# Yard Haunt Landscaping



## IshWitch (May 31, 2006)

We are finally getting some rain so are planning on laying sod or grass plugs in the back yard. So I'd also like to decide on some planting areas and such. 

But in that, I am kind of worried about how to landscape so that it helps my scene areas for my haunt and doesn't obstruct or take away from my favorite spaces. 

I love the area I put my graveyard in and it is shady all year long so won't grow grass, which is great for digging graves in! :jol: And is also a great area for a shade garden. Which would still be looking nice come Oct. here in FL.  The exact reason why I still don't have it after 6 years! LOL

Have any of you changed plantings or landscaping in your yard to help or enhance your haunt? 

For those of you who live farther south, have you run into any problems with your haunt items hurting or killing your grass or plantings?

What plants have you found that adds to the ambiance?


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Hows this for an approach to your shady area: Border off the area with landscape ties or pavers or whatever, and put some shade-loving shrubs in pots there... bury the whole pots so just the grabbable top part is exposed. Then cover the rest of the dirt with bark mulch. Then when 'Ween season comes, take the pots out of the ground (so you can move the plants without traumatizing them by digging them up) and sweep up the bark mulch, and you have your patch of bare dirt back for your graveyard. Afterwards, put the pots and the mulch back.

On second thought, that sounds a lot like real work. Never mind.


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## slightlymad (May 25, 2006)

That is a neat idea but your right way to much work on top of everything else we do during the season.

The only changes we make are not mowing the lawn until after everything gets put away. As far as modifications all the garden beds are bordered in some way brick, wood etc. this sets a boundry so nothing accidentally spills over into the garden bed I am also methodical about keeping plants in that frame. 

I wish you luck with the back yard it definitly has its challanges. We probably would have paved it by now.


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## IshWitch (May 31, 2006)

I was thinking of making the shady area a potted plant area, but just group potted plants together. Then I could move them. So that is a practical solution! LOL

I have such a huge backyard, 120x40, that it is quite overwhelming to plan out right now. But I really want to get it going so that it looks nice for our party, too. So much work, and I've been stuck on afternoon shift so opposite the hubby and no help at home.

This too shall pass!

I do like the bordering idea, very nice!


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## Ghostess (Aug 21, 2005)

Last year I completely relandscaped my front yard (again, for like the 8th time in 13 years) to make it a little more cemetery-display-friendly. I had a nice medium sized oak tree right in the middle of the yard that got blown over by Hurricane Francis a couple of years ago, and the following spring, I moved some sago palms into the oak's old spot after I finally dug out the stump. Then I enlarged the bed, and planted a bunch of flowers around the sagos. Then Halloween came. I ended up ripping it all out in September and giving the sagos away because it completely screwed up my cemetery! What was I THINKING??

My advice is to think of how you want your display set up, what major things are important. For me, visibility was the biggest thing. I didn't want a bunch of tall plants out in the middle of the yard, or by the street because you can see the tombstones and stuff from the road. I HAD to replace the tree that was blown over as per the HOA rules (groan) so I moved little saplings out of flower beds to the yard, one in the place of the old tree, and 2 closer to the house on each side of the yard in a triangle kinda. Since I had 2 closer to the house, I didn't have to worry about them blocking anything, so I added some small azaleas. If they grow big, that's fine since my display is basically in front of them. 

Crap, I rambled... point is: don't put anything that will block the view from the road!


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## IshWitch (May 31, 2006)

I am sooooo glad that I am not in an HOA situation. I seriously would not even look for a house in that environment just because of the regulations. Not that I have any problem replacing a tree.

I think you would be okay with a tree where the old one was since trees are normal for graveyards. Plus gives you a place to hang "things" from.   Or even to position lighting from above.

My yard isn't totally visible from the street because the walk-through is in the backyard. But I still would like some planting areas. I haven't planted much along the fence because of the freakin' vines. I had a gorgeous, huge Lantana by the fence gate and it got engulfed in vines so I cut the whole thing out. It is, of course, growing back, but so are the vines. Aaarrrgh!

I guess, of all the areas, my biggest concern is the graveyard area. I could put the graveyard anywhere, but that spot is just so perfect! And I've even envisioned creating a faux stone facade from the thick white foam for the front of the shed to turn it into a crypt, create an area by hanging black plastic (to hide the shed contents and give the appearance of an endless blackness) and hang an FCG in there. It would be perfect. Since it is right there as you walk past the graveyard. 

I would like a shade garden around/under the tree in the corner, but my graveyard is bigger than that. I like that it is pretty much dirt there when I put in the graveyard. But if I make a shade garden then the grass will go up to that area when we sod. I could make the shade garden bigger, but our plants grow year 'round and I'm wondering what to plant there because of it. I thought about hostas and impatiens around the tree and then maybe potted plants of different sizes out past that on a bed of pine needles and a bench or two. Those could all be easily removable without a lot of work. 

And don't worry about rambling Deanna, that is when most thoughts become clear! I have come to realize a lot of things I can do with just this short of a thread. Thanks everyone, and keep the ideas coming! 

But don't forget, this is a thread for everyone! I know there are more of you who have landscaping questions and issues!


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

I think plants would make the graveyard look more natural.
There are lots of historical garden cemeteries.

I don't know how well a camelia would do there but I have a friend that has a wooded lot with a few camelias growing in the shade. They make a nice upright shrub that isn't too dense. Dwarf azaleas might do well there also.

You can also use containers that you don't have to bury. You can just move them. I used a small rose plant in a large container that I moved next to a tombstone in my yard. It helped anchor the prop so that it just didn't look like it was stuck there.


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## Lakeside Haunt (May 31, 2007)

I use plants to my favor placing tombstones behind them to make it look like loving families planted flowers for there dear departed.


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

I wil be leaving mine as is (I use a large area for my graveyard) and I plan on using a suggestion about shrubs and stuff from someone here i think ..I don't remeber who.
I am going to try and add dead bushes and trees here and there and then can burn them later.


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## IshWitch (May 31, 2006)

I like to use dead branches and such and stick them in the ground strategically to both cast creepy shadows and also help hold up the stones.

In very old cemeteries the plantings have grown up over the stones in many cases, so stick a stone right into your bushes if possible.


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## kerryike (Oct 5, 2006)

IshWitch said:


> I like to use dead branches and such and stick them in the ground strategically to both cast creepy shadows and also help hold up the stones.
> 
> In very old cemeteries the plantings have grown up over the stones in many cases, so stick a stone right into your bushes if possible.


That's a great idea, IshWitch. I usually clean up my graveyard except for leaves (strictly out of habit, I guess), but after viewing your night photos in your photobucket, I'll be planning to not keep my graveyard so "clean". The dead branches really add to the atmosphere, even though they're probably not keenly noticed unless you're looking for them.

On another note, silk flowers show up well under blacklight...if anyone does that with their graveyard. It's a little out of the ordinary, but I did that a few years back for a different look. I coated my tombstones with white "Clear Neon" paint, a few cheesecloth ghosts soaked in RIT whitener and a couple 48" blacklights mounted up in the trees.


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## IshWitch (May 31, 2006)

Your glowing graveyard sounds awesome!

I have a place in the front yard that would be perfect for a small glowing graveyard. Nice idea, now I need to make more tombstones! 
LOL


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

Any pics of the glowing graves? I like that idea also.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

IshWitch said:


> I like to use dead branches and such and stick them in the ground strategically to both cast creepy shadows and also help hold up the stones.


Mmmmmmm...... creepy shadows! I just luvs dem creepy shadows. Placing spots and throw-lights so the tree branch shadows fall on the sides of the house makes such good decoration... and cheaper than props LOL

That glowing graveyard sounds wicked cool. The whole place would look spectral.


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## kerryike (Oct 5, 2006)

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of my tombstones painted with the UV paint (I didn't have a digital camera when I did it a few years back). I do have a couple of photos that came out well from last year. However, I'm still trying to figure out how to post them on the forum.


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## Adam I (Jun 16, 2007)

Our cemetery is located in our long dead vegetable garden.
I usually plant a large dead limb next to the entrance and place any dead flowers I can dig out of the mulch pile around the tombstones.
I hate to admit, I've not given any thought while landscaping for Halloween (I know *Bad Haunter*).


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