Rebecca Keran has always wanted the perfect backyard. When she and her family moved into their Brooklyn Park home four years ago, she began planning her own outdoor paradise.
The Kerans’ property included an existing pond, and Rebecca Keran wanted to incorporate the natural feel of the pond with backyard amenities. She wanted space that looked natural but was usable, and settled on creating two patios; one near the pond, and one by the house.
The Kerans’ goal was to reuse materials, both to save money and limit waste, as well as to create a landscape that felt like it belonged outdoors.
“We wanted it to fit into the natural look of the pond,” Keran says. “We didn’t want to create something big that looks out of place.”
Keran and her husband, Patrick, have five kids, ages 5 to 16, and the family loves spending time outdoors. They not only wanted plenty of space for family and friends, but also to help do their part for the environment; they made sure their backyard wouldn’t create waste or runoff into the pond.
To avoid this, they crafted a more natural fire pit near the pond, complete with old stumps for seating. Prior to installing the fire pit, the Kerans worked with a landscaper on the plants and a rain garden (a garden designed to use rainwater and natural runoff to support itself). After a storm took out several trees at his home, the landscaper offered the stumps to the Kerans for use in their new backyard scape.
The Kerans hired Joe Annis, of Lynde Greenhouse and Nursery in Maple Grove, to design and install a patio and fire pit in their yard. Annis happened to have rocks left over from a project inside the Lynde retail location, and Rebecca Keran asked to use those leftover materials for her own yard. Coupled with the stumps they already had for seating, the couple was able to save money and resources while still creating a beautiful patio and fire pit.
This was one of the first projects where Annis specifically focused on reusing materials. After obtaining his degree in horticulture and landscape design from the University of Minnesota, Annis became a designer at Lynde in 2011 and now leads projects like the one for the Kerans.
“If there is something that clients can reuse, whether it’s plant materials or hardscape material, we try to reuse it as much as we can,” Annis says. It’s a philosophy they use in their own store as well—a water feature was recently installed using old barn wood timbers, pipes and a pump to create something new and beautiful out of old materials.
Annis says that projects like the Kerans’ are a great way for clients to save money, and a great way for him and his clients to limit waste. Perennial plants, for example, can cost anywhere from $10 to $20, but larger ones can often be split to create multiple plants out of one, saving clients up to $100. Pavers or flagstone, often used for walkways or patios, cost around $1,000 per ton, but are easily reused.
The savings pushed Rebecca Keran to find used materials. She scoured Craigslist, and asked a contractor working on a project near her parents’ house for any materials they didn’t use. Much of the patio was created out of reused and repurposed rock, and the fire pit was created from stones left over from other projects. For the plants, she split large ones into two plants.
As another money-saving technique (and also because the family likes outdoor projects), the Kerans performed around 50 percent of the outdoor labor themselves. Professionals like Annis helped with things they could not handle themselves.
The biggest part of the project was the patios and fire pit, which Annis finished last summer. However, the work is not done. There is always something to be tinkered with at the Keran household, and the backyard overhaul is now in its fourth summer. Most summers, the Keran children help their mom with a backyard project.
Although the work on the yard will never be done, the Kerans already have the backyard they always dreamed of. The family hosts gatherings with friends and family. Kids of all ages play games, do homework by the fire or just run around the backyard. In fact, they have a family rule that the backyard must be used at least once a week.
“Why have it and why spend money if you have no intention of using it?” Rebecca Keran asks. It doesn’t take much convincing to get the kids outside with a backyard like this.
Materials to reuse
- Perennial plants Buy larger plants and divide them up for use in multiple places in the yard or garden.
- Flagstone or pavers With their staying power, these can easily be re-used or relocated in the yard.
- Wooden pallets Consider using wooden pallets to create everything from planters to deck furniture to garden benches.
- Vinyl Edging Use around garden beds, lawns and pathways.
- Blocks and boulders Perfect for creating a beautiful and practical fire pit or even a patio.
Money Saving Reuse Tips:
Check Craigslist: The free section can be a bounty for the yard.
Be on the lookout: Keep your eyes open anywhere and everywhere for project material.
Split ‘em up: Once big enough, most plants can be split to create multiples of the same plant.
Fair trade: Ask your friends and neighbors if they need help with a project, and trade your labor for their plants and materials.
