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Outdoor Updates And A Landscaping Tour

It’s yard tour time, baby! Every year we try to take a few video tours of the inside of our house, just to look back on how it has evolved (you can check those out here). And we even made a little outdoor tour post last year, complete with a full video of John bush-wacking his way around our yard. So we thought it would be fun to make that an annual tradition. Just so we can see how the exterior of our house is evolving as we tackle projects big (like the patio and the deck) and small (like all of the transplanting/seeding/weeding that we do – more on that here). The funny thing is that it’s actually a huge difference between this year’s yard tour and last year’s. Both thanks to work we’ve done on certain parts of the yard and the way that mother nature has completely crazy-fied our backyard (which we have yet to touch).

You think I’m kidding. Check out this photo of the backyard last year:

Left Side Leafy

And a shot from the same spot now:

Backyard 2012 3

See how much bigger/denser the little planting bed between the two paths above got in the past 12 months? These photos don’t do it justice, but our video does. That butterfly bush is about 12 feet tall. Seriously. Somebody call the Guinness Book Of World Records.

Here’s another picture of the back yard from last year:

Right Side Leafy

And the same POV from now. See how giant the butterfly bush got? Check out how you basically see the whole tree trunk behind it in the shot above and how it’s almost completely covered by bushery (that’s a word in my head) in the photo below.

Backyard2012 5

Here’s how things looked staring back at our house from the back of our lot last year:

Outdoor New Back Pic

And here’s what that view looks like now. It’s really crazy how much those tiny purple bushes above filled in (they got at least three times bigger). The entire house’s foundation isn’t visible anymore from the same spot. Note: A few folks asked why the nook in the bedroom was there, and you can see from this shot of the back of the house, that it’s there so the back looks balanced like this. That large window in the bump-out is in the living room, so if we added a window to the nook in an effort to balance the other window on that wall in the bedroom it would be a big window right next to a small window on that bumped out section of the back of the house. Hope this photo makes more sense of that description!

Backyard 2012 4

This is a shot from a little over a year ago, so it’s even more dramatic. This is what things looked like last spring, before they got semi-big.

Outside Backyard Wide 2

And here’s what they look like now, with everything in bloom. See how the knockout roses in the left side of the picture above are giant now? And once again that planting bed in the middle (with Sir Butterfly Bush, Sr.) got crazy big? This almost doesn’t even look like the same POV, but looking at the three big trees in the background can help you line things up between the before above and the after picture below.

BackyardNoBirds

And it’s also pretty crazy to see how much the side yard of ours has grown – which was actually the plan since we’d love to naturalize that area- so yay! We have enough to mow in the front and back, so we want the way back and the side to get all woodsy and charming like our first house’s back perimeter. Check out a few photos of the side yard from last year…

Outdoor New Side Pic

And these pics of that area now. Definitely looks bushier, eh? And we’ve planted a few trees (river birches), so we’re just waiting for those to fill in for even more of a wooded look.

Backyard 2012 2

Oh and one spot we didn’t document last year, but have decided to start this year, is the side lot from the side. So here’s what it looks like now. The wild grasses are actually really pretty down there.

Side Yard 2012

Here’s how the view has changed from the corner of the grass in the front yard. This is that area last year (see the little bush fence that surrounded the yard?):

Side View Before

And here’s that area now from the same POV:

Grass 17 After From Street Angle

And just to keep this post complete, we’ll also include the what the front yard looked like last year…

Magnolia Before1

… and what it looks like now:

Grass 16 After From Street

That’s our favorite one so far. Well that and our big patio makeover, which went from this…

Patio Before1

… to this.

Patio Progress11

Uh, yeah – lots has changed, huh? It’s a jungle back there! So we have yet to tackle things out back, but it’s really cool to see how the front has evolved since this old video tour from last year:

For example, in this year’s updated tour you can see how we landscaped the patio, tamed the front yard, got some upgraded patio furniture, seeded the lawn with some more grass, and removed lots and lots of bush fences that hid our house from the street (and how we hid a secret outdoor book project with bath towels). Warning: I should never ever be allowed to do these video tours again. You basically need anti-nausea medicine before viewing. Can someone just be born flail-y?

Video thrashiness aside, we’re so glad to have documented evidence of our yard for the summer of 2012. I wonder what next year’s footage will look like? Think we’ll tackle some of that jungle of ours in the back (we’d love to create a nice patch of grass for Burger and Clara to romp around in while naturalizing the area behind the grass into a nice privacy riddled woods of sorts). Think we’ll have a bit more patio furniture and a deck by then? Sure, hope so! Heck, maybe our carport will be converted into a garage by this time next year. It should be fun to – in the words of Andy Cohen – watch what happens.

Do you guys document outdoor upgrades as well? Does anyone else walk around the house with the video camera, just to capture how things were looking on a specific day? I hope this is something we keep up with because we wish we had thought to document all of the yearly outdoor changes from our first house on video. Oh, well – live and learn!

Comments

  1. Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says

    It looks great! And those butterfly bushes do grow crazy (are yours working & attracting butterflies?)! My parents planted 3 next to their shed and they grew so quickly that my dad has to constantly trim them. Right now, they’re right at the bottom of the shed’s roof.

    Reply

  2. Rebecca @This Nest is Best says

    Such a great idea to do an annual “tour” documenting the changes inside and out! Somethings small things change and don’t seem like as big of a deal (ie warrant photo documentation), but lots of little changes each year really show the progression of a home.

    Have a great day today!

    Reply

  3. Megan says

    Defiitely much better and it shows that with what you did in the front yard! I can’t wait to see what you do to the back yard. There’s so much potential! I hope you can keep some of the plants and move them to your side yard. Knock out roses are great, as are the butterfly bushes, but they do both get really big. We cut our rose bush down to the ground every year and it keeps on coming back. I’d love a butterfly bush but have no where for something to get that big! I’ll just enjoy my mom’s! (I almost said “my mom’s bush” but realized that went really dirty!!!)

    Reply

  4. Master Gardener says

    You do know that butterfly bushes should be trimmed to the ground each year, right? In your zone they’ll grow right back and have a better, less leggy, shape.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re going to eventually make that area a big grassy play spot, so that planting bed will get transplanted, maybe to the wild side yard so it can fill in and be all woodsy!

      xo,
      s

  6. Reenie says

    WOW!! I bet your neighbors drive or walk by slowly to see all the improvements you’ve made. Love it.

    ~ I need to get some butterfly bushes!! :)

    Reply

  8. Lauren says

    Those butterfly bushes are incredible!

    Before you even got to the explanation of the nook in your bedroom I was already drawing lines on the screen to explain it to myself :) I get it now. But I’m still surprised that they created that nook for the sake of that gable. Interesting…

    Reply

  9. Lori says

    Hope you have fun today at Haven!! I hope you’ll share everything with those of us who couldn’t make it. Can’t wait to hear all about it :-)

    Reply

  10. Jen@The Decor Scene says

    Wow things are really changing. Plants really grow quickly each year that is for sure…even if you don’t want them to. haha. I have pictures from each year. Though I haven’t taken any this year. I better get on that actually. It’s great to see where we have come from to where we are now with the inside of the house and the outside. I love documenting all of this. Heck we have even moved plants around in our yard because they got too big. Can’t wait to hear all about Haven. :)

    Reply

  13. lisa says

    Second cutting back the butterfly bush. Also, I think if you just mow the monkey grass, it will either act like grass or give up and die—which beats digging the damn stuff up. I civilized an entire meadow by biweekly mowing to keep the weeds from seeding or storing up enough roots to survive the winter.

    Reply

  14. Brynn says

    I was just wondering what you do with your video diaries to keep them organized and where you store them. I have videos of my daughter I would love to organize so that I can always look back. (and of my house when I get it!) Any suggestions? (when you get a chance, I know you are busy today.)Thank YHL!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We try to upload them to a site like YouTube.com so they’re safe in an off-site place! And we label them so we can hopefully find them again (like outdoor tour 2012).

      xo,
      s

  15. Karen says

    Blimey, don’t get me started on butterfly bushes. Those things are INSANE. We had to cut back so much of ours a couple of weeks ago after it threatened to take over the garden. We then looked at some pictures from 2 years ago when we had just moved in and – wait for it – THERE IS NO BUSH. The current bush is right up against the fence and we think this baby has basically started growing from our neighbours’ side, underneath the fence, and went to town in our back yard. Well played, stealth butterfly bush, well played.

    Reply

    • Krystal says

      I wouldn’t doubt that. Butterfly bushes are extremely invasive and will kill/suffocate anything in their way so they can spread…so much so that they are illegal in some states (like Oregon and New Jersey). It’s true that butterflies do like the nectar from these bushes, but there are hundreds of other blooming plants they prefer as well.

  17. Emily says

    The yard is looking fantastic! This Utah girl is in awe at how lush and green everything is. We don’t have yards like that here in the dessert…every bit of green is slaved over to save and keep. But we make up for it with fantastic views of our mountains. :)

    Reply

  18. Sophie says

    yep, you’ve already gotten this comment, but each spring I whack my butterfly bush almost to the ground and it still comes up about 6 feet tall each spring. I even took a baby one, about 12″ high, transplanted it, it died for an entire year when we had a drought. This year it’s back up to about 12 feet high and blooming like crazy.

    Reply

  19. Jackie says

    I love your patio-it’s adorable-and the landscaping circle around the tree in your front yard looks great. I have a tree in my yard that I think I may try that with! Good luck at the conference!

    Reply

  21. Eve says

    I think I need something like a butterfly bush! We have an azalea on one side of our house that’s enormous and are at a loss of what else to plant after we tore out some sort of pine shrub and a slew of weeds (the weeds are crazy over there!). I’ll have to check that out for our zone…

    Also, amazing work in the front yard! I’m always in awe of how much better it looks with the unobstructed view.

    Reply

  22. Elizabeth E says

    Everything looks great!

    Have you guys ever considered adding flower boxes under your windows? My husband just built some for our house- its amazing how they transformed the look of our house! We don’t have nearly as much landscaping as you guys, so it was a much needed addition for us, but I was just wondering if this was something you ever thought about doing?

    Reply

  23. Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says

    Love the video! Your yard isn’t at all how I pictured it from the pictures. The burst of colour are beautiful and I can’t wait to see how your yard transforms. Absolutley love the sound of birds as you took the tour…so peaceful. :-)

    Reply

  24. Georgie says

    You might look into spiderwort/wandering jew for the area under the tree in the front. Super easy to care for and thrives in shade.

    Reply

  26. Melissa says

    I think most people dont realize that for the health (and appearance) reasons, butterfly bushes have to be severely pruned each spring. Your backyard isn’t for the faint of heart! I see at least 10 plants that require pruning and grooming each year to keep them neat. Same goes for the liriope. Most people set their lawn mower to the highest setting and mow over it each spring. thats how you keep it lush and compact.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes we haven’t touched the back yard since we have been focused on the front and patio and deck, but it needs lots of work! Someday we’ll tame the beast!

      xo,
      s

  27. Lorraine says

    Nothing to do with today’s post….although it is amazing to see the changes…….but just a “way to go!” about the long mention in this morning’s New York Times. The picture caught my eye and I said ‘I know them!” and then recognized the kitchen as well.

    Big time, I tell you, big time.

    Reply

  29. how2home says

    Great video sherry and thanks for the tour of the exterior of the house! LOVE the blue hydrangea, such a great spot and looks great with the redish/orange chairs that you recently got! Clara is going to have so much fun growing up in this space ! I think you should totally do a yearly video and it’ll be fun to look back on all the things you’ve done from the past.

    Did you decide what color you’re going to paint the lawn chairs in the front? Are you going to use the same color as the redish/orange chair in the back? that’ll look cute too :)

    Reply

  30. heather says

    Little did you know you were talking about Andy, Republicans and influenza tomar’s – whatever those were.

    God I love audio captioning. Too bad it’s actually getting better (and closer) to what people are saying. It was way more funny before.

    Oh, and I completely heard nothing but Natalie Portman on this one. I sound like some obnoxious husky dude in my videos and you legit have the cutest voice ever. Ever.

    Reply

  34. Bonn says

    Some of these species you have are extremely invasive and harm the native flora and fauna. :( If you guys want to be ecologically conscious, maybe think of removing at least the worst offenders? Those red bushes are Japanese Barberry. Go into any wooded area and you can find huge thickets of it. It’s green in the wild but there.

    Reply

  36. Ryan says

    I do annual house photos to document our house projects, which involves a day of house cleaning “clean it like you’re trying to sell it day” and a day of house photos. We take what it looks like really photos, and then some what would it look like if we tried XYZ photos. I love seeing how much we’ve done in a single year : )

    Reply

  37. Heidi P. says

    OHMYGOSH Have you seen Joss & Main’s Taaj Studio’s event today?! They have a gorgeous 7×10′ ikat rug marked down from $7200 to $1700!! AAAAAAAAaaahhhh! I wish I could buy it!!! …Or you could…*nudge nudge wink wink* and I could just live vicariously through you… :D

    Reply

  38. Heidi says

    I actually prune our butterfly bush in the fall after all the blooms are gone (and by prune I mean cutting down that sucka to the trunk). I also do some trimming during the summer so that it looks less like Sideshow Bob and more like I know what I’m doing with horticulture

    Reply

  40. Miranda says

    It would be cool if you could check in with the new owner’s of your old house to see how they may have changed things you liked to better suit their own styles! Wouldn’t that be awesome? Crashing your former-abode? I would love to see it! Even if you could only do the yard…inside would be brilliant, though!

    Reply

  41. Michelle N says

    I’m so jealous of your yard! We have 6 pine trees in the backyard and 4 more in the front yard. Pine needles everywhere….You rake one day and wake up with pine needles covering the yard the next morning. It’s a never winning battle. We have several bare spots, no grass and it looks terrible. Grass never grows..ugh. I would much rather rake leaves all year then deal with pine needles. I have come to realize the only way I’m going to win this battle is to cut down the trees but we do not want to do that. So for now we are going to suck it up and get to work with the rake. haha Having 3 kids to help is great, haha! They get a little treat of froyo after we are finished and maybe a little cash. Ha

    Reply

  42. Jenny says

    Hey guys, I’m sure you are aware of it, but I just randomly came across this and so I just wanted to congratulate you on being included to the Forbes Top 100 Websites For Women 2012 list. This is major! :)

    Reply

  43. Justine Wilkinson says

    I’m doing a whole series of ‘One Year On’ posts on my blog at the moment since we did some MAJOR renovation work on the house we bought in 2010 (two-story extension, completely gutted the interior so only one original wall was left standing) over the past year. A dear old chap of 92 had been living there and not much had been touched since the house was built in 1971(it even had the original kitchen…), and in the couple of years before we bought it he hadn’t been able to do much work in the garden, so you can imagine what sort of a jungle it was. Although there is still so much work to do in the garden, it helps so much to look back on the ‘one year ago to the day’ photos and see just how much we’ve achieved already.
    Well done to you guys for everything you’ve accomplished so far – long may it continue!
    Justine (in the UK!)

    Reply

  44. Connie says

    I thought our butterfly bush was huge and had never seen one grown in a climate with rain—we live in Colorado where it hasn’t rained a measurable amount in months. The builder put ours right next to the corner of the house with the circuit breaker box so we get to wiggle between our butterfly bush and the neighbor’s whenever we need to reset a breaker, which always happens during the rain or deep snow. Guess that’s one advantage of no rain: we haven’t needn’t to reset a breaker in a long time.

    Those who have commented that the butterfly bush should be pruned to the ground are right. Whack it down when it looks scroungy in the fall or after the first frost (if you even get such things). That should top off your compost pile for the season.

    Reply

  45. Gaidig says

    I’ve been working on moving things around my yard, too. We need to re-grade the front, so everything’s going to change. I’ve also been filling in bare spots with grass seed.

    Reply

  46. Steph says

    Maybe I’m just an awful videographer too, but I don’t even think this looks shaky!
    The hard work you guys have put into your yard definitely shows! For most people (I know myself included) when moving into a new house you get SO focused on fixing up the inside, that the outside goes completely on the back burner, definitely not the case here!

    Reply

  49. Kelsey C: says

    I love your yard/garden!! Butterfly bushes grow like crazy!! Be careful because they are VERY invasive–if you ever want to get rid of it, you’ll have a challenge! It is so bad in the Oregon climate that they aren’t even allowed.

    Reply

  50. April says

    “Warning: I should never ever be allowed to do these video tours again. You basically need anti-nausea medicine before viewing.”

    Don’t you say that basically every time you post a tour? It’s true that if you (Sherry) took it I can’t watch it or I get sick. Maybe tours need to become John’s job? If it’s a matter of you’re the better talker (you remember where things were purchased, etc.), maybe you can follow behind him to narrate? Or do voice-over later?

    Hope you have a good time at the conference and with the Bowers! I expect to see Will/Clara pictures afterwards. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’m just in denial and keep thinking I’ll get better. Can’t get better if I don’t keep trying right? Or maybe that’s what I tell myself.

      xo,
      s

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