One corner of the backyard that we had been thinking about refreshing for a while but did not have time to work on the project until this summer. With all the time I got from during COVID home quarantine, furlough (then lay-off) and transitioning period to a new job, I finally got this project done with Ales!
When we first got this house, like the rest of the house, this corner of the yard wasn't cared for. Some "before" pictures below to give you an idea of how this space looked. The fig trees overgrew and took over that entire area, almost reaching the fence :D. First step for us was to trim back the trees and clean up the area. The area looked so much more spacious after the initial clean-up.
This corner, even after the trees have been trimmed, is still a very shaded area throughout the day. Grass was not able to grow well. We decided to pull all the little grass that was there out, level the space, and cover the area with drainage rocks. Drainage rocks are awesome materials to elevate and define a space in the garden. We used KolorScape Drainage Rocks that we found at the local Lowe's and loved how this space turned out.
Ales built a cedar raised bed in an L shape, customized to fit this space. Our go to materials are Ready Seal cedar from our local Home Depot, This product line comes in several dimensions that work well with several of our projects. Since this is a very shaded area, we decided to move several tropical house/patio plants to this raised bed. These plants outgrew our covered patio (which Ales had taken over to turn it to his wood working space) so this new refreshed corner of the yard is the perfect new home for my tropical plants that are perfectly okay with low light.
The refreshed space turned out so beautiful. Happy for the outcome, a repurposed and elevated sitting area filled with a relaxing tropical vibe.
Enjoy pictures of the whole process below.
What plants and palms are those in the planter and how have they faired or grown since 2020? Love this idea!