Property Project: Sideyard

Otherwise known as the nap garden, our side yard used to house 3 smaller raised beds. One day, Chris took them out. They were overgrown, and infiltrated with blackberries from some soil addition. We also wanted to landscape the yard and the beds were getting in the way.

We built up the dirt so that we could plant in more area. This required a small retaining wall to be built.

 We were already planning the funds out for the wood, dirt, plants, etc, and the funds for the wall were just not a fun way to go. Chris got some free rock from Shari's house and we made about a 25 foot 2 ft tall wall. Then he used wood and stakes for the rest of it. It was more cost effective than wood the whole way, or another way of doing it. But not necessary less labor intensive. He moved the rocks 3 times!

 Not too bad!

 No property project is complete without Papa's inspection. He just wanted to see how the ground felt. It was soft. The future beds are sprayed in pink on the dirt.

 I snuck a photo of these guys hanging out on the wall. Raspberries in the foreground

 The kids helped a bit when they weren't adding dirt to the irrigation.

 This Spring has had amazing thunderstorms, clouds, sunsets, sunrises and such. Wow!

 The tire swing is a must!

 And more rock! We laid weed fabric down and then Chris scooped and spread the gravel down.

 More Spring property romps

 Owen and Ara had fun holding a cold blue belly lizard.

 The kids were very helpful at the nursery.

 It's one of my favorite traditions-going with them to the nursery to pick out the plants.

We carefully selected our treasures~ lots of squash, four kinds of basil

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas! I mean Mother's Day!

 The kids had a blast playing in the mounds of gravel and dirt.

 O's shirt reads Sun's out Guns out. Classic.

 This is what perfection looks like, right here!!!

 This is our future. We decided to stop with the three large beds and plan for the other four later. They prove to be quite awesome-demanding-expensive! I am actually a little relieved as I was trying to plan for my nap garden in a seasonal way but also always wanting something blooming as well as having many annuals planted as well. This gives me some time to plan better. I think a berry bed, an herb bed, as those can withstand our winter for the most part (minus cilantro and basil).

 A honey dijon rose! My first rose off of my first rose bush. I bought it for myself at the plant sale- I've always longed for a rose garden of my own! It was in a huge heavy container and only 15$ for a huge plant. I loved that it had a lot of TLC from a master gardener. I am striving to be an appropriate substitute. I fertilized it and the leaves are now a little yellow but there are 5 blooming roses!! Wahoo! This one bloomed the day my close sister friend found out she was having a little girl. So magical.

 Because. You gotta dig it.

 Bistro set from my grandma's house makes the garden feel even more homey. Zinnia's fill the front right bed. They are about 2 inches now!

 Owen had "the best day of his life" the other day..... And Ara and I had strawberries and coconut ice cream on the patio. It was "the best day of OUR lives" too. (He was selected to go with 3 other friends and his kinder teacher to go after school to in and out, the movies, and ice cream. He has never had an experience quite like that before, so this was for sure FUN FUN FUN for him.)

The garden is in bloom, most plants are inches taller than these photos taken just 2 weeks prior. It is such a magical time on the property, when the oak worms have stopped falling.