Yard Work!

When we first moved in, our backyard was a mess. These photos are pretty favorable actually, but trust me...underneath a bit of that greenery (read: weeds) was a mess.

See all that gravel? The whole yard was graveled because Mr. Joe used to work on cars back there and park them in.the.yard. And the right side of the yard was completely overgrown with random trees/bushes.

He also had this super.adorable removable carport thing in the back which did not convey. I was super sad as you may be able to guess. Ha.

And, oh yeah, the infamous coal bin. Remember that project?

Well, ever since then our backyard has been slowly evolving. First there was the patio/fence project. 

then there were the other outdoor projects...

and finally a few weeks months back, we got some grass planted and plants put in!

This was when we first mulched and put the plants in and the seed down, hence no grass (except the HUGE tufts that we couldn't mow to not kill our little seedlings!). But, I promise you that now there is plenty! 

One without the dog. 

So we put azaleas in in the back, since they are a little hardier than the hydrangeas that I tried last year (those trees steal all the water). Then we have impatiens in between the azaleas (which are growing like gangbusters now). 

To the right we have three climbing hydrangea plants (ALSO growing like gangbusters, so we are working on some better climbing surfaces for them). And then to the right my hydrangea bush. I had to have one. And it seems to be doing well so far! As you can see int he corner I also added some little fencing in my garden so that the dog doesn't get in there and eat all my vegetables!

Because I know you really do love the dog.

And Bings LOVES the yard. 

Anywho, we have done some other exciting things lately and though the azaleas are no longer in bloom, etc. I will get some update photos out here in a few weeks. Next weekend we have a contractor coming to finally fix the back door so i can update you all with photos of our finished mudroom makeover and the finished patio, with my new navy blue and red accents...and all the grass!

In any case, the transformation so far has been really great!

Before

In Progress