Green

Some of the excitement around here this week is about getting our backyard finished. No more plain brown dirt! We are having some grass and trees put in. I know I should be more water conscious but I just crave a bit of green. Our old yard had trees and grass along with some other plantings as you can see to the right and the greenness and shade from the trees was so soothing. The trees attracted the small birds which I loved.

I think I am ready for some comfortable patio furniture with some pretty and soft outdoor pillows. That way I can enjoy the shade and the birds before it gets too warm in the mornings and in the evening as it starts to cool off. It always amazed me what a difference a bit of shade could make.

Clean Slate

Our backyard right now is a clean slate. Well not actually clean since it is bare dirt, rocks and weeds that Jim does a great job of keeping down to a minimum. I dream of it turning into a cool shady retreat or at least as cool as you can get in a desert summer.

Typical landscaping here for the water conscious is rocks with low water use plantings for a bit of color. We are tossing around some ideas but nothing is final yet and probably won't be until it cools off enough this fall to do the work. I don't think it is good for plants or people to do major yard work when it is over 100.

One addition I would like to have is an arbor. I think arbors create serene little spots of shade and quiet. You know what I mean don't you? It would be just that little spot to sit on a bench or swing for a minute or ten with your morning coffee and listen to the birds and plan your day. I have seen wooden arbors as well as vinyl and metal. You can use them as a stand alone piece or have plantings growing over them.


There won't be any work done on these ideas for awhile but I will record here how it all turns out.