Glutton for Punishment

Several years ago, I began landscaping the backyard. I had drawn up a plan and worked for one weekend before I fell head-first to the patio slab, landing in my dog's pool which, thankfully, was filled with water and saved me from major facial injuries.

I did, however, break my left arm, which brought the project to a screeching halt. Just as it had healed and I was thinking about picking up where I left off (no pun intended), I went bowling, crossed the foul line, lost my footing, went head over tea kettle--and shattered my left shoulder and fractured my collarbone. That took a while to heal, so the backyard project faded into the past.

However, I simply cannot continue to deal with the ferocious winds that whip sand into my home from my unfinished landscaping project. I can't go outside if it's windy because the sand is so abrasive. I now need to bring in a very large truck filled with dirt to bring the yard level back to the existing patio slab height, and then I'm going to finish what I began.

I like my plan, which is very simple and features plantings around the perimeter, a large patio area in the yard, and crushed rock ground cover to keep what's there there, as well as eliminating the desert puncture weeds, a menace during spring, summer, and fall. I'm going to screen off the dog run I had fenced off when I began the original project, using North Carolina Wild Cherry trees, which attract birds during the spring and fall and create a nice screen when planted about 4 feet apart. I'll leave the oleanders along the south fence line, although many of them are beyond saving due to my benign neglect of the yard. My thinking is that once I take out the dead plants, the others will revive and spread to fill in the holes; if they don't, that's okay too. I'm planting a hedge between the backyard and the driveway, but I won't let it grow too tall as I want a more open view of my property to discourage intruders.

By planting the perimeter, I can probably install the watering system myself as all I'll need are sprinkler heads where I have shrubs and corner pieces to turn the corners of the area. I will leave a line to the patio slab so I can add the fountain if I decide to do that.

I know a guy who works for a friend of mine, and the guy does the faux finish concrete. While I think I want a free-form brick patio/play area, I'm not sure I want to haul all the bricks and lay them, although I do enjoy that kind of project. So, I'm going to call the guy and ask him to give me a bid for pouring a concrete slab and then turning it into bricks or cobblestones with a faux finish. We'll see what he says.

My idea for this patio area is to include a fountain, and I've seen one I absolutely love: a huge sphere created from rectangular pieces of rock that overlap. The water comes out the top and trickles down the globe into a large, round catch-basin. There are matching benches, which would be a great finishing touch. If I get the rest of the work done by the end of summer, perhaps fountains will be on discount sales and I can save some money by waiting to do that the last thing.

The biggest part of the project is replacing the existing sliding door, which doesn't slide due to the afore-mentioned sand issue. I want a glass door that opens and closes without involving sliding on a track. I'm not sure how this will work with Mia, as she's used to coming and going through her doggie door, but we'll find a way to make it work.

My budget is a total of $5000, which is quite do-able as long as I am physically able to work on the project. I can get the dirt delivered for under $500 (or haul it one trip at a time in my truck). I'm using rocks I pick up in the empty lots in the neighborhood for edging/borders in the areas where I'll be planting. I have some huge rocks that I'll use as features here and there because I want the yard to look more natural than architectural. I'm limiting actual planting, but can add potted plants for color and interest on the patio and throughout the yard if it needs it.

Today, I outlined the walkway from the existing patio slab to the gate at the dog run and made the final privacy screen to face the west and slow down the blowing sand, as well as being a trellis for the bougainvilla I'm planting around the patio to provide both privacy and a pop of color. I'm pretty good at working at a project one day at a time, so I'm thinking I should have this finished by July 4th, which allows for glitches and delays, but no time off for physical injury!