Natural area in backyard cleanup questions (flower, lawns, landscaping, growing plants)

[BryceE]

So, I have this huge part of my backyard as a natural area and in my opinion I think it looks extremely ugly and not well put together. I'm wondering if this is something that people normally do to their backyards or if I should clean it up and polish it off with mulch, etc.

I was thinking about running the push-mower between the trees that have already taken root to remove the leaves from around them and all, then getting rid of those ugly landscape timbers and replacing it all with either stone along the edges or just fill the areas with mulch.

And what about all those ugly plants around each tree? Is that part of the tree or can they be safety removed without harming the tree?

My goal overall is to get it polished up and make it an outdoor sitting/lounging area.

[kinkytoes]

OP I'd suggest calling a professional landscape designer with horticultural experience. If you want to do it yourself, you can start reading. First read about the native and invasive trees in your area so that you can identify the trees that are in the yard.

That can help you decide what to do with them, or if they have what are called suckers etc. You can definitely remove the landscape timbers...it is your yard. You can also mow and weedwhack. Just don't do it when it the soil is wet. You can compact the soil that way and kill the trees.

Some people are allergic to poison ivy, etc. If you are not sure how to identify that yet, you may want to learn. Also wear long sleeves, goggles etc. when working back there to keep from getting any on your skin or in your eye area.

[Butterfly4u]

Bryce,
Which picture is your yard today? There are 3 of them, I'm confused.
I would leave it alone and let it be a "natural" area.
But, that is me. You want to turn it into a yard so you have additional
seating for parties?
Good luck.
And read kinkytoes advise and follow it.
Or hire a landscaping company to do what you want done.

[zugor]

I wholeheartedly agree with Kinkytoes. It will probably cost a couple hundred bucks but then you won't make a bunch of costly mistakes and likely save money in the long run.

[Robodog2]

I am a renter. I have had an uphill battle with the Mgt company over the individuals they hire to provide lawn care and maintenance. My lease says it is the Property Mgt's duty to provide lawn maintenance which includes weeding, trimming, cutting the grass, and removal of the dry trash i.e. leaves, pine straw and cones, branches, limbs. That has never been done. I had over 300 pine cones on a .33 of an acre lot. It is a duplex. I don't have that many pine trees. Fallen limbs and mountains of pine straw that the lawn maintenance people have deposited in my yard. I have no backyard because it is all overgrown. I stopped allowing the lawn folks on my property. They pitted my new car up from the stones being thrown into my car by them riding the mower with the blade down on the dirt and gravel road. The property was placed with another firm. I thought ok. Maybe they will have a handle on the lawn care. Since October and it is now December my yard has cubic yards of more pine straw on it. The lawn care folks took a trimmer to my brick bordered flower bed and cut down all my flowers. Apparantly Oriental Lilies look like weeds. Buried my front yard and flower beds with pine straw from the other lawns around mine. Friday the same people cleaned the pine straw 3 years worth of pine straw off the roof and deposited all of it in my yard and left it. The property manager just told me the roof would have caved in and it would cost the property owner too much money to haul off the pine straw. So they were told to put it in the natural areas. Apparantly my entire yard is a natural area because most of it is wall to wall pine straw. The property manager told me everybody else thinks they're doung a great job. You are the only one who complains. I told him I wouldn't complain either if my yard looks like theirs but all of their debris is in my yard. Of course they are happy. The property mgr said well he ain't gonna pay for it. You clean it up. Having a natural area reduces the cost of lawn care. You be the judge. To me, my yard looks like it is neglected. What would you guys suggest?

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by Robodog2

I am a renter. I have had an uphill battle with the Mgt company over the individuals they hire to provide lawn care and maintenance. My lease says it is the Property Mgt's duty to provide lawn maintenance which includes weeding, trimming, cutting the grass, and removal of the dry trash i.e. leaves, pine straw and cones, branches, limbs. That has never been done. I had over 300 pine cones on a .33 of an acre lot. It is a duplex. I don't have that many pine trees. Fallen limbs and mountains of pine straw that the lawn maintenance people have deposited in my yard. I have no backyard because it is all overgrown. I stopped allowing the lawn folks on my property. They pitted my new car up from the stones being thrown into my car by them riding the mower with the blade down on the dirt and gravel road. The property was placed with another firm. I thought ok. Maybe they will have a handle on the lawn care. Since October and it is now December my yard has cubic yards of more pine straw on it. The lawn care folks took a trimmer to my brick bordered flower bed and cut down all my flowers. Apparantly Oriental Lilies look like weeds. Buried my front yard and flower beds with pine straw from the other lawns around mine. Friday the same people cleaned the pine straw 3 years worth of pine straw off the roof and deposited all of it in my yard and left it. The property manager just told me the roof would have caved in and it would cost the property owner too much money to haul off the pine straw. So they were told to put it in the natural areas. Apparantly my entire yard is a natural area because most of it is wall to wall pine straw. The property manager told me everybody else thinks they're doung a great job. You are the only one who complains. I told him I wouldn't complain either if my yard looks like theirs but all of their debris is in my yard. Of course they are happy. The property mgr said well he ain't gonna pay for it. You clean it up. Having a natural area reduces the cost of lawn care. You be the judge. To me, my yard looks like it is neglected. What would you guys suggest?

If there’s hardly any grass because of the trees you’re better off just letting the straw stay there, otherwise you’ll have bare dirt.

[gentlearts]

I would not create a maintenance nightmare by over grooming the area.

I would clear the area you want to use for lounging, and make a nice floor of mulch. Get rid of the rr ties. Remove any other plants that bother you, but keep any low growing plants that flower or have nice foliage. Then, I would introduce ground cover for shade, and bulbs, that would eventually fill the area.There are some lovely shade perennials that you could add.