Do you know my good friend Kelly Elko who writes the popular blog Eclectically Vintage? Kelly is an inspiration: she loves decorating and restyling her home – many times with antiques, yard sale goodies and even curbside finds. She has an original point of view, which I really admire.

Kelly lives in a beautiful 100-year old home in the prettiest neighborhood of historic homes. She asked if I would make a few suggestions for landscaping her backyard. Here are photos, starting with the front of the house.

Isn’t it charming? The front is postcard perfect. And here is the backyard.
I think Kelly took these photos in early spring when the flowering trees were in bloom. The deciduous trees were still bare, which allowed me to study the yard with its bones and views.
Some of the trees, including the Arborvitaes, look unhealthy and need to be cut down. Remember, Kelly’s home is over 100-year old, so she inherited many of the trees. One really great feature about the yard is that it is flat.
A view of the back of the house with the addition and the sunroom to the left.Wonderful flagstone terrace! You’ll notice in my design plan (below), I suggest extending the terrace to the left. The furniture looks a bit crowded. Also, there will be less grass to mow and more time to enjoy cocktails 🙂

A gorgeous plum tree planted recently. Notice the two A/C units. Kelly did tell me this south side of the property gets hot afternoon sun.
The seating group currently faces the driveway. I moved it to face the new garden in the back – see plan below.
A few of Kelly’s requests:
-Add tall evergreen privacy wall / hedge in the back, which spans 48 feet from neighbor’s fence to garage. The back has eastern exposure. Also, one neighbor’s deck sits up high looking into Kelly’s house.
-Add plants on sunroom side, which get southern exposure.
-Add plants to shield A/C units.
Thanks to Kelly’s awesome photos, here’s what I came up with:
A simple, low maintenance garden that has evergreen structure and, most importantly, privacy.
Make a statement by planting en masse! The focal point will be a substantial eight-foot long bench flanked by big, beautiful Limelight Hydrangeas (which are sturdy and long blooming) behind clipped yew hedges – nicely layered.
In winter, the Limelights can be cut back, if desired. The yews stay green and neat.
The photo above is from my blue garden. Limelight photos are from Dirt Simple Blog.

I’ve mentioned numerous times how much I love Nellie Stevens Holly. It has white flowers in early spring, followed by berries that turn red. A hedge of these hollies is most useful for shielding the road, neighbors, etc.

There are groupings of Otto Luyken Laurels (unclipped for a natural look) around the deck and small walkway. I also included a cluster to hide the air conditioning units – these Laurels grow up to four feet high. I like the repetition of the three clusters.

Looks like there is already an established tree on the property line (near the sunroom). I would plant another one to provide needed shade for the flagstone terrace. Under the shade trees, perhaps Liriope ground cover in either all white or purple. No combo, please! I grow Liriope Monroe White in my own courtyard garden.
BELOW: I believe these are Liriope Royal Purple. Liriopes retain their foliage in winter, but they should be sheared back in very early spring.
Drifts of Daffodils or other flowering bulbs would be lovely interspersed between the Liriopes. Choose early blooming varieties so they flower before the shade trees leaf out.
For a bit of action, Kelly can have containers of colorful annuals on the terrace – such as this one from Johnson’s Legacy Landscapes.
Oh, one last thing: I removed the boxwoods and shrubs in front of the basement windows so that sunlight wouldn’t be blocked. A dressing of gravel sloping away from the house looks tidy.
I hope you have enjoyed this garden plan. Only a month and a half until spring!!
xo
Loi
PS – Thank you all for the desk suggestions for my niece in the last post. Becky and I both appreciate it. We’re thinking of a lacquered Parsons style desk from West Elm.