We've been in this house for 9 years this month. While it was a fixer-upper, it wasn't a tear down fixer. Just a needs-updating fixer, which is the best kind of fixer in my opinion. To me, it means the bones are there, and just a little cosmetic help is necessary. All we did to move in was pull the shag, re-carpet, paint, scrap the ceilings and install plantation shutters & wood blinds. Easy. Cost effective too. A year later we remodeled the kitchen and downstairs bath. Inside was initially more important than outside, and since we are huge DIY'ers, we move slow.
In neighborhood standards, we have a pretty spacious backyard. Our house is located on a small uphill bend in the road, so we have a sort of pie-shaped lot. The backyard, while neat, has a large concrete patio (that I hate), good size lawn area and a slope bordered by a stone wall. The slope was covered in ivy and junipers that had grown out of control. It was so ugly. I can't find any pictures on my computer to show you, so you'll just have to take my word for it. (believe me. ugly.)
Last year, we finally tackled the backyard. We had all the ivy ripped out and removed the ghastly junipers. Then we were left with a huge pile of dirt.
And the fence was falling down. I took these pictures when we were trying to figure out what to plant and how much space we had.
We wanted low maintenance, drought tolerant plants and they had to be pretty, because I like to look at pretty things. Scott decided to rebuild the fence himself, after we got a few astronomical estimates.
We planted a few ornamental plum trees, because I love their purple leaves and pink flowers in the spring, as well as some grasses and iceberg roses, lavender, rosemary and jasmine. All the grasses died, we can't figure out why because they are also planted in our front yard which gets the same amount of sun and water.
I think the first year of a garden is difficult. I'm so impatient - I want it to be lush and full immediately. I thought it would take years to fill in. But yesterday, I was throwing the ball for the girls and noticed how beautiful it was beginning to look.
This is the same angle as above! I've added agapanthus and some trailing geranium. And before you start thinking about how awesome that fence looks, let me step back so you can see the whole picture.
It's been a year. I think he sank a few more posts into the ground a month ago. We're waiting for the cement to set. *cough*amonthago*cough*
Wait. What's that up there?
Has that been there for a month? How about we hike up there and just check on things?
It's probably going to level itself, right?
P.S. I am totally going to catch shit for this post. It was going so well too...
