Backyard Evolution: Before

 When we moved into our house in 1999, the backyard was...um...quite something. There was a somewhat decrepit greenhouse from the potting shed (below) to about 7 feet from the back of the house; there was a koi pond right at the back steps as well as a little waterfall. The aesthetic was definitely Asian/Japanese. My tastes run more to cottage/Mediterranean, so it all had to go. And it did, down to bare dirt. Above is the result, after a few years, of the initial re-do. I loved it! (Please excuse the blurry scan up there--I also have physical photos of the yard when we moved in, but I'm too lazy right now to scan them!)

 But, as gardens will do, it became overgrown in some places (I hate to prune--it hurts me to whack a living thing down) and bare in others.

 This monster is plumbago. There is a fence under there, believe it or not.  I can't recommend plumbago except perhaps growing wild-ish on a hillside.

 Nice trees (redbud and bay)...

 A ridiculous buddleia that grew to seven feet tall and almost that big around. Oops!

And scrubby, weed-filled grass (this was intentional, to let everything go just before it was all ripped out for the second re-do)...

Stay tuned!