Backyard update

As promised, here's an update on the status of my backyard.

On Sunday I finished shoveling and tamping the rock area directly behind the house. We're using something called trail mix, which is a finely crushed rock with particles no larger than 1/4". But most of it is finer than that, so it compacts fairly well and creates a nice, weed-free area that is still easy to maintain. Our willow tree drops leaves and twigs year round, so it was important to me that I have something that is easy to run a rake over. The price is also quite nice. The color we wanted turned out to be one of the cheapest (awesome), so all the rock you see here (1 cubic yard) was only $30! We'll need another 3 or 4 cubic yards of the stuff to finish up; the rock will continue all the way around the patio and down both sides of the house. The area between this rock and the rock wall will be a nice grassy lawn (Sadie Bug can't wait!).



When my mom was here a few weeks ago, she helped me complete the Great Wall of Palisade.





Now I'm slowly filling in a few gaps between the rocks here and there with ground covers like wooly thyme and pink ice plant. All other spaces are quickly being filled by stupid willow leaves!



All around the area at the top of the rock wall, we placed several of the large moss rocks that the husband and I collected from high atop a mountain the summer we got engaged.



My mom and I created several flagstone walkways that allow the area to be entered from either side or from the two stepping stones in the center of the wall.



I bought this pallet of flagstone at an auction about a year and a half ago and got a screaming good deal on it, so I'm glad it's working out so well here. We found a couple of really large pieces, so I created a little path to the back of the yard. Someday soon there will be a really comfortable chair there, and I will sit and enjoy my lemonade and the view of my new yard.



 I am slowly filling the area in with plants that are silver, white, pink, or purple, so I have a lot of artemesia, lamb's ear (mostly from my mom's garden. Thanks, mom!), pink primrose, catmint, jupiter's beard, and salvia. I have discovered that the grasshoppers like my pink primrose as much as the yellow primrose out front. Grrr.







The back of the yard along the fence line is planted with several varieties of ornamental grasses that will be between 3 and 6 feet tall. They'll help block out the ugly/weedy view of the orchard behind us while still allowing the view of the tops of the trees (once they're replanted) and the mountains in the distance.

I still have a lot of work to do back here, but at least I'm making some progress!