our backyard
We purchased our house in the winter (snow on the ground) and one of the biggest selling points to me was the fenced in, spacious back yard. Funny because I’m not really an outdoorsy person and yard space wasn’t even really on our hunting list, but I took one peek in the backyard and could immediately envision it finished with grass, kids running around (either our own someday or the 24 nieces and nephews we have), a swing set, and of course, a garden! It was one of the features that made us realize this was a house we could be in for a long time (instead of 3ish years which was our original plan). We bought the house and I’ve been talking about my garden ever since.
Since we didn’t know what we were working with we decided to just wait the first year out and see what grew. The snow melted, the sun came out and turns out…we had a jungle.
These pictures were taken after a few months of work and they truly don’t do it justice. This was pure chaos of plants, ground cover, english ivy, bird baths, fountains, sculptures, weeds as tall as me, and even a pet cemetery. Yep.
It took us most of the summer but we removed over 40 (dead and very unattractive) plants, and dug up over 200 brick patio pavers. At one point we think they were supposed to be a circular path through the yard, they were stacked 2 layers deep (3 in some spots) and were totally one with the earth. My parents and Dan kicked butt on this project (I helped but they are the true champs) and I’m so thankful for them. We did involve one contractor to come grind up stumps. We had 17 large tree stumps…I can’t imagine what the yard looked like when those were still full trees.
the plan
Our plan for this year is to tackle grass and start the garden. In time we will work more “landscape design” and add in plants that will grow back year after year. For now, the thought (and price) of that overwhelms me so I’ll save it for another summer. Also, at some point we are going to have to address the front yard which may be even worse…
We have a little more clean up to do getting rid of leaves, rocks, pavers, and the occasional left behind dog toy or angel sculpture. We’ve already filled 2 full box trucks of trash and we’ve got more to go, along with removing the tree in the middle.
In a couple weekends the real fun begins! We are renting a rototiller and my dad is going to stir things up and plant some grass.
I’m gonna be honest, I’m not really a *fan* of yard work (how anyone is is a mystery to me). I like gardening, but when it comes to the type of work we’ve been doing – I would rather re-paint all of our kitchen cabinets (a large project that I underestimated) than tear up more plants! But, I keep reminding myself that the work we are doing will pay off for years and years to come. Having a grassy back yard, a space to eat outside, and a little section of veggies and flowers – the thought of that makes me giddy!
Here are a few pictures of where we are at currently.
Wish us luck!
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