First of all, the outpouring of kindness and support that you guys showed to our family yesterday is both humbling and amazing. Thanks for the helpful words of encouragement and for sharing your stories. But enough with the heavy stuff. How about something light and fluffy? Let’s go on a looooong overdue photo tour of our yard (a la Katie B’s), shall we?
You’ve gotten a few select glimpses of what we’re working with in this post about our carport/driveaway, this post about our “alley”, and this one about the magnolia out front. But there’s plenty more to show (that’s your warning that this post will be photo-heavy – so much so that it took me three weeks just to muster the energy to finally edit down the 100+ pics that I snapped a couple of weekends ago and write this beast of a post).
So let’s start somewhere familiar – the front yard (as sort of pictured in our header).
It’s smaller than our last house’s front yard (i.e. the house is closer to the street) which I see as a good thing because there’s less grass to mow. Sah-weet. Actually, there are enough bush-borders, areas of groundcover, and that big dirt circle under the magnolia that ensure there isn’t too much grass at all. Of course we have some long term plans to transform our house’s curb appeal and pretty much every square foot of yard that we have (just like we did slowly and steadily over 4+ years at our last house) but as for specifics, we’re not quite there yet. But it should be fun to see where we end up in a few years.
Our general plans for the front are mainly to make it feel more open and inviting to the front porch. Like our last house, there are lots of borders of bushes (mostly boxwoods and azaleas) that act as a natural fence around the grassy area seen above. But in our opinion, it just means a lot of visual interruption – especially when it comes to feeling welcomed towards the front door. We’ve also always felt that short squat houses like ranches look best with some open area and lower and more varied plantings than walls of large shrubs (so there aren’t a bunch of things in front of the house to dwarf it even more).
No one really uses our front door now (unless they’re selling something). In fact even FedEx uses the side door in our carport to drop things off. We can’t really blame ’em because the front pathway is so narrow that it doesn’t really say “walk this way.” I actually had to trim some bushes on move-in day just to fit furniture through (it didn’t help that the bushes were also dusted with snow). Since the path is such a nice natural continuation to the sweet paver stones that they used to create the driveway, we’d love for it to at least look like it’s usable someday – even if everyone still goes to the carport.
So we’re thinking that trimming back / removing / transplanting some of these bushes above in favor of some lower profile landscaping will help open up the entrance on both sides of the path. Which will hopefully make it feel more inviting and show off our full-of-potential front porch (which we also have plans to pimp as we go).
But as much as bush-borders are a theme on our property, it doesn’t compare to the sheer volume of liriope (aka “monkey grass”) that you can find around here. Just check out the sloped area on this side of the front yard. Yup, it’s above that stone wall and below it, about 10+ plants deep:
This particular sea of liriope is actually kinda welcome because it makes for a virtually self-sustaining spot of landscaping, though it would be nice to add a bit more color to it at some point. But we’re not über-focused on that area because we’re so distracted / confounded by the area next to it. Yes, this big wild spot of leaves and tall grasses next to that stone wall and brick path is still our property.
This is the area that separates our house from our neighbors to the left (as you face the house). And I must say that we really appreciate the breathing room. Which reminds me – I should point out that this lot is surprisingly similar in size to our last house (almost an acre), BUT this lot is kinda square whereas our last house was a long skinny rectangle – with about half of it being woods in the back.
(Imagine a nice little whole-yard sketch here- I’ll have to whip one up in a future post).
The “pro” of our new squarer lot is that it puts more space between us and the next door neighbors (instead of just including a seemingly endless dense and thick woods in the back of the house). But the “con” is that instead of having a maintenance-free forest hidden in the back, we get “wild” spaces like this one shown above instead… which is visible from the street, btw. We’re not 100% certain, but we’d love to naturalize this area even more so it looks lush and semi-foresty instead of oddly bare but not quite tended to (tall grasses and wildflowers come to mind along with more large trees and shrubs). No rush though, we’ll figure it out someday…
And even though our lot is much less long and skinny than our last one, we still have plenty of raw un-landscaped area in the back. Actually, we have a ton of it. Sidenote: can you believe that’s the back of our house? Thanks to the addition it’s so different from the front (we think the peak is so charming) but someday we hope to bring some peaks into the front of the house and paint the hardboard siding (and possibly the brick) to make it feel more cohesive. But that might be five years down the line or even further. Gotta think long and hard about big changes like that to make sure we don’t do anything hasty that we’ll regret hate with a passion down the line.
Apparently this expanse used to be more heavily wooded, but somewhere along the line it was cleared and now it just sits as a leaf depository. Total bummer because we loved the private wooded feeling beyond the grassy part of our first house’s backyard.
The old John & Sherry would just thrown down some grass seed to make the entire area look more finished, but we’ve sort of outgrown our “let’s grow grass everywhere” phase (thanks in part to reading the Organic Lawn Care Manual last year). So our current plan is to keep this portion of the backyard “wild” so it’s one less area that we need to maintain/mow/water/weed/otherwise tend to. We plan to slowly plant fast growing evergreens that will create some nice privacy and bring back that wooded feeling that we love. Because there’s already enough landscaped backyard to maintain for our tastes. Behold…
Overall, we think the backyard is super charming. Which is a bit surprising considering how much we didn’t enjoy having pathways-lined-by-bushes everywhere in our last house’s yard. I think the key difference is that these pathways are brick, not pea gravel (which was a weeding NIGHTMARE). Though they obviously could use a quick pass with the leaf blower. But see those round planting beds on either side of the path the branches from left to right in the photo above? Those are goners. Sherry thinks that planting grass there to create more of an unobstructed area for pooch running and kid playing (especially when the offspring is older and excited to play tag or have races or play running bases) it’ll be nice to phase out a few of those small areas that break up that lush green grass. So we’re thinking that the brick paths can stay but the round beds will go.
And even though the low-profile liriope border along the path is an improvement over the big obstructive boxwoods in our last backyard, we’re not crazy about it – especially the fact that it’s 3 or 4 plants deep in many places. It just makes the paths feel narrower and more closed in. And since we’ve always preferred more organic transitions (vs. heavy distinct borders) we’ll probably dig up a lot of the monkey grass eventually (or we’ll post one of those you-dig-it-and-it’s-yours ads on craigslist) and just grow grass right up the edges of the brick paths for a more flush and clean look.
Liriope isn’t the only border going on back here, though. We’ve got more stone borders than you can shake a stick at (which would probably break your stick, btw).
Sherry’s not a fan of them visually (too interruptive for her tastes) and I’m not a fan of having to break out the weed-whacker to trim the grass against them. I could learn to live with them in some places (like where they make a distinct break between the grassy yard and the wild leafy abyss behind). But other places – like this little tree in the middle of the grass – are a bit too disruptive (Sherry wants to transplant that guy into the woodsy back part of the yard anyway to de-clutter the grassy area a bit more anyway).
One thing is for sure- all of those stone borders are a pain in my arse when I’m mowing.
(Yes, I’m using my gas-powered mower and not my push mower for the back, since it only really works well on long, straight yards – which the back sadly isn’t).
Now that we’ve covered the front, side, and back yards – let’s move around the house to one last spot that we recently mentioned in this post (you can see how much older the pics are in this post by clicking over to that one for more lush leaves and stuff). It sits behind our carport, just off our sunroom and gets called everything from “Liriope Heaven” to “Burger’s Bathroom.” Here’s the view of it from the carport:
For Burger, it’s perfect. It’s fenced on all sides, completely visible from the house and has plenty of curious spots to sniff / mark… and even a little zen lawn ornament.
As we’ve mentioned a few times, we’d love to continue our liriope-removal party over here (can you tell I’m trying to psyche myself up by calling it a “party?” – maybe putting it all up on craigslist is the way to go) and then we’ll be DIYing a stone patio (all by ourselves if all goes well) so we’ve got more usable outdoor living space. I’m sure Burger would argue that he’s getting plenty of use out of it now, but he got out-voted at the family meeting. Poor guy. But he loved lounging on our back patio at the old house so methinks he’ll be down with the plan in the end.
Right now our only outdoor entertaining space is this patio off of the sunroom and living room that isn’t even big enough for our grill (fyi, that patio furniture was left by the previous owners and yes, Sherry’s broken ceramic dog still sits sadly by the door).
The sunroom used to be some sort of outdoor space before it was enclosed, actually. You can even still see the original brick staircase that used to lead up to it. Funny, right? Well, funny to you and me – so annoying to the wife. She just doesn’t understand how someone completely enclosed the sunroom and heated and cooled it and added a million outlets and a fan but didn’t take the time to remove those odd stairs. I suggested putting some potted plants on them but she thinks it’ll be too busy and cluttered looking so we’ll have to come up with some other plan. Someday.
All-in-all, we’re smitten with the outdoor spaces that we got with this house. None of them are perfectly “us” yet, but that’s probably why we’re so excited about them – there’s so much possibility and potential. Even if some of it is buried more deeply (under rows and rows of liriope for example).
We’re falling in love with our surroundings more everyday as things start to bloom and green up. Like our new Most Favorite Tree In The Universe – this maple that’s grafted so it has two different colored leaves. Yeah, that’s one tree. Nature rocks my socks.
Maybe we love it so much because it provides this awesome shot of color through the window of our guest room (which we catch a glimpse of every time we walk down the hall away from Clara’s room). This picture does not do it justice.
It’s actually a bummer I didn’t wait longer to take these pictures (three weeks from camera to post is inexcusable) because just yesterday our azaleas started to get some color on them. So rather than delay this post any longer by retaking and resizing all of these images (which might be another three inexcusable weeks), Sherry snapped a few flower shots for me to throw in here at the end. Ooooh…. ahhhh…..
Phew! Now that you’ve seen all of these “before” pictures of the yard – and now that the weather is starting to be consistently nice – we can start tackling some of those outdoor projects. Well, as soon as Sherry’s allergies calm down a bit (our car was so green with pollen last week that it looked painted). But she’s working that Netti Pot like a fiend. You’re welcome for that visual.
Update: Apparently this post was confusing (even to Sherry) so this updated post (complete with a sketch and a video) should help.
Rocky B says
I can’t even imagine having that big of a yard (that’s what I get for living in Los Angeles!). The possbilities could go on forever!
My husband and I did our own DIY stone patio about a year ago. Can I just warn you that if you go ahead with that project wear gloves as MUCH as possible. We didn’t realize how porous the travertine we were putting down was and it left both our hands red/raw and blistered. We are really happy with the results now (I posted a pic or our patio here):
http://thewall-nuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IMG_0064.jpg
Enjoy the spring there in VA, it looks beautiful!
Crystal says
I’m curious to know how you will remove all the liriope? We have a TON in our yard as well. A few years ago, I got the bright idea to dig it up myself. Ummm, that last for about 3 plants. When I realized I had 3 down and about 2,000 more to go, I gave up. Do you have some ideas for removal?
YoungHouseLove says
Actually digging it up isn’t that bad (says the girl who watches as John has done it, but it’s just a shovel under it and you jump on the shovel and it pops out). We definitely plan to put up some of those you-dig-it-and-it’s-yours ads on cragislist to get some free labor going on. That’s always a great way to get rid of stuff (well, recycle it, which is even better) and trick someone else into doing the work for ya. Haha.
xo,
s
Adam says
Looks like a good amount of space, excited to see what you do with it and how!
You guys looked into VAPA in the Richmond area? They offer immuno-therapy which I’ve been doing for a year now and it’s made a huge difference in my allergies (I can actually hang in the outdoors!)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the recommendation Adam! Sounds heavenly to be outside during allergy season!
xo,
s
acaptainswife says
Cool! Looks like you have one cultivar of maple grafted to another cultivar’s rootstock (usually to control size) and the rootstock maple has suckered out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_shoot
That’s how that works.
Meghann says
One suggestion as a sort of “middle ground” on the stairs to no-where:
You could build a terraced container garden there and plant lots of yummy veggies and herbs for you guys to enjoy! Plus, keeping it up like that will help keep critters out of it!
audrey says
I’ll admit, I thought you guys were CRAZY to give up your old home. But you have found another diamond in the rough, and it makes me happy to see you loving on a second old house. So much potential!
Maggie Rose says
Wow, your yard is significantly larger than I was picturing (just based on the few you’ve shared, I was thinking it was pretty small for an acre, haha).
I’m looking forward to John’s little map of how it all connects, because I did get a little lost during the backyard part and I read it twice… just couldn’t figure out where the little paths were going. Can’t wait to see what you tackle first!
Tamisha says
Oh, please let me know when you plan to get rid of the cobblestones. I live in RVA and would love to come take them away from you. I love them and am looking for a source (inexpensive) for them to build my next firepit. I built one out of RVA cobblestones that a friend got when they were tearing up roads in Oregon Hill. Would love to build another one. Please, let us know!
YoungHouseLove says
Will do! We plan to post a link to anything we craigslist throughout the process for any interested locals. We might just reuse some of the cobbles too (for raised planting beds for veggies, etc) but we have a ton out there so there should be some extra stuff to share!
xo,
s
Monika says
Your yard is beautiful! It’s snowing again here in Calgary, Alberta today… I’m ready for spring. Off to sweep the steps. *sigh*
Melissa says
Beautiful yard!!
Thank you all for being such a positive & uplifting blog! There are some websites/blogs that I would be hesitant to turn my before & after pictures into because of receiving negative feedback from them and their readers. You all do such an amazing job!
Jaclyn says
Hey Sherry and John,
Great post! We’ll be thinking of stuff like this in a few months. We’re first-time home-owners, moving in in June! This might be smidge off topic, but… I just read the post about your Fiskars reel mower and am wondering how you are liking it. I was starting to think it might be great for us: two active people and a fairly smaller, open yard with little landscaping. However, I am wondering how you think of it now after having it and using it for awhile, after that honeymoon stage of the “new” wore off. Thanks! :)
YoungHouseLove says
We really like it! It’s perfect for long expanses of flat grass. John is the mower of the family and he gets frustrated with it when a yard is too bumpy and requires a lot of turns like our backyard, so we save it for straighter shot areas that are flat (our old house’s front and backyard were great for the most part, and our front yard works at the new house too). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Bethany Lynn says
I’ll admit I don’t have time to read the words (I’m at work) but this yard is GORGEOUS, I’m so jealous! I bought a newer house and there is almost no landscaping, ugh!
katharine says
I live in a center city area in a row home on a 871 square ft. lot so I am having major green-space envy right now. Enjoy guys!
-kksavy
Funnelcloud Rachel says
What beautiful (and huge!) yard! And I love the idea of using those “fake stairs” as tiers for a container garden!
Wom-mom Ethne says
ahhhh…fab potential. When we can get out of our condo (grr economy), we would love to find a yard like this! I’m sure you’ll give me tons of ideas. ~Ethne
Tana says
Please lease let me know if I can take some of those stones off your hands – I’ve been looking for stones just like that for my backyard. I can pick them up anytime :)
YoungHouseLove says
Will do! We always try to share links to any and all craigslist ads that we throw up (usually as a p.s. in a post). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Marla in Columbus, OH says
John and Sherry,
Love your blog. You guys are very cute. This post is very timely for me. Husband and I are thinking about buying a push (no motor) mower and I was wondering what kind you have. As I was googling them yesterday I thought you two would have some thoughts but wasn’t sure how to obtain your insights and lo and behold this post. I did find ecomowers.com and their reel mower and wondered if you are familiar with this product.
Thanks bunches,
Marla
YoungHouseLove says
We have a Fiskars Momentum push mower. It was perfect and amazing for our last house (lots of flat yard without many turns needed) and still works pretty well for the front yard here. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Angie @ The Country Chic Cottage says
Odd comment first — the Netti Pot ROCKS! It is a huge blessing!! :)
Now a regular comment — what if you put on freecycle the monkey grass. Let them have as much as they want — they dig it up. Supervising someone else doing it sounds waaaay better to me! :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s the plan! We’ll def. share the link for any locals who are interested in free monkey grass!
xo,
s
Adams says
If you ever need someone to take any of that stone off your hands, just say so. I feel like they’re everywhere in Richmond!
YoungHouseLove says
Will do! We always try to post about anything we’re craigslisting!
xo,
s
Andrea says
In the spirit of this post, I have to recommend “The Edible Front Yard” by Ivette Soler. She did a great job of selling me on how beautiful it can be to blend ornamentals with edibles, and it’s just a gorgeous book. A gigantic oak tree prevents me from growing edibles in my front yard, but there was still much for me to take away for the back yard! It’s available at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Front-Yard-Grow-More-Beautiful/dp/1604691999), or maybe even your library (was at mine).
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the recommendation! We’ll have to check it out!
xo,
s
Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co says
Thanks for sharing that link! I’ve been wanting to do this! Totally going to rock that resource!!!
fd says
oh i love those brick steps! I can just see Clara and a little friend sitting on them chatting when she’s a bit older, or her playing cards there or counting shells in Summer.
karen says
Great yard! Wow..you really have a lot of shrubs/trees in the front yard. I agree that removing some will make your entrance more grand.
Maybe you can work with the brick steps by the sunroom? A container garden would look lovely…or even a low growing flowering vine could trail on it. I LOVE all the moss too! Can’t wait to see what you do for Clara’s party!!
anu says
so jealous of those gorgeous azaleas! we left the south last fall, and i miss ours like crazy. the cut branches would be great decor for clara’s birthday party. ;)
Deepa Brown says
Is there no hope for that poor dog? No way you could turn him into a dali-esque planter?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I’m not sure what his fate is. I guess time will tell!
xo,
s
Janet says
A craigslist posting haiku for you:
So much monkey grass
Growing in our yard for you
Come and dig for free!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha- I love it!
xo,
s
JB says
Those stairs are sooo stupid! Why would they leave them? Anyhoo I thought a quick fix would be to take out the banister and cover the brick with wood so they look like continuous steps, like a stoop and then they could function like seating and dressed up with a few plants, or encase them by building a box over them with a countertop so you have a little kitchen/buffet bbq extension…Just a few ideas cause I lub love luv loooovey dovey you guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I like the continuous stairs idea, but most of all I love the “love luv looooovey dovey” part. Right back atcha JB.
xo,
s
Lynn van Slyke says
Hey, those brick stairs by the patio make a great ledge for potted plants, no?
Joking aside, your backyard makes me green with envy. Have fun making it your own and sharing the transformation with all of us =)
Dana says
I take back my comment (from a million posts ago) about not liking the guest bedroom curtains. They’ve grown on me and now I really love them in the room :)
Nancy says
That liriope looks nice as little individual plants but easily gets out of control, as you can see. I’ve been pulling it out like crazy and figure whatever survives will be fine. As far as those stones and bushes in your grass I’d be yanking those out right now! And in your wooded area I’d pick up a bunch of small Leyland Cypress and stick them in the ground now. Even if you decide you don’t want them all eventually, the investment would be minor and for those you do want, they’ll get big sooner than later.
YoungHouseLove says
You’re the tenth person to recommend leyland cypress to us so we definitely plan to get some of those going on asap!
xo,
s
Amanda M. says
How about building a planter box over the stairway to heaven… I mean stairway to nowhere??? Plant some herbs perhaps?? That’s my 1st thought!
YoungHouseLove says
Always a possibility!
xo,
s
Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co says
you guys have an amazing amount of yard and space against a beautiful backdrop of trees! can’t wait to see what you do with it! Also, LOVE the stone walkways and driveway! They add such character. :)
Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says
I love your yard but this to me seems so daunting. The interior stuff would seem more approachable personally. You guys are brave to figure it all our yourselves. I’d be overwhelmed.
YoungHouseLove says
We just tackle it like any other house things. One small thing at a time. Focusing on the small little side patio first should really help us gain momentum and then we’ll probably take more than a few breaks between other planting and trimming and pruning projects!
xo,
s
Katie says
Oh my gosh, I love it. It’s such a great yard already, and the exterior of the house looks great too. We do not have these kinds of houses here in Seattle.. not even close! Much envy, good luck.. excited to see what you guys do with the place!
Erin says
We had liriope all around our island and lining our front walkway when we first moved into our house. Ours was also overgrown so my husband and I removed it pretty soon after move in. I hate to break it to you but yours looks like the same variety that we had – spreading liriope (there is also “clumping liriope” or at least that’s what our local green house told us). Spreading liriope has one of the worst root systems I have ever encountered – tiny tubers everywhere and roots that go very deep. It took us quite a long time to remove the liriope from just those two areas so I can only imagine how long it will take you!! I would say posting an ad on craigslist is definitely the way to go. Let other people do the work for you if they want those plants – I know I wish we would have done that!!
RA says
The moss covered brick steps look like they could be out of an English garden. You have instant, built-in charm and character. So much potential. I’m envious.
Brooke Gillespie says
You’re very lucky to have such nice bones to work with. We moved into a new contruction home last year. We have a HUGE yard- two acres of flat (unheard of here in WV). For a while all we had was mud. Thank goodness we had a garage. Now we have enough grass in the front yard so that you don’t have to walk through mud, but it is still patchy to say the least. We have big plans, but it’s going to be a long time before we get it all finished! Wish me luck! I will be watching what you do with yours.
Sana says
actually, i like those stairs that lead nowhere. it’s a nice sitting spot for a playing child, and if you remove the left fence on your patio stairs (the one between the real stairs and the nowhere-leading ones), maybe it could look good, like one prolonged stairs?
YoungHouseLove says
There’s about a foot long gap between the old and the new steps (bummer because I love the loooong seamless idea).
xo,
s
Kita says
I’ve always wondered this.. but is it quite a drive to get into the city? Or do you live around the area?
I was looking at places to buy here in Arkansas and there’s some places that are about 15 minutes out of the city.. I don’t know if it’s worth it …
YoungHouseLove says
We’re about 12 minutes from downtown Richmond, which is great. There are also a ton of shops and people in our area (five minutes to Lowe’s, Home Depot, Target, Chipotle, Gap, etc- it’s a really developed suburb with good schools and lots o’ peeps). We love our neighborhood because it’s so wooded and rural feeling but we’re next to a bustling city.
xo,
s
Sheryl J says
OMG, you guys have so much work ahead of you. It is a beautiful yard with so much potential and I can totally see it going from so-so to AMAZING! I know you guys can make it happen.
Marcia S. says
What a beautiful big yard! If you want to take a slow approach to filling out the area you want wooded — my father bought living Christmas trees every year and planted them (when the ground thawed) between our house and the neighbors for privacy. As children, we loved it — we never had to watch our trees die.
Antonia says
About those stone borders, do you have any alternative ideas? I’m actually looking to get rid of my stone borders too (actually they’re those scalloped red brick type) but I’m not sure what to do!
YoungHouseLove says
At our last house we just used a flat edged shovel to make the grass straight and mulch the beds for a nice clean look.
xo,
s
Dana says
My first thought on the randomly-left-behind steps is to build them up more. By adding one more bricks to the first step and making it level with the second (or even adding more to the first and second to make it level with the third) you can turn it into a built-in bench! Throw down a pretty cushion when entertaining outdoors and you’ve got a cozy spot for folks to take a load off.
Whatever you decide on, I know it will be fantastic! Good luck!
Olivia says
I’m curious… Do you know if the previous owners read your blog or know about it? I wonder how they feel about all the changes you are making/plan to make.
YoungHouseLove says
They read it occasionally and seem to love it! They say they like watching us do all the work and getting to see the payoff. Haha.
xo,
s
Meredith K A says
The two-color maple isn’t cross-bred, it’s grafted: probably a limb of the red Japanese Maple was grafted onto the other tree, so now they act like one tree! See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafting
Our japanese maple looks like it might have been grafted onto a different trunk, probably from a tree (like a regular maple) better suited to PA’s climate, but it’s all the same red-leaf japanese maple tree up top. The only reason I suspect grafting is this weird lumpy ring around the trunk near the bottom, below where all the branches are. But that has to be how your tree has the 2 different colors.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the correct term Meredith! It’s so amazing what is possible these days.
xo,
s
Charlotte says
Oooh oooh I live in Richmond and would love your liriope! I just posted about my backyard…it looks like 3 or 4 different owners have tried to terrace it in different materials and some of it is lined with liriope and some of it is not…if I could finish off the liriope border at least it would be somewhat cohesive! http://charlotteannette.blogspot.com/2011/01/project-back-yard.html
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely plan to share the link to any and all cragislist posting about stuff that we’re hoping to get rid of!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
As a mom with 2 little ones (2 &5) I think that little fenced area would be PERFECT for a swingset of some sort :-)
Wren says
Love, LOVE your outdoor space potential. You guys sure found a winner when you found this house. It has so much to love.
Have you guys stumbled across The Renegade Gardener yet? He has some of the best, for-a-real-person-not-a-landscape-designer ideas and plans for landscaping that I have ever read. Lots of down to earth, organic ways of doing things. He talks alot about tree circles – which all the little beds in your backyard made me think of. Plus, he’s sarcastic as can be – which makes for fun reading
Let me see if I can find a link to the Renegade.
http://www.renegadegardener.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip! Never heard of him, but he sounds very cool indeed.
xo,
s
www.StarHughes.com says
Your house and backyard are gorgeous! I love how green and lush it is. So beautiful. I can’t wait to see how the patio turns out.
Jenny @ Bakography says
Thank you for the Netti Pot visual… I am almost always sure to get a good little laugh from y’alls posts everyday. It’s a great mid-afternoon pick me up! :-) And man, y’all are going to have some seriously good biceps after digging up all that monkey grass. My arms are sore just thinking about it! But I can’t wait to see what it will look like in the end.
heyruthie says
so happy to get the outdoor tour! i’m one of those people that was “missing” your old back yard! I was so “worried” that you didn’t have any yard at this house! silly me! nearly an acre–awesome! ya’ll are like family, and clara and burger need a great yard ;-)