Updating the backyard

One of the big things going on at the Miller house is that after over fifteen years of ownership we are finally doing something about the backyard. Over the years we've done some updating and maintenance, mostly when our hands were force like when the hot tub sprang a leak and the gazebo surrounding it collapsed under the weight of the jasmine that had grown up around it. Sadly the removal of these left a big sandy hole in the yard that we made several attempts to do something about until it became clear that the problem with the yard wasn't the big sandy hole...

It was the whole yard and the lack of useful space in it.

The pool was old and looked dated with rough white plaster on the bottom. There were vast amounts of old cement patio that was broken in places, uneven in others, and unshaded. You didn't want to lie in the sun out there. We had a nice table and chairs and an umbrella but that was the only real place to sit and there weren't any real paths other than the walk around the pool. Nothing about the space was real inviting.

Basically we'd look outside and not feel like going out there most of the time. And to make matters worse, most of the back of the house has windows that look out on the backyard.

So we got a designer who first made us look at a lot of landscaping books to get a feel for what we wanted. We marked the pages and went through them with her later on. That led to a bunch of decisions like wanting colorful plants, liking darker blue pools, and more naturalistic settings rather than formal gardens. A plan was made, contractors for the pool, new fences, and a landscaper were hired, and we've been living with a work in progress for the past few weeks.

This is a current image of the backyard:

The view from my window

As you can see there is the edge of the pool, the new slate patio, a big deck in the background, new plants every where, a large dirt area that will be some sort of low ground cover, and places where paving stones will be put. Every day the place looks nicer. 

Eventually we'll have seating on the deck in the back, and the dining table and chairs will be back in place. I fully expect to be able to sit outside to write a blog post in the future.

Watch this space!

Cheers,

Janet/Cricket