Our Yard

Like our cozy little home we have a cozy little yard.  Long and narrow it runs from the end of my driveway, along the side and wraps around the back of my home.  The stretch along the driveway used to have some grass and too many trees and shrubs.  I felt it was a waste of water so I removed all of that and replaced it with gravel to make an extension of the driveway for much need parking.  This is now where I park my camp trailer and pickup. 

From the front of the garage to the back of the house is fenced and gated with a brand new 6 foot cedar fence I installed last year over Memorial Day weekend.  That is where our little oasis of a yard resides.

We have just enough lawn to make it comfortable and pretty with curved flowerbeds and nice shade trees.  The very back yard is hardscaped with a sizeable deck off the back door and paving stones that lead to the raised garden beds and another curved flower bed. 

Maintenance is simple.  I use a push mower and hand clippers to keep the lawn mowed and trimmed.  It takes me less than 15 minutes once a week.  I water three times a week (Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday) for 45 minutes (15 minutes per section) and fertilize monthly.  In the spring I reseed the bald spots that crop up from time to time and spray for dandelions. 

We prune our trees as needed in the spring and pull a lot of weeds all season long.  I spray for weeds about twice a month during the summer.  We live next to an unkempt field and weeds are a constant problem for us to stay on top of. 

Our garden and flower beds in the backyard are watered and weeded as needed and we are really enjoying them this year.  This section is entirely new to us this year.  This area used to be were the dog resided and although she has been gone for 5 years now this is the first time we’ve been able to finally get back there and get it done.  Having a garden is what I’ve always wanted to have back there and now we have it. 

We have a little water feature as well.  A cute little pond for a cute little yard.  I built it out of a stock feed tub I picked up at a farm supply store.  I dug a hole in the ground to put it in, surrounded it with rocks and plantings, added a spitting frog and pump from Home Depot, added water and plugged it in.  It adds a nice effect to counter the city noises. 

We enjoy setting up our patio furniture under one of our big trees in the summer to eat outdoors.  Unfortunately the deck gets too hot.  We are hopeful, in the future, to add an awning to our deck so we are able to use it more.  I also plan to add more planter boxes to it next spring so we can have additional garden space.  Right now we primarily use it to barbeque. 

Several years ago I installed two retractable clotheslines at the end of the house.  They stretch clear across the yard and can hold two loads of laundry.  I love hanging the laundry up to dry.  It smells so fresh when you bring it in.  There is nothing nicer than sheets dried out on the line. 

I like the carefree maintenance my little yard requires and that I am able to spend much more time enjoying it instead of working on it.  I also love that I mow it with my energy instead of using gas or electricity to run the mower and trimmer.  We try to keep our water usage to a minimum as well.  It is the perfect size for us and we love it.