From Overlooked Side Yard to Forest Oasis
Sometimes providing an example proves 10 times more valuable than a barrage of facts. This month, we’re taking that approach by sharing the story of a Lake Oswego side yard transformation. Our team took a dull strip of less-than-lush lawn and turned it into a woodland garden, complete with a three-tiered stone waterfall. We saw a problem spot, designed an alternative, and left behind a photo-worthy stretch of landscape that exceeded the homeowners’ expectations.
Here’s the full story:
The lackluster space was raised above the driveway and surrounded by a wood privacy fence, a large weeping cedar, and a row of mature conifers. The ground had a patch of grass and a few shrubs. The space was dark, so not much could grow, and it became an unattractive, unused stretch of landscape.
We Oregonians hate to waste outdoor space, so the homeowner began to reimagine how this space could be used. The vision was a garden retreat, alive with the sound of flowing water and a textured backdrop. The homeowner suggested the area should inspire art and calm contemplation.
Armed with the homeowner’s dreams, we set about to create something memorable. Turning nothing into something seemed straightforward. However, no landscape project comes without a challenge. The heavy shade from the evergreens limited what we could plant. This was not to be a space bursting with color. The straight run of fence was a dull background for anything that might otherwise be dramatic or beautiful. Then we also had an issue with a grade shift toward the house.
We couldn’t work against these constraints, so we found ways to use them to our advantage. The lack of light and wooden fence echoed a forest floor, so we embraced a woodland palette. That change in grade created the ideal conditions for a cascading water feature. Dark and dull would become a woodland escape.
Our crew brought in natural boulders and terraced them into a three-tiered waterfall that runs into a stone-lined pool. To further enhance the forest look, we framed the basin on each level and the final pool with hand-placed fieldstone and river rock. This extra touch kept the waterfall from looking built and instead made it seem like it had always been there. To ensure the space could be used at any time of day, we installed wash lights on the water feature, adding drama as daylight fades.
Next was identifying the correct plants that would continue the woodland theme and thrive without much light. The woodland planting palette we chose included shade-sword ferns, heuchera, Hakone grass, astilbe, and hostas at the water’s edge. To give the space year-round structure, we added mounding evergreen shrubs and topped off the area with a burgundy-leafed Japanese maple as a seasonal focal point.
We replanted and mulched an existing bed along the foundation to create an inviting connection from the front yard to the new garden space. The house wall to the back corner of the fence now forms a cohesive landscape, grounded by a flagstone stepping-stone path and accented with low-voltage lights.
With the owner’s vision of a space to inspire and contemplate, we knew we needed to add seating. We kept an existing low fieldstone seat wall since it fit the natural woodland theme and added a wooden bench to accommodate the influx of visitors who now want to enjoy the space alongside the homeowners.
This project is a great example of how even the smallest, most overlooked area of landscape has the potential to become something beautiful and functional. A creative design team and the right materials can transform an ordinary strip of lawn into a forest-like oasis that welcomes visitors in through all seasons.
