# narrow side yard with little to no sun, options?



## dirty elf (Feb 18, 2019)

Hello TLF!

My side yard is about 4 feet wide to the fence and gets almost no sun. Grass never really grew and it was full of this mossy looking stuff. I had 4 sprinklers over there (why I have no idea) so I decided to cap them. Long story short one broke and flooded the side yard and I had to destroy what was left of the yard to dig up the broken pipe. Now that it is all dug up I am wondering what my best options are for landscaping. I have two gutter downspouts over there and now no sprinklers, but plenty of hookups should I need them.

I am thinking rocks and stepping stones as I doubt much will grow and I'll need to drain the downspout water. What are some
good options?

Thanks!


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Moss??? Some sort of decorative groundcover plant that tolerates shade?


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## raymond (May 4, 2018)

Low-Sun flowers and bushes could be nice? Need sun for grass.


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## high leverage (Jun 11, 2017)

Decorative gravel


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## Easyluck (Feb 5, 2019)

Let Mother Nature do what she is telling you. Turn it into a moss lawn and add some stepping stones.


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

I know you may not want to hear this, but this is going to have to be a landscaped area. I would build a mulch bed and extend all the gutters. When you build it use a few plants like liriope or other plants that don't need much sunlight. Be creative this could be a beautiful area


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

While you have nothing there, I would run those downspouts into a french drain along the fence and have it exit to wherever the slope runs around your house(backyard or through the gate) to a pop up emitter. I think all the extra moisture there is contributing the all the moss you have. After that is done, create a nice pathway down the middle with shade tolerant plants on the left and right.


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

Route those gutters into a drain that goes to the street and put artificial turf in there


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Pavers or stone path


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> Pavers or stone path


I was going to say a interlock walkway would look really good. Plus it's little to no maintenance. That or gravel with a flagstone walkway.


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## jabopy (Nov 24, 2018)

Rainwater into a drain out to the front, lay concrete pathway, that way you have a nice surface to power wash every year. Don't forget to put a few grid type gullies to drain surface water.


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## Art_Vandelay (Nov 20, 2018)

I'd be afraid if you pave or use large stones it will be a nightmare keeping the moss/algea from growing on it, making it slick as snot


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## TheTurfTamer (Aug 8, 2018)

Mightyquinn said:


> While you have nothing there, I would run those downspouts into a french drain along the fence and have it exit to wherever the slope runs around your house(backyard or through the gate) to a pop up emitter. I think all the extra moisture there is contributing the all the moss you have. After that is done, create a nice pathway down the middle with shade tolerant plants on the left and right.


This is the route I would choose as well. Your soil also looks very sandy, I would add a layer of topsoil/compost for the plants. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## LawnDrummer (Jan 16, 2019)

If you decide to go with a french drain, can you document it on here? I have just about this exact same situation going on. Every time it rains water just seems to wash everything away - or the water just sits for a while.


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## pintail45 (Apr 26, 2018)

Easyluck said:


> Let Mother Nature do what she is telling you. Turn it into a moss lawn and add some stepping stones.


You know, this makes a lot of sense :thumbup:


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## dirty elf (Feb 18, 2019)

Wow, quite the response! I apologize I had forgotten I posted this. I've done some more work on the side of the house and determined that I had a leaky irrigation fitting that was causing the wet, marshy conditions on the side of the house. I got that all sorted out now and took the opportunity to bury a drain for the downspout.











So what I have now is basically a blank canvas. I am still thinking of laying down some large stepping stones (flagstone, etc...) and filling the rest in with pebbles or small rocks.



Ill try to remember to keep this updated with progress.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

dirty elf said:


> and filling the rest in with pebbles or small rocks.


I hear ya, but those tend to end up all over the yard eventually. If it were me, I'd put something like mulch around the flagstone. Nice project, btw!


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## Visitor (Jul 23, 2018)

I just did these pavers and filled in with zoysia. If I had a smaller area I would have done dwarf mondo grass. Just an option. They are 24" pavers


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Fantastic on all counts!


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## jonthepain (May 5, 2018)

Those corrugated downspout extensions can breed mosquitoes. You might consider making sure they can't access it.


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## Chrisholmes02 (Jan 19, 2019)

Hi, sorry to hijack the thread but I have a strip roughly the same side on the north side of my house as well. Grass does grow, but not super well and it's kind of ugly. Besides nobody ever goes back there or sees it. I'd really just like to quit maintaining it. I was thinking about just killing the grass and landscaping the whole area with decomposed granite or maybe just river rock or drainage rock. Anybody have any thoughts or potential concerns with doing so (I.e. heat, drainage, foundation issues, etc.) or any other low maintenance ideas? Thanks a bunch.


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## dirty elf (Feb 18, 2019)

oh that is a really good point.. [referring to breeding mosquitos] a mesh screen on the entrance and exit should suffice? any recommendations?


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