Some of you may know that Carl and I have been working on our 104 year old house for about a year. Well it came to my attention this morning, when I ventured into our backyard for the first time in, oh, I don't know, 7 months, that the entirety of our work has been confined to the interior of our home.
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Now, this was our choice. We felt we should work from the inside out, but I didn't quite realize the devastation factor of our backyard. Thank goodness our neighbors can't see. Well, they might be able to catch a glimpse if they peer out their second floor windows...and for this view we afflict upon them, I apologize.
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I did actually take a few photos with the intention of posting them on our blog. However, I am far too embarrassed. If a landscape architect were to draw inspiration from our backyard, he or she might describe the style as "frat house meets crack shack." Everything that was once living is now dead. The formerly beautiful bricked patio is now a storage space for trash and other home rejects on which there is something disgusting currently growing. I'm too scared to touch it, so there it sits. And keeping with the tradition of white trash backyards, there is a keg. The only thing missing is an inoperable pickup truck on cement blocks.
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So, my mission is clear. I vow to have a luscious, green backyard by spring (summer if the situation is far worse than I think). It will be conducive to outdoor activities like grilling, and will be free of rusted paint cans, molded beer capsules and the unidentifiable mass I fear might spawn into some toxic creature that feasts on the neighbor's cats. I will plant flowers, trim hedges, buy a sprinkler and do whatever you do in a backyard.
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After our project is complete we'll post photos, pre and post. Only when the "before" shots are no longer our reality can I muster the nerve to put them online.
So with that, does anyone have ideas on how to create an HGTV comparable backyard on a budget of zero dollars? Tips and advice are welcomed and encouraged.
1 comment:
Check with your neighbors, friends and family who have flowers. Anyone who loves flowers, loves to share. Most will be happy to give you cuttings. And green thumb gardners love to give advice and helpful ideals. Join the Garden Club. Main thing, when given a plant, find out if it is sun or shade and plant accordingly. If you ever buy fresh pineapples, you can plant the tops (directions can be found online).
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