Backyard Garden Makeover - Creating a Shady Zen Oasis (Before & After)

Gardener's Supply Company, a company I've worked with for years, came by the Epic Gardening Headquarters to help transform my dull backyard into an epic, shady zen oasis! Come along as we show you what it looked like before, hit the local nursery, and do a full backyard makeover.
Prior to this, the garden makeover plans in the backyard were on pause for what felt like forever! Hopefully these garden design ideas give you a little inspiration to transform even a small, shady space into something peaceful and enjoyable.
IN THIS VIDEO
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[@epicgardening]

Huge thank you www.gardeners.com for the transformation! If you like any of the products, here are the links to check them out: Casablanca Solar Lantern www.gardeners.com/buy/casablanca-solar-lantern/8600214.html Solar Torch Light www.gardeners.com/buy/solar-torch-light/8600172.html Festiva Planter www.gardeners.com/buy/festiva-self-watering-planters/8600233VS.html Recycled Composite Raised Bed www.gardeners.com/buy/recycled-composite-raised-beds/8600165VS.html Snip N' Spray Sprinkler System www.gardeners.com/buy/deluxe-snip-n-spray-garden-and-landscape-sprinkler-system/8600500.html

[@werftv4580]

unlimited cane poles!! hahaha.. nice

[@epicgardening]

@@werftv4580 :P editing the apocalypse vid

[@werftv4580]

@@epicgardening well then.. you let me know if you need help with the next one... lol

[@gardenerssupply]

Kevin - thanks for welcoming us into your garden and letting us show how easy it is to transform a shady outdoor space! Our team had a blast -- and we love how it turned out. Best, Amanda E.

[@epicgardening]

Sooooo much fun Amanda! Thanks to you and all of the team.

[@Neyobe]

Amazing

[@MD-is1tl]

Give your bamboo some time, mine struggled the first year. The rule I've always heard with bamboo is year one it sleeps, year two it creeps, year three it leaps.

[@crimssonbonsai6020]

Excellent choice with the black bamboo. I remember a house near my neighborhood park had bamboo as a hedge for privacy it was stunning head Turner and unforgettable. Would love to try this.

[@epicgardening]

Glad to hear it looks good when grown in!

[@PacificWanderer]

Bamboo also breaks up sounds really well; people use it in my area especially if they live near a highway or have noisy neighbors 😂

[@castandspear]

Your backyard is going to be poppin' this summer!

[@epicgardening]

It's about to go wild

[@valiaudet3415]

@@epicgardening looking great. In your climate keep the water up to the area. Bamboo requires food and water, it's a gross feeder especially in containers. Soon you'll have your own little micro climate. Great selection there.

[@annetteprice]

Thanks for taking the time and having the foresight to show us the complete transformation. It looks beautiful!

[@epicgardening]

Thank you so much Annette!

[@millieatcentralcagarden9764]

It looks really nice. As for the bamboo, I would have placed a thick lining as well inside the planter. Having 20 years growing bamboo, a 30 foot grove, the roots of bamboo are extremely strong and grew past my 3 ft barriers and possibly some cracked cement retaining wall. You don't want to over water the bamboo as the roots will take off and do damage and feed it at least twice a year with lawn fertilizer to keep it green. The bamboo nursery I got my plants many years ago had instructed me to only do surface watering of the bamboo for less than 10 min. 21 years later, I am getting rid of the bamboo because the roots caused more damage that is much more costly.

[@Kati-did]

Love that you waited so we can see it a couple months later! What an amazing area!!!

[@epicgardening]

Thanks so much!

[@Elly-lx3zi]

That’s the backyard I wanna have .i think it’s gonna be relaxing in your backyard very private.

[@DrunkenHomemaker]

What a gorgeous makeover! Love that we got an update too! I wish i could grow these types of plants outdoors all year round. Enjoy!

[@epicgardening]

Thanks so much!

[@cafouyette2376]

I love this makeover, it turned out really nice and peaceful !!! And you've got hummingbirds in your trees, that sounds so exotic...

[@epicgardening]

They're so amazing and cute!

[@chilam8955]

Your bamboo trees will spread out to your neighbour's backyard for sure and since bamboo root is very strong and it grows horizontally, give it a few years, it will invade your entile garden. It grows like weed. If anyone want to plant bamboo tree, plant it in a plant pot, it's ok. I have had this problem for so many years and still can not get rid of all of bamboo trees in my backyard.

[@epicgardening]

It's in a container :)

[@petalparker5]

@@epicgardening Did you say it's a clumping bamboo? If so it won't spread it will grow in clump no worries.

[@jacquelinehagedorn4562]

Great job!!! 👍🌿🌱🌴 we did a very similar thing with bamboo ( raised beds) it was years ago & they've lasted all of these years. . ( low maintenance too) I think that your new zen garden is lovely!

[@epicgardening]

Wohoo! Glad to hear this!

[@LynsHomeGardenDesign]

Nice transformation, I'm sure you will spend a lot of time in your new shady courtyard. Love the choice of plants and it's wonderful that you have attracted humming birds into your garden!

[@dchall8]

I've been growing staghorn ferns in hanging baskets since 1973. They seem to do better in the basket than on the board. I line the basket with shredded sphagnum, carefully work the fertile leaves through the moss, fill the inside with potting soil, and water. In SoCal you have to watch them in the long dry spell from Feb to Jan. If you are closer to La Jolla they will be happier than if you're in El Cajon. Mine actually do better in San Antonio with random rainfall.

[@lindajackson4483]

Love the lights around the bamboo

[@ameisherry]

My aunt put her orchid attached on the tree in Florida now they grow fusion together lovely 😊 and nicely

[@kristysins-and-outs6515]

Ooooooo I hope the bamboo pulls through🙏🙏🙏 ! It's such a cool idea! All of it is amazing. Thanks for sharing

[@epicgardening]

Thanks for watching :)

[@chase_vaseleou]

@@epicgardening It will! I was able to grow bamboo in Utah, zone 6. It loses a 50% of it's leaves. Which is a little messy but it made a wonderful living wall.

[@ryanreid5646]

Bamboo can be tricky .when the tips of the leaves turn brown you assume it needs more watering but some cases it's being over watered that can ruin the look of the bamboo.

[@lisawalters5482]

Gardner’s supply is great. Love the look. My bamboo stretches 80ft across a main portion of our backyard. I love it. Hang in there. Yours will take hold if the roots can go deep enough. 👏🏻👏🏻

[@epicgardening]

Appreciate the tip on the bamboo!

[@cassiesmith387]

Awww yeah, bring on the heat of spring and summer! 😎

[@epicgardening]

It's comin'!

[@barbaracarbone4658]

That is magnificent. I just love greenery and leafy plants. Good job.

[@senemulku1299]

Hi keven wow it looks fantastic big difference love it bravo

[@BBDoesTheThing]

It was a good make over!

[@jmbal925]

GORGEOUS!!!

[@bellehallmark2583]

Looks AMAZING! LOVE the alocasia and bamboo and THAT TREE FERN WOW!! 🌱🌿🌱 CONGRATULATIONS!!!🌱🌿🌱

[@epicgardening]

Thanks Belle!

[@sarwatkamal3442]

Wow amazing

[@hollyhasegawa6095]

I love this space now. Bamboo is such a cool plant and if I lived in a warmer climate I would love growing it. I love how it is giving off the zen oasis vibe, you did a great job, love those raised beds they are a game changer.

[@epicgardening]

Thank you so much Holly

[@zahrawil]

Hi Holly. We live in Canada, in the north east of the country, on the Atlantic, so its quite cold with ling winters. We have bamboo and so do our neighbours. Theres are a few species that grow in cold climates, i believe they originated from the cold mountainous regions in Asia. We have green panda bamboo... maybe its available were you are.

[@chrystalsabin4091]

They did a wonderful job, it looks really nice and relaxing.

[@epicgardening]

Thanks!

[@syndi301]

Shady yard! shady garden! Looks awesome!

[@marshabalderrama8903]

So so cool. My neighbor has bamboo in his backyard up against our shared fence and it has grown over to my side. So I take the canes, cut them down and then use them to keep my tomato and pepper plants upright while they’re growing.

[@epicgardening]

hahaha love this - free stakes!

[@trainwreck1077]

nice garden

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Great design Kevin! The bamboo needs more soil depth, given it’s in a small area, I wouldn’t fertilize it even though it’s a grass, it would like it, but it’ll lean over if it gets too much fertilizer; compost is best. You’ll have to deal with it in a few years. If there is soil on the other side of the fence, you may want to plant that mass of roots (you’ll see eventually) in the ground so it gets bigger and screens more effectively; black bamboo in particular shouldn’t spread too aggressively, in drier climates. I’ll leave a link to my video on how to contain it, if you’d like. It’s so cool you can grow bougainvillea and ficus in the ground! I live in zone 6.

[@epicgardening]

Appreciate this a lot - totally surrounded by concrete, so I will keep that in mind and perhaps raise the bed!

[@Cowandhenvintage]

I didn’t hear you mention what your budget was for the backyard. It turned out so nice! I watched this video several months ago and came across it again and enjoyed it the second time. Our backyard needs to be done so bad so I love the ideas you shared😎👍

[@PepinsSpot]

Aww, some peace lilies would've done really well on that corner.

[@buddy77587]

Oh Kevin! I'm so, so glad for you!

[@epicgardening]

Thanks!

[@willow8094]

Awesome looking space with all the plants

[@NewEnglandMumma]

Time for a garden party! 🍷 it came out great, I bet it looks so cozy at night with that lighting.

[@epicgardening]

Def having a garden party!

[@valiumsurbanjungle2041]

Beautiful!!!! I want summer back please!! 😀 I also had a stunning bamboo, but we had a couple of crazy windy days last summer and all the leaves got crispy. I'll be pruning it hard in March/April and hopefully it'll bounce back. Other than that it's an easy plant and has a really soothing sound. Enjoy your beautiful new space and have a great week!! 😊

[@epicgardening]

Yeah I'm crispy too! I will prune

[@DogmaGirlAD]

Watching this in 2021 - could you do an update of the maintenance and what you've kept from the transformation and what you've evolved into something else?

[@pochoroque]

I have a whole collection of bamboo/ elephant ears/ bromeliads/ stag horns/ ferns, literally a whole wide scale variety in my back yard. Your plants look very good, all I have to say is if you could raise the bed a few more inches or a foot where the bamboo live in, they are gonna also need a lot, and I do mean A LOT of water. The best thing is that they are a grass, and fertilizer would be good, but cheap lawn fertilizer is best, they mostly need nitrogen. I feed mine that, plus epsom salt for the shiny green leaves. I hope this helps!

[@epicgardening]

Appreciate the tip! Glad to hear you've got a thriving bamboo garden too :)

[@StaceyHerewegrowagain]

It looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! Great transformation!

[@epicgardening]

Thanks so much!!

[@thisismylovehandle]

We have bamboo in our yard but it is wedged between to massive (as big as my two story house) oleanders. It is just as tall as the oleander but it hasn't spread any. It is in very clayish soil (AZ). We have flood irrigation, and it's right next to the valve, so it gets plenty water. I think it just can't compete with the oleander.

[@elishaamos8612]

Very nice.

[@baileyrichardson3906]

My backyard is equally shady, will definitely be pulling tips from this :)

[@epicgardening]

Glad to hear :)

[@danielheltberg6202]

Bamboo shoots are amazing if you boil the middle part

[@chuanjie01]

Nice change

[@kachi2782]

Bloody hell, you're one fine looking fella.

[@elderyehudahwatchmanoftheg8425]

Great going and I can tell you I have the same bamboo and 2 others indoors under large sunny facing windows. You are planting them just right. If you ever want to by more at some point. Just separate the bamboo you have because it will send off shoots okay brother. Love what you have done. I am all for a zen space with the right ambiance. Now throw some industrial string lighting back there.

[@epicgardening]

Will do that for sure! Glad to hear it's Martine-approved ;)

[@songsparrow4324]

Wow, very beautiful and very peaceful. I just began transforming my home in a Zen space. . . got rid of tons of my stuff. . .it feels so much better. . . Thank you for sharing.

[@epicgardening]

Thanks for watching!

[@doodahgurlie]

Great transformation! I love those light teal globes and that staghorn (?) is awesome! The bamboo will look amazing once it fills in and grows up.

[@epicgardening]

Yeah staghorn! And thank you so much

[@user-bp7ge4ud9h]

Thankyou Kevin for this video. I also have same space back of my house and going to make same garden. Love u frm India.

[@RoseysGreenery]

What a very nice transformation! 🤗😍

[@epicgardening]

Thanks Rosey!

[@benedict_323]

Wonderful transformation! It looks really good.

[@epicgardening]

Thank you!

[@markwagner4909]

Fantastic and lovely

[@Anna-nc5xd]

"all plants do well outside.." haha, come to Scotland my friend lol

[@KellysKitchenGarden]

What a gorgeous transformation! We have a courtyard here at home that we’ll hopefully be turning into a garden sometime in the future. I think I’ll need a garden designer to give me a hand, but I’m very excited. You’ve inspired me! 😊🌱

[@epicgardening]

Very glad to hear this - good luck on your transformation!

[@suebar5177]

Looks fantastic!🌼💜

[@judithjohnson2111]

How sweet it is. Bamboo is perfect there. Unfortunately I have the wrong bamboo in my yard. Don't know how it got there but we try to get rid of it to no avail. I need to ck out those sprinklers. Awesome. Everthing looks great. Enjoy.

[@epicgardening]

Sorry to hear the bamboo struggle!

[@TheFragrantBunch]

I love Gardeners Supply Company! Their products are a little expensive but very good quality. Just got some titan tomato cages. Can’t wait to use them!

[@epicgardening]

Totally agree - worth the price for the quality!

[@bonjour4807]

Well done!

[@beinggreen24]

Looks amazing 😍. I need a little spot like that.

[@juliepatterson5800]

What a gorgeous transformation, especially in San Diego where you can use that space almost year round. It’s interesting to see you get more into non food producing plants and really fine tuning your spaces generally. Keep it up!

[@epicgardening]

Thanks so much Julie!

[@jiaunmew878]

Ask if you can eat black bamboo shoots. You may have another additional dish on your table 😂

[@exmodel44]

That fact you managed not to lose any toes is beyond me?

[@Elizabeth45840]

Awesome Makeover!

[@jephrygultiano6952]

I beginning to love Kevin.

[@iddybiddyladybugleeza262]

Wow came out so good!!!

[@sharonfernandez2739]

Gorgeous.

[@velmad5dilbert344]

Awesome

[@eliskacharlottew.2408]

omg that poor bamboo i was really excited to see how it grew ! but yikes looks like not so well :( thank you SO much for doing a follow up!! love to see how things grow and develop over time!

[@lifewith2youtubers217]

Wow this is such a lovely and inspiring transformation!!

[@epicgardening]

Thanks so much!

[@happinessisgold1350]

WOW Amazing patio 🌿 using black bamboo or the blue varieties is definitely the right choice to create a Natural fence. I would suggest adding a water fountain to add on the tropical feel🌴 and bring harmony by disguising the noise that will eventually be coming from the road.

[@raeperonneau4941]

Lovely transformation!

[@epicgardening]

Thank you!

[@teriserio4081]

Omg. Bamboo... nice to look at but never want that in my life again. One plant took over my entire terrace, spread though my waterfall, under all my stone work and ultimately spread into my lawn. ONE plant! We fought with the roots for years, dug up and tried to destroy them but those boogers were unphased. We moved after a 20 year fight and it was still invading the back yard and spreading under the fence to the neighbors yards. You can not get complacent with bamboo, it will take over your yard. I took to the internet to find out how to get rid of it. That was an eye opener. The stuff is impervious to any thing. Lots of sorry people looking for help. Worth a look at. I wish I had known this prior to planting. Btw mine was in a pot not in the ground but roots came through the pot and the rest is history. Just bought a house and you know I scoured the yard and gardens for any form of bamboo. That was a deal breaker no matter how much I loved the property. I wish you the best.

[@epicgardening]

Crazy story! Thank you!

[@carminepetracca7518]

i hope it doesn't get as hot back there as you are kevin. a very nice appealing backyard, kevin. carmine.

[@epicgardening]

Thanks Carmine!

[@lindajackson4483]

Make sure you keep that bamboo cut back,because it Wil speaks everywhere in the yard.

[@tombigelow7391]

Love the tomato plant under the grow light😉😉😉🥰🤫

[@epicgardening]

;) ;) ;)

[@Electriophile]

You're exceptionally brave to be planting bamboo, they can spread out of control and even breaks through concrete.

[@handcraftpassion7845]

Epic gardening indeed! Great work! 👌

[@epicgardening]

Thx!

[@ayshaalkhaldi4863]

am starting making my balcony jungel thank you for the idea .. and yea am taking from my indoor plant that love highe lights and puting them in the balcony if its too hot for them ill take them in again 😁

[@epicgardening]

Good luck!

[@Ash-xx5zd]

Can you dona video on your bougainvillea? Plant care, growing environment, and thorn prevention... would be awesome. Thanks.

[@epicgardening]

Shall do!

[@Ash-xx5zd]

@@epicgardening cant wait!!! Maybe do it around a new baby bougainvillea that you plant in a container ..and talk about the difference between ground and container... cause I can only grow in containers. And it would be informative for the full coverage of growing options for this beautiful plant. Thank youuuuuuuuu

[@StuffedAvocado]

Looks awesome! You should install a small water feature in that shady space! The sounds of gentle running water is so soothing. Since you have humming bird nests, where's the humming bird feeders? ;)

[@epicgardening]

Good idea! No feeders...yet ;)

[@DiscoChixify]

I’ve seen people put marbles in a little dish and put water in it for the bees and butterflies. They usually put them at the base of flowering plants. A small fountain is pretty too, but you’d probably want something solar powered like the other items in the garden.

[@mattingly1217]

Nice ...

[@stevenrix7277]

Hello from France. There are 2 types of bamboos: the clumping bamboos and the running bamboos. The black bamboo is amazing it grows super fast in the best conditions. I have the goddess bamboo that I use as a privacy screen. Check also the Buddha bamboo you might like it. Bamboos are amazing and when you start studying them and you will buy more bamboos lol.

[@epicgardening]

Hahaha I bet I'm gonna have so many now

[@katharinedavis4947]

Bamboo can be very invasive. But I can't see that spreading anywhere, it's well contained. K

[@Dailythoughts1]

Very interesting 👍

[@wildflowersmilkhoney503]

Your bougainvillea & your ficus have nothing on bamboo as far as being invasive. You’ll find bamboo maintenance is daily & you may want to put in metal retainers underground to protect any structures you want to remain intact. Though black bamboo is less invasive I would have to see it to believe it. Good luck. Looks beautiful.

[@david-craig]

the most common type of bamboo that people keep in your house isnt actually bamboo it is a type of lily. it doesnt grow as rapid as actual bamboo

[@memejeff]

Epic video as always, really looking forward to seeing how lush your backyard will get. New fence looks amazing btw :)

[@epicgardening]

Thanks so much! That video will be coming soon as well

[@memejeff]

@@epicgardening :), saw the progress on ig. Really stoked to see the difference in grow rate with the better light conditions too.

[@judymckerrow6720]

My only thought would be, why didn’t you plant the bamboo toward the other end to block the houses and stuff going on over there? The end you planted them in only has a house there. The other end has a lot more going on that I don’t think I would like to see. Just my opinion 💚🙃

[@epicgardening]

Mostly due to how uneven the brick is over there! But I am thinking of doing some container bamboo there too :)

[@IMOO1896]

Watching to hopefully get some ideas for my front entrance, North facing🤔

[@epicgardening]

Hope it inspires!

[@awkwardlysippingtea8571]

Have you thought about growing shade loving edibles such as garlic mustard? I'm not sure if you have it in the US but it grows in abundance here in England. My entire woodland is full of the stuff and it's really rather pretty in its second year.

[@naomirivers7290]

You did an amazing job. I would love to see you incorporate some type of water feature. I just subbed!

[@epicgardening]

Water feature is a GREAT call!

[@user-qx1om2wj1h]

You can eat bamboo, so you can actually treat it as a food crop.

[@jonathanlee8709]

Black bamboo I think you know is a running bamboo and well, if in restrict way to contain it I am not sure if this could cause it die or not. But surely is not something comfortable for the bamboo. Maybe could search the natural way that it would not spread out, I think its possible or otherwise the bamboos grow in wild they should have limitation too. Also the root, I wonder if it woule break the woodboard and even get in concrete. I know cases liked figs, could damage wall as it spreads.

[@Housewarmin]

You are really tall! Great space

[@epicgardening]

I am hahaha

[@ameisherry]

Love bamboo :) super hardy, that’s the first plant 🌱 I brought indoor, I killed two aloe indoor already but bamboo still alive, bamboo super hardy 👍

[@epicgardening]

Glad it's doing well for you!

[@diversegardener392]

You can use some hanging vines and window boxes and maybe push some shade loving plants with color like caladiums. Just saying. Nice space anyhow.

[@AmanSingh-wb5tp]

I'd get a rug and lights

[@MarkFaust]

Freeze frame won't work so what bagged soil was used to fill the bed for your bamboo?