This last week Greg and I (along with some help from Greg's Dad and of course the girls), have been working in our backyard. I've wanted a paved area near the kids cubby house and sandpit for quite sometime and Greg has wanted a firepit.
We have had quite a few stacks of used pavers stored around the yard for the last year at least, just waiting for us to have the time undertake a job as large as paving. Greg had collected the pavers from building jobs he's worked on. If he doesn't collect them they end up in landfill, so I'd much rather find a use for them around the yard.
Here is what this section of the backyard looked like mid 2010. To be fair it was mid winter so everything looks depressing then.
Here is what it looked like mid way through the mimi make over.
In the top of this photo you can see some of our fruit trees. I've been waiting to extend this part of the garden for quite some time. When we first moved in it was overgrown with flowers, shrubs and grass. We removed that, put in some trees and added the vegie patch and chook house which you can just see in the top right of the photo. Want to see what the chook house and vegie patch looked like when we first started?
And here is what the garden looks like now.
The garden beds are all mulched and waiting to be filled with plants. I'm thinking some shade loving Dianella's, Bromeliads and a Birds Nest or two under the tree. Some Diosma's in the front and some Acacia Limelight up near the cuppy house.
We are really happy with it. In the photos of the paved area above you can see the firepit. We will cover it over with cement sheeting when not in use so the kiddies can't fall in and Greg has plans to make a fire gard to go around it while it is in use. Can't be too carefull when you mix kiddies with fire!
Some of the fruit trees you see above are just starting to establish. It will look wonderfull and full once they fill out.
The last thing I want to do here is rip out the old hills hoist and put a row of lattice screens up along the garden edge. I want to grow some lavender or rosmary under the screens and jasmin along the top.
As our house and garden are a continual work in progress, I expect I'll be waiting some time for that to happen.