Mulch Better-Part 2 The Backyard

I hope you all enjoyed my Front yard tour.

  Well, the backyard was even more fun to mulch!

It took twice as long to finish and it was probably three times as HOT outside last weekend.  But it's done now and looks so much better.  I'll give you a short tour around the property:

This is what the backyard looks like from the golf course.  I don't play golf but I like looking out onto the course.  We are surrounded by two ponds which are really pretty too.  

Our lot is on a slope which allows us to have a walkout basement but our backyard would have been a small ski hill without building this retaining wall.  It's made out of local stone and is about 8 feet high in some places.  

We planted all of the beds ourselves 10 years ago.  Now the ornamental grasses are huge and the creeping junipers are a little too "creepy" for me.  

This is one of the ponds.  I love my daylilies around the small plum tree.  They never disappoint me and grow without much care.  I need kids like that!  

And here is a view from the other side of the pond last night.  The neighbors make our house look small.  

This is my favorite part of the backyard, the stone patio.   Mr. Beaux built a firepit around the stone steps.  It's fun in the summer to build a fire and make smores.  

 My hydrangea bushes look so pretty against the stone wall.  I had a lilac bush that I just pulled out.  Everything was so crowded in there.  

These were green and white last year and I stuck some rusty nails in the ground.  I have to work on the other ones this year.  I forget what else you can do to change the color. 

 Hello Google!

And more hydrangeas against the house.  We planted creeping moss and Irish moss inbetween the stones.  It took a long time but it finally grew in nicely.

OK, anyone know what these are?  Some kind of variegated hydrangea?  Why are they only partially blooming? 

 I've got a great green thumb I know!

Stone steps up to the driveway. 

 Aren't these cool?

  I want to take a family picture here someday.  

A little secret pathway under the deck to the patio.

  Hey!  Some Bunny has been eating my Hostas!  If they weren't so cute I'd set traps out or something...

Thanks for coming along on the tour of my backyard!  

Until Next Time,

Beaux R'eves,

XO Cindy

Linking up to:

Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design

Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

 From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
 Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

It Looks "Mulch" Better

Hi Everyone, I hope you had a fantastic weekend! 

 Our weather was great here,

 nice and sunny and not too windy.  

Perfect weather for MULCH!!!

I ordered 10 yards of Java Brown mulch on Thursday to be delivered on Friday afternoon. 

 That really got us going on finishing up the weeding 

in the backyard.  

Mr. Beaux had been working on the front yard for the past couple of weeks to get it up to snuff.

They deliver the mulch with a huge truck but won't drop it unless you have a tarp down to protect the driveway from staining.  I love the dark brown color of the Java, but other people use a light brown or red mulch.  

Miss Beaux, my number one son, and I all worked on the backyard Friday morning waiting for the mulch to be delivered.  A lot of weed pulling (mostly grass that starts growing under the creeping junipers) 

and cutting back bushes and such. 

 It was hot out there!

  This is the front yard right before we started mulching.

There is all the mulch just waiting for us...  

And After!  

We finished the front yard on Friday night but the backyard took the rest of the weekend. 

Ahhhhhhh, doesn't that look Mulch Better?  

By Sunday night we were sunburned, tired and had mulch in places I can't say!  But we saved about $1,000 doing it all ourselves!!!

On another note:  My pots are doing Fantastic since Mr. Beaux put in the drip irrigation system (see Here).

  I think the sweet potato plant is taking over.  

And look at my pretty window boxes! 

 I love sitting at my desk in my office 

and seeing the pretty blooms.  

I'll show you the backyard in another post.

  My arms hurt so much I don't think I can lift the camera!

Until Next Time,

Beaux R'eves,

XO Cindy

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

Roeshel  at DIY Showoff

Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Faded Charm for White Wednesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design 
Whatever Goes Wednesdays at Someday Crafts 

The Brambleberry Cottage
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

 From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
 Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Five Days...5Ways