Until this year I spent very little time trying to make the backyard a nicer place. Really that's not entirely true, I kind of did short bursts out there, but my attention was always divided on other things. This year is really the first time I've consciously tried to come up with a plan. I'm really enjoying it. Some existing perennials have been moved around and I've added a number that I purchased (a local nursery is going out of business and all perennials are 40% off). I want to get some more hostas but I'll wait till end of season sales for those. Here is a tour of what it currently looks like. Keep in mind that we are at step 1. It is definitely a work in progress. Think kind thoughts!
Do you see that really tall piece of wood? It used to be part of a hanging laundry drying line. When the addition was built the other half was attached to the house. It has since been removed. I want to buy one of these from Lee Valley.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=67360&cat=2,42194,67373&ap=1
I digress. So see the tall wood piece, it has a bird house on the top now. We don't put bird feed in it though. Louise the cat would be under the assumption that it would be another way of showing how much we love her, luring poor birds to the yard so she could kill them. So we don't put feed in it. Instead it has become the nesting place of a couple of nest building birds. I have no idea what kind they are. Pretty little brown things. Thankfully Louise hasn't noticed them. Also she is getting old and her hunting has slowed down to the occasional mouse on the front door mat.
It is so jam packed with the nest it's hard to believe there is any room for birds.
Check out the ingenious method of gaining access to the trampoline. Temporary! When the pool goes in the stairs will be put in their proper place. Although as weird as the half wedding cake stairs look next to the trampoline, they save my back lifting Heavy D up and out of there each time!
This side of the yard is where I have spent my time and energy. All the plants look tiny weeny, but they'll fill out and I imagine in a couple of years it will look much better (I'm hoping!)
Here is my little vegetable garden. Next year we plan on adding two more beds. I thought I'd start small this year. I planted yellow and green peppers, lettuce, snap peas, strawberries, marigolds and zinnias are in there too. Also down the middle I planted a row of Russian Mammoth Sunflowers, they grow crazy big(around 6 feet) and I love them! 
Here is one of the flowering peony plants. So pretty. It's Latin name is fried egg peony (no it's not that's just what it reminds me of!) . That's the tour!
http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=67360&cat=2,42194,67373&ap=1
I digress. So see the tall wood piece, it has a bird house on the top now. We don't put bird feed in it though. Louise the cat would be under the assumption that it would be another way of showing how much we love her, luring poor birds to the yard so she could kill them. So we don't put feed in it. Instead it has become the nesting place of a couple of nest building birds. I have no idea what kind they are. Pretty little brown things. Thankfully Louise hasn't noticed them. Also she is getting old and her hunting has slowed down to the occasional mouse on the front door mat.
This side of the yard is where I have spent my time and energy. All the plants look tiny weeny, but they'll fill out and I imagine in a couple of years it will look much better (I'm hoping!)
Here is one of the flowering peony plants. So pretty. It's Latin name is fried egg peony (no it's not that's just what it reminds me of!) . That's the tour!
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