Planning Our Back Yard Garden Phase 1

When we first moved in to our home we had spent six months straight renovating and the outside was never touched. We spent the next six months moving in (if I'm honest we still are) and we've started to gently begin the garden planning process. We started with the patio and are moving outward. I don't want to rush it because I want to create a really beautiful outdoor space. I absolutely love having a garden. I've missed it a lot. I find so much comfort and joy in getting dirty and watering my plants and seeing my girls' feet covered in soil. It just moves my soul. This past sunday Sam spent a lot of time cleaning up the back yard. It's a jungle out there. You can see the "before" of this bed below. I was inspired by this hydrangea hedge. We purchased three Annabelle hydrangeas. I plan on adding variegated hostas as well as some white blooming annuals to the grass.

Pretty, huh? I weeded the bed and Sam ripped up the yucca which I sort of despise. Instead of working with a blank slate like we did previously, we are now trying to tame a beast of a jungle. Here are the before's accompanied by some inspiration photos. I just want it to be really serene and clean. The look is french farmhouse with a touch of modern. Fancy!! I also want the girls to have a really magical place to play. A fence is in the works... I am really digging this fence below (found here).

Here's out firepit and grilling station (insert crying/laughing emoji). Can't wait to control this chaos. The randomness is strong with this one. Most likely the shed will go in this back corner because that's where the old shed was. We are in desperate need of storage to hold the tools, paint cans, lawnmowers etc (see our current "solution" below). What I love about our backyard is that it feels like a courtyard and it's very private. There's also a good bit of shade which is nice in the summer.


There's just no rhyme or reason currently. As you'll see below there are several random single bushes planted as well as trees with nothing tying them into the garden. We also have weeds growing instead of grass. We've thought about using some faux grass. Anyone have any experience with it?

Alright, a few inspiration photos. I love the mass plantings shown below steering more towards traditional than tropical (garden designed by Dangar Group). We can't really grow grass in the back because of the lack of sun so I love the idea of using pea gravel and stone together to create beds and paths.

This shade garden and house are the vibe I'm going for (whole house tour is worth a peek - so pretty). The winding paths and tidy beds are lovely and I can just picture the girls running through the paths. Sam is more of a grass guy (why do all men love grass?!) so we will have at least one open space.

As far as green space goes... I love the look of this modern garden. This garden is really interesting and captivating while still being controlled and orderly. It's a great use of space. I love the mix of colors.

As for the side of our house... help! I started planting vegetables and herbs literally just to keep them from dying. I plan on ordering this next week to use for a raised bed. The ground will be pea gravel like the driveway and then I'll add a rosemary hedge around the planter. I'm propagating rosemary as we speak. Apparently it's pretty simple? I was so inspired by our recent beach trip because rosemary was everywhere.

The recycling bin needs a new home. I'd love to build an addition to the fence (some sort of bump out) to hide the bin and the trash. We also plan on building an awning over the door like this one from Alys Beach. I would paint it Hummingbird Blue to match our front door.

I'm thinking I'd love to eventually add another hydrangea hedge here. I need to get really good at propagating. :) You can follow along with #lwggarden for updates!


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