Creating a back yard park for a young boy.

Tags

camping, children, garden's for kids, Houston, Little Gem Magnolia, Louisiana Iris, mossy boulders, private park, Ravenscourt Landscaping & Design LLC, River Birch, Sixth Ward, Southern Sugar Maple

April blooming Louisiana Iris.

We recently went back to do seasonal maintenance on a back garden in the 6th Ward that we installed last year. This is just west of downtown Houston and most of the houses are from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Houston which was founded in 1836 was broken up into 6 different areas called wards that functioned as political geographic districts. These historic neighborhoods are often referred to by their ward designation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_six_wards_of_Houston

The six wards of Houston.

When meeting with the client she told us she had a young son and she wanted us to create a fun inviting space for him to play and grow up in. She also wanted a place for outdoor dining and entertaining. I designed a large deck that runs the length of the back of the house and is covered by a pergola. From the deck you can look out over the garden.

Here is a picture of the old corrugated tin storage garage that had to be removed before we started the install.

-Before

Here is the same view as it looks now. There was equally a need for privacy and shade. The property faces south and there are neighboring buildings that look down into it. We created a peninsula with trees to break up the space and create private alcoves. When designing the space I imagine little tents or forts with children camping out on the grass tucked into a forest of trees. There are rocks to climb or sit on scattered around in the beds. The plantings are designed to have interest and color through out the different seasons.

Peninsula bed with River birch.

Small boulders and Rocks

Some day this Drummond Red Maple will create a nice canopy.

Some day this Southern Sugar Maple will create a nice shady canopy.

Southern Sugar maples can survive and even thrive in Houston if they are kept mulched, fertilized with organic fertilizer or compost and watered weekly especially in the heat of our humid summers.

I love using them because they will provide shade to a sunny back garden in the summer, entertain with beautiful shades of oranges and reds in the fall and then let the light and warmth in during the winter when they have lost their leaves. https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/acerbarbatum.htm