As you may recall, we had a big landscape project done on our front and back yard last fall. We also added a “treehouse” for the kids which you can read about here and here.
In April we enjoyed the daffodils and tulips that we planted last fall and decided that we definitely need to plant more tulips this fall for next spring.
Anyway, we have planted the rest of our flowers and veggies. Here’s a tour…
All of these beauties are along the border between the rock wall and the driveway or front sidewalk. Soon, the day lillies will be blooming, too.
On the right, as you walk up the path through the yard there is our veggie garden…
herbs…
chard, baby leaf lettuce, and spinach…
and, we’re going to try pickling cucumbers and mini pumpkins growing on the arbor this year.
We’ve also got tomato (heirloom brandywine, cherry, and roma), peppers (cherry, banana, and jalapeño), corn, carrots, asparagus, and artichokes.
Four different varieties of strawberries…
Hydrangea are on their way, and the rhododendron is blooming!
The last of the camellia are blooming as you walk around the side of the house to the back gate…
with our “beware of dog” sign.
This year I planted all of our hanging baskets myself…I’m hoping that they grow!
We planted “stepables” between the stones in the walkways in the back…where there is not stone, there is gravel.
Our landscaper moved the plants that were in our front yard to our back yard to add some green and softness near the fence line. We may make some changes, but for now it feels much better!
The gravel path leads down to the dog runs and the backside of the playhouse…
I added solar lights from IKEA and they glow right after the sun goes down for a couple of hours each night. I love looking at them from our bedroom window.
Ryan came up with the great idea to make our dogs houses from wine barrels shortly after we moved to Oregon! Aren’t they awesome?!
And, I have planted more flowers in extra hanging water buckets on the dog run.
Our original landscape plan had an extended deck and a hot tub in this area, but we opted for some gravel and a fire pit for now…and I am glad we did. It is now my favorite part of the yard since I added these bright red chairs from Target!
I saw this project all over Pinterest and decided to give it a try! It definitely adds interest to what was an uninteresting and un used corner.
We have a freestanding firepit that I built the rocks up around. The rocks were scattered around the lower portion of our yard when we moved in to the house. You can also see our compost bin between the fire pit area and the dog runs…we used a full bin of compost on our front garden before we planted this spring!
Ryan has the grass fenced off after we planted over 5 lbs. of seed in April. I am hoping we can take the fence down in June and start using the entire yard.
For now, the kids can still use the playhouse and the rest of the yard and we do just fine.
I have some more projects I would like to finish up in the next few weeks and then I hope to just sit and enjoy.
I hope you enjoyed the tour!
home is…extending your home outdoors.
stephany taddeo 
Love the flowers… especially the yellow and orange 🙂
Looks like a really fun backyard!
Thank you! I visited your blog and see you are changing up your backyard as well…fun stuff!
Thank you! We love it!
Ohhhh I just stumbled across your blog and I’m so glad 🙂 I even made my husband come look at all these photos as well, and now I’m even more inspired for our gardens and our outdoor renovations this summer…thanks for the inspiration! I also have a quick question – did you buy your little plant name labels, or create them yourself? The plastic ones I bought have already faded after two weeks in the sun, and I’m looking for something a bit more durable. Thanks so much – I’ll be back to visit your blog again soon 🙂
HI Ellie!
Thank you for visiting.
We have been having so much fun with our yard and garden. It has been a work in progress as we have been in this house for over 4 years. It is finally coming together and we couldn’t be happier.
I will be updating photos soon as I have some new additions.
Please come back to visit!
Stephany
Ellie-
I neglected to reply about the labels. We bought them, but I am not sure we are satisfied with them. We first tried writing with Sharpies ,but they did not work…we eventually used paint pens. I might use something handmade next year to cut down on the cost!
Stephany, I found your blog thru The Handmade Home and I’m so glad I did! What an amazing backyard you have!!! I’ve seen the terra cotta planters on Pinterest – how did you make that? I also love your fire pit! Did you put anything inside like a metal bowl or anything or is it just the flagstone on the outside with nothing in the center?
Hi Shawna-
Thanks for visiting…don’t you love The Handmade Home?!
I saw the terra-cotta planters on Pinterest and have a neighbor who did the same thing, so I was inspired. I used a piece of rebar and stuck it into the ground about 6 inches (the rebar is about 4 feet long..I might use something longer in the future). Then, I stuck it through the hole in the bottom of the largest pot and put a rock under the pot to tilt it a little bit. I filled that pot with dirt and then stuck the next largest pot over the rebar (through the hole in the bottom), got it tilted into position, and filled it with dirt. Then did the same thing with the next two.
Then I put the flowers in the pots…taking out and adding dirt as needed.
It took a little trial and error to get it the way I wanted it, but I LOVE the way it turned out.
It took a corner of our yard that we neglected and kind of an “eyesore” (our compost is over there) and made it fun!
As for the fire pit, there is actually a “portable” fire pit inside of the rocks. I got it on sale at Target last summer, but we had extra rocks laying around our yard, so I stacked them around it. So, we build the fires in the bowl of the fire pit. Does that make sense?
I hope you will come back to visit again!
Stephany