2025-06-01 Major Back Yard Changes In 2025

Our property kind of got out of hand these past few years.  With some expenses
and some elbow grease (by ourselves and hired hands), things are looking better.

The crape myrtle by the deck is gone.  It had limbs rubbing the house and it kept
covering the deck with leaves & seeds.  We miss the natural shade but at least we
can now raise all the umbrellas without having to move the tables.

We hired Du Bois Tree Service to trim the pine tree by the driveway then asked if
they could cut down the crape myrtle.  They returned and did the job quickly. 

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We considered repairing the fence.  Hurricane Irma destroyed part of our fence in 2017
(Click Here for details on that then return to this page).  Several other small repairs on
the fence were also done thanks to John Arnold Fence Co.

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We got rid of the tillers and push mower (we're too old to use them now).

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John Arnold also removed the sega palms for us.

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The decking and railings were replaced by Glen Arnold Construction.

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That means the seating that was built into the deck rails is also gone.

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Linda worked for two months a little at a time weeding her daylilie bed, putting down
ground cloth and mulch.  I helped a little where I could and her granddaughter's mom,
Angela Martin, worked also.

Younger people may have done this in a week.  At our age we work for 5 minutes
and rest for 15 minutes to half an hour.  Some days we need rest to recover
from the day before (I do that a lot!) but things get done eventually.

Now her daylilies are stunning and looking better every day thanks to Linda's hard work.

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When she finished the daylilie bed, Linda tackled the Lantana flowers around her She Shed.

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Lantana grows naturally here year after year.  I think the birds spread it or something. 
We always appreciate its beauty but sometimes it gets out of hand growing where we
don't want it, like up against the house.  Growing there, it got tangled with vines and
wild blackberry bushes which also grow wild here.  It was a mess.

While Linda was working elsewhere, I began working on the overgrown beds behind
the house.  I got a little done.  Linda finished with the She Shed and joined where
I was working.  Today she did more in one day than I did in a week!

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There's a lot more to do there but we're making headway.

The little Shumard Oak tree we planted in 2018 has grown leaps and bounds also.

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In 2018 it was only 4 feet tall.  Now it's 18 feet tall and still growing strong.

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Finally, here's a before and after view of the back of the house and deck. 

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On Tuesday, 2025-06-01, we made some more improvements by replacing the thin 12 by 12
pavers with much thicker retaining wall blocks.  Linda was able to use the leftover pavers and
the extra thickness of the retaining wall blocks helped in the first step up to the 3 new sets of
steps.  That first step was more than 8 inches above the existing sod.  I kept the first layer of
12 by 12 inch pavers to help in the transition to the steps.

Here are the steps closest to the gate.



These steps are opposite and closest to the back door.



And these are the steps farthest from the door and closest to Linda's She Shed.



Over time, we hope to improve these some more so things are safer and more attractive.

The one thing I'm most proud of is my wife's "flower walk" that she's worked on so hard.
It's not finished yet but she's done enough so you get the idea.  It took her several days
of laying pavers, picking them up again, and rearranging them until she got them looking
just like she wants.  I love this design.  It will be gorgeous when she's finished with it.



Thanks be to God for these blessings!

 
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