BACKYARD RENOVATION

It seems like we having been working on the backyard renovation for years and truth be told, that is not much of an exaggeration.  My husband likes to do as much of any job as he can and this outdoor redo is no exception.

I wish I had taken some before pictures but our backyard area was a typical suburban lot with a small lawn, a pretty fish pond and a few very large trees.  When it became necessary for us to remove the trees a few years ago due to some power line issues, the whole micro climate of the backyard changed drastically.  The pond was overtaken by algae, the grass developed a fungus and our once shady lot became a full sun wasteland.

We knew major changes would be required in order to restore the backyard to a place we wanted to hang out and entertain so my husband set about planting a row of fast growing fern trees along the perimeter fence, removed the diseased sod, installed a beautiful fountain and added brick planters and gravel pathways.

Needless to say the perennial bed is thriving in full sun and is exploding with flowers like roses, gerbera daisies, larkspur, salvia, cosmos and zinnias just begging to be cut and brought inside.

We are into year three of the project and I would say he has it 90% completed.  What a good feeling it is to see it come together.  He has worked so hard on it, giving up his precious weekends and enduring many sore muscles and back pain along the way.  I have to admit there were times I was not sure of his vision but I think it's come together beautifully.

I am so proud of his determination and tenacity.  I think I would have thrown in the towel (or trowel, in this case) long ago but he mustered on and now it just about entertainment ready.  In fact, we will be having our girls and their families over for a post 4th of July celebration in a couple of weeks and I cannot wait.

Will you be entertaining out back this 4th of July or dodging the heat indoors?  I'm still deciding on a side dish or two to go with our barbecued burgers and hot dogs.  Leave me your favorite side in the comments.  I'm always up for trying something new.

Have a wonderful holiday my American friends and a lovely weekend to the rest of you.

xo, Patty

If you'd like to see the full backyard renovation, I've linked the full tour from my YouTube channel below.

Shop my favorite gardening tools and supplies here.