We will be holding our daughter’s wedding reception in our back yard. To get the yard as beautiful as possible, we needed to complete a barren back hill area. You know those useless hills your home builder sticks in your back yard and then includes it into the overall acreage? What can you do with them? Nothing! So we decided to wait until we could afford to do something constructive with our hill. We’ve lived in our home for a number of years, but had put off doing anything to this back hill area for want of time, energy and financial resources to do what we really wanted. Which is to terrace it with rock walls for a couple of reasons. First, I want to be able to climb that hill in my older age to weed up there without being in danger of taking a serious fall. Second, I want to be able to plant bushes, trees and flowers up there that will look attractive with the rest of the yard.
This past week, we finally put in the rock walls to terrace the hill. What do you think? My husband and I are over the moon. It is just what we envisioned. In fact, the terracing has made it so we have basically almost doubled the plantable area of our yard. Last weekend, we picked up a variety of lilac bushes, honeysuckle and Lydia broom plants. We’re planning to plant a variety of perennial and annual flowers on the bottom row. The bushes are small now, but they’ll grow and we’ll get to watch them morph into large, fragrant flowering bushes over the years. I’m also planning to put in a weeping mulberry tree. The weather where we live promises to be in the 70’s this weekend, so we’re going to be out there planting and putting water up on the hill. I can’t wait! I think our daughter’s wedding reception is going to be beautiful. Now I better get back to work writing my next book, right? :)
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Leigh, your book is in a box coming my way right now. Hopefully it gets here in the next day or two.
ReplyDeleteWe tamed a hill in our backyard with natural stone. Both my husband and I did it ourselves and we have been quite pleased.
Our daughter is getting married in October so instead of planting rose bushes, I will be visiting pumpkin patches!
Looking forward to the whole series.
Peace, Julie
What a great idea! I'm sure the wedding (and the view) will be beautiful!
ReplyDeleteJulie, what fun to decorate for that! :)
I wish I had your back yard. My husband is a closet carpenter. We have four sheds in the back yard. FOUR. Then we have a trailer, too. If we had a wedding back there, there would be room for maybe ten guests.
ReplyDeleteGood thing my son can't get married for at least twelve years.
What a great start to what sounds like a beautiful (and fragrant) addition to your yard. I'm sure all your efforts will make your daughter's wedding something special.
ReplyDeleteI love weeping mulberry/cherry trees myself and I've been trying to talk my hubby into putting at least one in our yard. No luck so far, but I'm still trying. :)
Leigh, as you plan your daughter's wedding, I think back to when each of our daughters got married and we had the reception in our yard. I spent hours planting flowers, but I'm not sure anyone noticed. :)
ReplyDeleteI envy the fact that you can grow lilacs. That's the one thing I miss about living up north.
Julie, I'm delighted you're getting a copy of the new book...did you order it online?
ReplyDeleteYou could do a great theme for your daughter's wedding reception in October, although it could be chilly outside.
No matter what, hoping you have a wonderful time!
Pamela, I know what you mean about the sheds...Is a 2, 3 or even 4-car garage ever enough??? Absolutely not! So in come the sheds. HAHAHA!
ReplyDeleteJenny, my parents have a fully matured weeping mulberry tree that is just wonderful. It stays small and Dad grooms it well to keep it tidy. The birds nest in that tree and sound so happy with their song. Hence I decided I want one for my yard. Tell your hubby how small the tree will be. That might convince him to get one. But don't tell him you have to trim them regularly. Or you could do it. I don't think it'd be much trouble.
ReplyDeleteMerrillee, I am really excited about the lilac bushes. My hubby doesn't like them, but I didn't ask. I guess I just bought them and more-or-less told him we were having them. HAHAHA! I love their fragrance and if they get enough water, they bloom, bloom, bloom! I'll have to send you pictures over the years so you see their progress as they're very tiny right now. :)
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I did. I always order from eharlequin so I can get the books early.
ReplyDeleteMissy, it is going to be fun but she didn't want an outdoor wedding because she didn't want to worry about the weather. So we will be in a fancy club filled with pumpkins, apples and lanterns!
Peace, Julie
Leigh...my hubby was a tree trimmer for 17 years and has arborist training, so he knows all about the weeping trees. Maybe I could spin this to where he can put all of his tree experience to good use. ;)
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