ONE ROOM CHALLENGE
The Fall 2021 One Room Challenge has officially started! During the ORC, featured designers and guest participants (that’s me!) make over a room or space in just eight weeks.
This time around, I’ll be transforming my side yard from blank slate to lush garden. Earlier this year, I set a goal to become a better steward of the land that we live on. The half acre that we call home is a gift and responsibility to care for, and I can’t wait to get started on this project.
SIDE YARD BEFORE
Currently, the side yard is mostly clover and crabgrass. It’s quite large and south-facing, so there’s plenty of sunshine throughout the day. Lots of birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and bunnies frequent the space, and this part of our yard is highly visible from the street.
GOALS FOR THE SPACE
There have been SO many iterations of the plan for the side yard, but I try to always come back to the big picture and the following goals:
- Reduce the size of the lawn – I highly recommend the “Lawns into Meadows” episode of the Cultivating Place podcast if you’re curious as to why!
- Grow veggies and/or cut flowers
- Build healthy soil
- Install native plants
- Support local wildlife and pollinators
- Bring beauty and joy to my neighbors as they walk by
With that in mind, here’s what I have in the works:
Definite Action Items
I definitely will be tackling these items during the ORC:
- Remove 14′ x 14′ area of turf
- Plant 4′ garden bed with pollinator-friendly native plants along the side of the house
- Build 4′ x 8′ raised bed for veggies and cut flowers
- Install 3′ pea gravel path on all sides of the raised bed
- Add a seating area to enjoy a morning coffee
Potential Action Items
These items may or may not happen depending on time and budget:
- Install a rain barrel
- Use vermiculture (aka worm composting!) to build soil
- Create path from the driveway to the side door
- Add an element of fun for our neighbors
DESIGN INSPIRATION
In addition to function, I very much want the side yard to be beautiful. I’d love to make our neighbors feel happy when they see our yard, and it would be such a joy to be in a lovely space while tending the garden or enjoying company outside.
The overall ~*ViBE*~ I’m going for is organic, natural, and textural. I 100% realize that statement is vague, so I suppose you could sum it up as cottage garden meets Italian coast meets the south. Here are some inspiration images:
There will certainly be lots of learning happening over here during the next eight weeks. Thanks for following along, and I look forward to cheering on everyone participating in the ORC!
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Want even more design goodness? You can spread some love to the Fall 2021 ORC featured designers and fellow guest designers here.
[…] turf into a lush garden. If you’re just joining us, welcome! Here are my previous posts from week one and week four if you’d like to catch up on the […]