When we bought our condo nearly seven years ago, one of the things that we loved about the place was the backyard. At the time, we lived in a tiny upstairs apartment in a 1970's-ish complex. It featured a cement walkway and a few bushes on the ground floor. As for the upstairs where we lived, there wasn't any landscaping despite a rather large patio-ish gathering space at the top of the stairs. So, to find a condo that had a small backyard was like a dream come true! It had a patio, a small patch of grass and a huge planter running the length of the yard that was filled with rosebushes. In comparison to other condos that we looked at, this backyard was HUGE at about 42 feet wide and 19 feet deep. The thought of being about to garden and eat on the patio was exciting to us.
The images here show what our backyard looked like when we bought it. Sadly, the years have not been kind. Over the years, some trees on an adjacent property began knocking down the fence and pushing up the patio concrete. The HOA didn't want to replace the fence until a solution had been found for the trees. We didn't want to repaint the fence because the fence was to be replaced. And so, we've had a falling down / "shabby chic" looking fence for some time. At long last, changes are on the horizon. Finally, the neighboring property changed hands and the new owner agreed to remove the trees and share the cost of a new fence. A couple of weeks ago, the trees were removed. Although part of me was sad to see them go, the other part of me was dancing a jig that I wouldn't have to rake it's copious leaves this fall and that we could finally make some landscaping changes to the yard. Rumor has it that the fence should be replaced this week.
With the fence issue finally resolved, Brett and I are talking and dreaming about the changes that we want to make...within a budget. I got a few books from the library for inspiration -- Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens, Big Ideas for Small Gardens, and Home Landscaping: California Edition. They've really got me dreaming about what we can do. I'm hoping that we can turn our little backyard into a "Magical Garden" that will delight our girls as well as ourselves. It's not really a HUGE space that we have to work with, but we're hoping to make the most of it.
Anyone got ideas on what we can do?
4 comments:
Every time I come home after a garden tour I start getting new ideas for my own garden. You have a beautiful garden.
Flowers, thanks for the compliment. Unfortunately, my garden no longer looks like the photos. The birdbath and tables belonged to the previous owner...and the plantings have changed somewhat and the fence is falling over. But, seeing the photos again made me realize how we fell in love with the place. I'm hoping that the photos can serve as inspiration to improve it again.
Yay to new fences! I can't wait to see what you guys do to your yard.
Yes, you do have a lovely garden / yard. :)
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