed in 1954 by Willy Guhl and are named "Loop Chair". Wonderful but expensive...
http://www.connox.com/categories/outdoor/gartenmoebel/willy-guhl-loop-outdoor-chair.html
We're about to concrete our entertaining area and I'm hoping that I can convince my hubby to copy this 'big paving look' idea. I love it. :)
I like the long bench that hangs off of the low concrete wall. Thats a nice design solution for this patio.
Like the grey ground, it's a nice foundation for the whole outdoor room. Thanks:)
Love the big planter boxes, but I need a bit of grass myself :)
You can get a bamboo that grows here in Ottawa. Just can't remember which one. But spreading is an issue. Go to Ritchie Feed & Seed - they can tell you. They also have a great plant finder section on their website that lets you search for plants that will suit your needs. Can't remember their exact site nut I found it on a google. Good luck. BTW I have a large urban forest yard (4 oak trees +++) here in Ottawa. Often wish I had a smaller modern patio. A WHOLE lot less work. But love my trees:)
This too is my dream yard...grass is my nemesis. I'm super allergic to the crap, I hate the way it smells, not to mention I hate watering it and making my water bill go up. I can't wait to rip up our yard and do a more ocean-friendly yard with river rock and big slabs of concrete...low maintenance all the way!
I am in love with this - it is so beautiful
dont plant bamboo. plant something NATIVE, non-invasive and better looking instead.
by the way, bamboo is a grass.
Hey neighbour... re: want to see a local garden with Big Bamboo? Take a walk down Clarendon Avenue from Helena to Wellington St., and keep an eye on the gardens on the LHS. On a NW corner lot (Iona? Java?...) they've two big clumps of bamboo in a front garden that have been coming back again and again for years! Love the garden design above. And the patio will help contain the bamboo's "running" ways. Can't wait to see what you do!
Ah, note that I don't think bamboo stems can get that big in Ottawa. The bamboo plant is "treated as a tender perennial", meaning that the whole thing dies back to the ground every fall so it has to begin again from the root ball in the spring. Hence it looks very like a tall grass, with that typical, disheveled bamboo foliage thing going on.
Hi - Another Eastern Ontario Canadian here... and an avid gardener. If you'd like the best plants for our region, I'd suggest going to a local nursery rather than a box store. The plants are hardier and thrive in our region. A great alternative to bamboo is miscanthus grass - it grows tall and comes in a variety of shades.
I'd recommend local perennial gardens - http://kiwigardens.ca/ which are outside of Perth, but there are many local growers who have wonderful variety you won't find elsewhere and the staff are always very knowledgeable.
Thank you so much Julie.