Garden. July, 2007- Dec, 2008.

So, by now, the back yard was definitely a lot more child friendly than when we first moved in. But look at where the house meets the grass. It looks weird! Needed some planting to soften those hard edges. Inspired by a friend’s back yard, I chose a variety of fast-growing Vibernum bushes and Lirriope grass. I started digging and didn’t stop until I had a new garden bed. It looked good, grew quickly but was constantly plagued by mealy bug. Nasty little blighters.

Cost for this little project: labour….$0 (just lots of sweat and perseverance for a wee thing like me!) Plants…….$100. Bark Chip………..$40. Total $140.

See? House meets grass. Needs softening!

And from the upper terrace of yard. May, 2007.

Vibernum and Lirriope, newly planted. Aug, 2008.

Dec, 2008. Bit of growth and much greener!

Meanwhile on the upper terrace of the backyard…

As you can see from the following photos, the upper terrace level was dominated by a concrete driveway. Great if parking your car is your priority but we wanted to reclaim this area for our children and ourselves. It cost $300 to hire someone to come an cut it all up and take it away. Then a couple hundred for some turf. All up approx $500 – $600 to reclaim half of the backyard!

You’ll see from these pictures that I also took the drastic measure of ripping out the garden on upper terrace – the very same one that I’d lovingly established and tended since moving in. WHY DID I DO THAT!? Big mistake. I was certain that it would be better to have more grassy space for kids to play on. Turns out they had plenty anyway! You live and learn.

You can also see how we’d planted Lilipillis along the side fence. They were only about 20 cm tall when Craig planted a few months previously. Now, in 2012 they are lovely and tall and block out the neighbour’s yard and provide privacy. You’ll see them later.