JAMES YARD
408 South Greenwood
Cori and Rob James moved into their home in 2019, and were lucky enough to have a nice shady back yard, thanks to the majestic old American Elm that stood along the fence. Unfortunately, in 2023, the tree succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease, and along with having to take the tree down, over 12 feet of the back fence and all of the shade was lost. Although they were tremendously sad to lose such a beautiful tree, Cori and Rob decided to give their beloved tree a second chance at life through making furniture out of it. They hired Wood Urban Design to mill the tree into usable slabs, and after 2 years of drying in the yard, the slabs of wood were crafted into heirloom furniture pieces in the form of a dining table, coffee table, and blanket chest.
The other issue with losing the tree was the substantial loss of shade in the backyard. Many of the shade plants in the backyard were no longer suitable for the space, so Cori began to design a cottage style garden using primarily native plants. Between the winters of 2024-2026, Cori grew over 45 native varieties from seed via the winter sowing method, then attended multiple native plant sales to continue filling in the blanks.
Through this process, Cori made a 5-year plan not only update the backyard, but to work on transforming of all of the garden beds surrounding the house to incorporate a balance of 70% natives to 30% non-invasive plant species and cultivars. This plan also included the removal of all invasive species. There were numerous invasive species on the property, including Multiflora Rose, Japanese Barberry, Purple Loosestrife, Reed Grass, Bishops Weed, Wintercreeper, and Creeping Bellflower. To date, nearly all of the invasives on the property have been removed, other than Creeping Bellflower, which is difficult to eradicate due to its deep root structure and rhizomes. Today, the James garden supports numerous native species and native pollinators. Thank you for visiting!
—Cori & Rob
Cori and Rob James moved into their home in 2019, and were lucky enough to have a nice shady back yard, thanks to the majestic old American Elm that stood along the fence. Unfortunately, in 2023, the tree succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease, and along with having to take the tree down, over 12 feet of the back fence and all of the shade was lost. Although they were tremendously sad to lose such a beautiful tree, Cori and Rob decided to give their beloved tree a second chance at life through making furniture out of it. They hired Wood Urban Design to mill the tree into usable slabs, and after 2 years of drying in the yard, the slabs of wood were crafted into heirloom furniture pieces in the form of a dining table, coffee table, and blanket chest.
The other issue with losing the tree was the substantial loss of shade in the backyard. Many of the shade plants in the backyard were no longer suitable for the space, so Cori began to design a cottage style garden using primarily native plants. Between the winters of 2024-2026, Cori grew over 45 native varieties from seed via the winter sowing method, then attended multiple native plant sales to continue filling in the blanks.
Through this process, Cori made a 5-year plan not only update the backyard, but to work on transforming of all of the garden beds surrounding the house to incorporate a balance of 70% natives to 30% non-invasive plant species and cultivars. This plan also included the removal of all invasive species. There were numerous invasive species on the property, including Multiflora Rose, Japanese Barberry, Purple Loosestrife, Reed Grass, Bishops Weed, Wintercreeper, and Creeping Bellflower. To date, nearly all of the invasives on the property have been removed, other than Creeping Bellflower, which is difficult to eradicate due to its deep root structure and rhizomes. Today, the James garden supports numerous native species and native pollinators. Thank you for visiting!
—Cori & Rob
