1. Naturescaping Site Planning II
Gloria Jacobs

2. Objectives
• Low maintenance
• Low water use
• Improve run-off, water quality
• Support beneficial insects and birds
• Shade house and yard
• Beautify property
• Integrate backyard with greenspace
• Increase privacy (backyard)
• Integrate edibles (herbs & some vegetables)
• Play space for grandchildren

3. Challenges
• Sunny, hot, dry front yard during summer, wet during
winter, poor run-off
• Deep shade, moist, and poorly drained next to north
exposure of house
• Gravel driveway strip (hot & dry)
• Poor soil quality in center of backyard (site of former
in-ground pool)
• Unattractive view of west and southwest corner of
property
• Lack of privacy from road to the east
• Sunny, hot deck on southside of deck

4. Front of house
View from living room
North exposure
Deep shade,
wet next to
house.
Morning sun
along east
facing porch
Sunny, dry
yard
Goals: increase street appeal, improve view from
inside the house, minimal mowing, maintenance,
watering

5. Driveway strip
Gravel
underneath Remove pine
pine bark and bark, replace
compost. with river rock
to improve
Russian drainage.
sage, aster,
yarrow Desire - hide
cinderblock
Plan to add wall
soil, raise
plants, add
kitchen
herbs, mint

6. Street edge of front lawn
Sunny and dry
Goal -
xeriscaping
Increase border
width, decrease
lawn,
Replace grass
with ecolawn
Recently planted red oak (planted by city), manzanita, kinnickkinnick, tall oregon
grape, penstemon, oregon stonecrop, mock orange, wild strawberry, lupine,
yarrow (rosemary, tarragon, chamomile will be moved to herb bed) Preexisting
hens & chicks, azalea, lavender, sandwort, daylily, peony, grape hyacinth,
candytuft) What to add to increased border?

7. Driveway edge of lawn
Sunny and Drainage
dry ditch lined
Drainage with river
from rock
Recently planted wild
driveway strawberry, avens,
wooly thyme,
Goal - elderberry, larkspur
(died), coreopsis,
xeriscaping aster. Preexisting
azalea, lavender,
sandwort, peony,
grape hyacinth,
alliums, two unknown
evergreen flowering
plants by mailbox)

8. Front door
Morning sun, Current and new
deep shade plants:
next to house, Sword fern, trillium,
moist Jacobs ladder,
meadowfoam,
Goal: Street primrose (hybrid),
appeal hardy fushia, wooly
thyme, red sorrel,
azaleas (3),
rhododendron (3),
crocus

9. Northeast Corner of House
Morning sun, Current and new
deep shade plants:
rest of day, Sword fern,
dry bunchberry,
rosemary, daylily,
Goal: Street blanketflower,
appeal hardy fushia,
Disconnect
downspout
and route to
raingarden

10. Front Yard Island
Sunny, dry
Goal: Street
appeal, view
from living room
Double size
Attract
butterflies
Minimal
watering
Current and new plants:Japanese maple (very old), daffodils, 2
hybrid columbines, dodecatheon, camas, blanket flowers, beach daisy,
arrowleaf buckwheat, Oregon sunshine, arrowleaf balsamroot, blue-eyed
grass, yellow-eyed grass, grass widow, CA poppy. Add plants
(ceanothus?) to front of fence

11. Sunny, dry in summer, wet in winter
Goal: Screening
East edge of yard
Minimal watering - replace grass with ecolawn
Current and new plants:American Linden (planted by city),
evergreen, ninebark, black hawthorn. Out of view sick arbor vitae behind
ever green shrubs Question: What to replace ever greens with?

12. West service alley to backyard
Wet in winter,
poor drainage
Goal: not sure
Current plants: Grass, dying arbor vitae
and minimally maintained yard next door
with blackberry brambles (heavily sprayed
last year) on other side of fence.

13. South exposure of family room
Current
plants:
Hybrid roses,
ceanothus (1
year old),
sunflowers,
lilac
(sentimental),
Blackeyed
Susan, kiwi
vine (by
Afternoon sun, dry lattice) for
screening,
Goal: vegetables (asparagas?), increase width of bed?
arugula
Challenge: keep path clear to service alley, shed, and
compost bin
Question: Move ceanothus to in front of northeast fence?

14. Shed (southwest corner)
Current plants:
Osoberry,
Cascara,
rhubarb,
sunflower,
western
columbine, arbor
vitae. Next to
fence pacific wax
myrtle, red osier
dogwood
Afternoon shade, dry, wet in winter
Goal: Frame shed and screen neighbor’s yard and house visible at
corner of yard, begin hedgerow
Challenge: keep path clear to service alley, shed, and compost bin,
screen neighbor’s yard

15. South edge/Greenbelt
Morning sun, dappled in afternoon, shady in late afternoon. Moist to dry
Goal: blend with green space, hide fence, provide habitat
Plants: Hybrid ninebark, snowberry, ferns, twinberry, nootka roses, other
roses, bleeding heart, mint, douglas spirea, western columbine, lupine,
wild strawberry, tall Oregon grape, salal, red current, elderberry,
unknown volunteer plants, pansies, arbor vitae

16. Back lawn and view of SE
corner
Lawn - moss, uneven grass
growth, rubble under thin
topsoil (former in-ground pool)
Injured ornamental plum
Firepit between plum and
maple, visible from deck
Goal - play space for
grandchildren

17. East view and Southeast corner
Deep shade in corner
during summer. Moist
in winter, dry in
summer. East fence
is sunny and dry.
Goal: screening, view
from deck, screening
of path to greenway
Challenge: overgrown
unknown vine
(honeysuckle?, also
some bittersweet)
Plants: Corner - Red current, coral bells, native bleeding heart,
goatsbeard, lily, clethra, hardy fushia, elderberry. Fence - Mahonia,
honeysuckle, jasmine, highbush cranberry, elderberry

18. South exposure of house and deck
Morning through afternoon sun, shady in late afternoon. Dry
Challenge: Deck is extremely hot during the day
Goal: Edible landscaping next to house and deck, shade
Plants: Sunset maple (new), vine maple, evergreen huckleberries,
strawberries, kitchen herbs, tomatoes, roses (old), rose of sharon

19. South side of house and
vegetable garden
Noon and afternoon sun. Dry
Goal: Maintain roses, integrate edible
landscaping, increase size of vegetable
bed or add a second bed, ecolawn for
grass path
Plants: Kale, chard, tomatoes, herbs,
roses, rose of sharon, peas, blueberry