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:
And a shot from the same spot now:
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:
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.
Here’s how things looked staring back at our house from the back of our lot last year:
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!
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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?):
And here’s that area now from the same POV:
And just to keep this post complete, we’ll also include the what the front yard looked like last year…
… and what it looks like now:
That’s our favorite one so far. Well that and our big patio makeover, which went from this…
… to this.
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!
Riki says
I’m just happy that I finally learned how to pronounce “liriope” by listening to last year’s video. Somehow “leery-ope” didn’t sound right in my head.
Betsy(@coastal-colors) says
This is an amazing change! Your grass, Hydrangeas and butterfly bush are great! It all looks so inviting! Also enjoyed you at Haven today! Thanks for all the info.!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Betsy!
xo,
s
Briel K. says
I love what a difference you’ve made with the front and side patio areas. Looks great. It will be fun to see how the backyard changes once you get to that area!
Why are there three brick steps in the patio area that lead to no where? Funny!
YoungHouseLove says
So weird right?! They used to lead to a porch that they later made a sunroom and sealed them off. So odd.
xo,
s
floor tile says
will you plant some fruit such as strawberry in the backyard?Which is nice for the food in health.because it is made by yourselves.
company with my house,yours is more beatiful,being more fresh in the air,you can enjoy the scenery in the nature.
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love to do an edible garden someday!
xo,
s
Kim says
Butterfly bush is a noxious weed in some states. Super invasive so they can’t be sold in nurseries in Oregon. They are beautiful though.
Christine says
So I saw you guys in THREE places (other than here) yesterday: the New York Times, Apartment Therapy, and Forbes. Uhm, not too shabby! This, on the exact day you were away from your own site, so we all got our daily dose of YHL anyway! How is that for timing?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- isn’t that funny? The day we would have loved to be more available for folks, we’re all tied up. But had so much fun at Haven! Can’t wait to share the pics!
xo,
s
Laura says
Question: How do you control weeds in the landscaping around the front of your house? When we bought our 1951 Brick ranch style home, they had monkey grass as the border for the landscaping. We removed it an put stone borders in it’s place. It seems that the monkey grass(that began to grow out of nowhere last year) as well as other weeds are trying to take over! We have sprayed round up multiple times and nothing happened. I am not the biggest fan of using chemicals because of the kids and the dogs. The strubbery is azalea bushes. I work full time, have a 6 year old and a 6 month old….aka I don’t have time to pull weeds all of the time. Any suggestions? Oh, also my hubby and I just preordered your book on Amazon. We cannot wait until it is released :) Thanks!!!!!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
We just dig things out or divide them. Lots of work, but no chemicals since we have a dog/kid too! And thanks so much for ordering our book. Ack- so exciting!
xo,
s
Jessie says
it was so cool seeign the tour. But I do have a bit of motion sickness going on. lol!
[email protected] says
Sherry, I was too shy to say hi to at the conference because you had about 5 people around you, and I just don’t have the personality to bust in there, but I did kneel down and get to talk to Clara and help her learn my name – “Cat” – “What does a cat say?” “Meow.” Cutest. child. ever. I enjoyed your talk as did my mom. It was lovely to hear you both talk in person. I am looking forward to reading for many years to come.
xo
Cat Alford
YoungHouseLove says
Aw so cute!!! I love that you had a moment with Clara and wish we could have chatted. Next time for sure!
xo,
s
Brandy says
As if your patio didn’t look pretty enough in the pictures, all the colors just seem to pop out at you (in a good way)and make the space seem even more beautiful! I love the red and blue against each other.
On a side note, didn’t you guys start painting your house last fall and were going to continue this year once it started to warm up? I’m sure with the kitchen remodel and the book it had to wait a while, but I thought that since you started doing more outdoor posts then there would be a little update on that.
You guys do an amazing job. I read your blog everyday. Keep up the good work!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah I’ve been itching to get back to that soon! Deck stuff kind of took over, but hopefully within the next few months we can squeeze that in.
xo,
s
Christina @ The Frugal Homemaker says
So I read EVERY one of your posts but I hardly ever comment :) But after meeting you at Haven I feel like I know you even more so I maybe I will try to comment so you can get to know me better??
Just gotta say, whoever had your house before must have LOVED monkey grass!! Crazy that there is SOOOOO MUCH of it in your yard!!
Y’all have done a great job – the front yard looks totally different than last year and I know it will just keep getting better. Yard projects, I think, are even harder worker than indoor projects so it takes a LONG time to get it where you want it. We have lived in our house for 8 years and I have been working on a different spot, adding another bed or two, or cleaning out one area each year and it is slowly getting there! :)
Oh, and after hearing you speak at Haven, I totally “hear you speaking” as I read your post. I didn’t even have to read who wrote this to know it was Sherry! So neat!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re so sweet! It was so nice to meet you at Haven and it’s so nice to “see” you here.
xo,
s
Aline says
Hi beautiful family!
You guys are doing such a good job… Well done… And I absolutely LOVE the trees around your house! They are gorgeous!
Love from: http://www.mycolorfulnest.com
<3
Jennifer says
Thought about you guys and your happy patio chairs last week. We were in the NC mountains to visit my mom and we passed a garden store that had a row of Adirondack chairs in a rainbow of colors (red, orange, yellow, green, and purple). They were so pretty and cheery. I wanted one in every color.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so cute!
xo,
s
Jolie says
Hi! I’m wondering where the adirondack chairs are from? They look great (as does the rest of the yard)!
YoungHouseLove says
They’re from jossandmain.com. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
US Grass and Greens says
Love, love your garden/yard!!! So beautiful!!!! :D
Yello love says
Hello I fell in love with your blog about the house. I am addicted to reading it :)
I really love the yellow pillow you had on your master bedroom, would you mind telling me where you get it from?
Thanks,keep up the great work!
YoungHouseLove says
I wish I remembered the name of the shop those were from! It was a store in Northern Virginia (Old Towne) but I can’t remember the name!
xo,
s
Alyse says
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this yet (I’m a little late to the game!) but I think the hydrangeas are changing color because of the Ph of the soil (hope that’s the right term). For instance, metals or rust in the ground will change a hydrangea’s color. I know this because my mother-in-law is a fabulous gardener with a lot of hydrangeas, and she puts nails in the soil around the base of the bushes to change their color and it totally works. Maybe that purple bush is planted over a pipe or something?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, there must be some buried treasure under there! Haha. We have heard that pouring pickle juice over it will make it turn blue (or we could use rusty nails).
xo,
s
Trisha D. says
Hello there,
Just wanted to give ya a heads up that there is a broken link in this post- “outdoor tour post last year”- the fourth link into the content. The link takes you to wordpress login. Hope that helps.
Thanks,
T.D.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Trisha! All fixed!
xo
s