Garden Path

So I think the little path leading to the door under the deck is pretty much done. I bought some paver sand and actually used a level to try and get it pretty flat with a slight slant out to the yard. It's not as slanted as it looks here. I'm thinking the sand might settle when it rains and it may take some tweaking, to get it just right, but for now it looks pretty good. The pavers are still dirty, but my spigot on that side of the house is broken, so no water except what I carry until I get it fixed.

Salvaged path, trellis, edging in the garden.

I'm trying to spend my money on shrubs and perennials, so I couldn't see spending 29+ dollars each on trellises. So I went to my aunt and uncle's farm and scavenged around. This was a looong ladder, and my uncle cut it in half for me. Just propped them where I have some morning glories planted. It might need some chicken wire for the plants to climb, but I can still add that.

The bottle tree needs a few more bottles. I guess I'll have to sacrifice for the cause and drink some wine selected by bottle color! The iron pieces are parts of a farm tool (rake?) that I bought at a garage sale. I've got some cosmos planted in there and these should help keep them upright when it rains.

My friend Warren colored the pic up for me, showing what the ladders would look like if they were stained to match the deck, with and without the rungs painted colors. I really like the one with colorful rungs, but I also love the old weathered look they have now. Looking at these pics, I can see how much simpler it looks with the ladders matching the deck color.  I wish I could change the deck railing from sunbursts to straight as well, and I will one of these days. I think the sunburst is a bit too contemporary for my bungalow, plus the gaps are too wide to be safe with little children.

Backyard to Garden (someday)

The front of my house is nicely landscaped (came to me that way!) but the back is a blank canvas. It has a very nice deck, for which I'm so thankful, since that would be an expensive place to start if it  hadn't come with one! The deck is like 3 little rooms stepping down to the back yard. Other than that there were no shrubs or trees or flowers.

Last year, I stained and sealed the deck, and planted this cherry tree. Or rather Jeff planted it...he did all the hard part, and since he planted gazillions of trees at his old house, he really knows what he is doing!

Here is how it ended up last summer. It was pleasant to sit out there, but the yard was still as blank as could be. 

 Behind the tallest part of the deck, I've been working on digging up a flower bed. There is a little door that accesses under the deck, and I laid stepping stones I found behind the garage (free! wooohooo!). I edged it with some bricks Jeff found in his yard. Tonight I'll scrub up those stepping stones and level them out with some sand.

This house is more a more casual style than the last one, and I think it lends itself to my penchant for recycling things. 

This is the yard at the old house. As you can see, I like to have some color! So hopefully soon I will have some here too. I will if I can keep the darn squirrels from digging the plants out of the pots. I had to replant the marigolds they tossed out this morning. Maybe they don't like marigolds?!

Up-cycling...making a planter box

 I am working on my back yard. It has a very nice deck but no plants. I'm also trying to spend my money on the plants that live from year to year, shrubs and such, so I'm getting creative with the other stuff. This wooden box was in my garage. I planted it with morning glories and then some other flowers in the front. Then I decided it was too plain.

 So I sat down on the ground and screwed some old license plates to it. That would have been soo much easier if I'd thought of it before I filled it with dirt and plants! Anyway, I think it turned out pretty cute, and I can't wait to see it with a bunch of blue morning glories growing up the side of the garage.

I set it on some bricks to help keep it from rotting, and attached chicken wire at the back.