Back Yard Makeover

About a year after we finished re-doing the gardens in the front yard, we decided it was time for another outdoor project. 

Not only did the back garden have all of the same problems we encountered in the front yard, but because the back of our house faces north, we were also dealing with swamp-like conditions back there for most of the year.

Once again, the builder just tossed in some landscaping, none of which was meant to grow in the shade of a north-facing garden. 

The photo above was taken before we even moved in. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the mess it had become two years later, but needless to say, once again we had some work to do...

This time, we decided that trying to make anything grow back there would be a complete waste of energy. 

Instead, we decided to remove all of the landscaping and extend our patio area.

Luckily, that meant that this time Stew only had to dig out a few inches of soil to prep for pouring concrete, rather than digging down several feet, like last time. 

We removed all of the disgusting, dead plants... except for one.

This little guy just had to be saved! It is Ryder's "birth plant," a small hydrangea that my mom brought to the hospital on the day he was born. By some miracle, it had managed to thrive in the swamp-like conditions of the back garden thus far. So I said a little prayer for its continued survival and transplanted it to a pot on the back patio.

Then Stew and Brett got to work on pouring concrete to replace the garden.

Once everything dried, I was so, so happy with the results!

Now we don't have to deal with that soggy, wet mess back there anymore, and Ryder has an extended play area that was ready just in time for the best part of summer.

As as for his birth plant? It survived! And even started to bloom...

Also around this time, we also started another project on the side yard in between our house and the neighbors'. 

Unfortunately I didn't take any before photos, but it really was a transformation. 

This used to be just an empty space between the houses with some bark thrown on top that would blow around everywhere. The addition of a fence/gate, pathway, gravel, rock wall, and new landscaping really makes it look pretty.

Although I certainly wouldn't call myself an experienced landscaper, I'm just a little bit proud of myself for helping Stewart complete these outdoor projects around our house.