Landscape designs

Since our new house had nothing but some scrubby grass and enormous amounts of weeds in the backyard, we have a blank slate to work with for the landscaping. As soon as we moved in, we sprayed weed killer over the entirety of the yard and waited not-so-patiently for those suckers to die! Our main concerns for the backyard are privacy, some adult outdoor living space, and play area for the girls. After some brainstorming and careful "research" (Google!!), we came up with some designs that will encompass elements of all of this. Our plan for the space will include a new patio addition, a deck, a hot tub spa, a swingset, and purposeful landscaping. Of course not all of this will be accomplished this year (or next). To start, we planted a few arbor vitae trees spaced out around the perimeter, that will hopefully grow up enough to provide a bit of privacy, and two deciduous trees, a Sycamore and a European Birch. We put these trees each in a corner of the yard. Nick's mom gave us some Lavendar and a Lilac bush which we also put around the perimeter. We have never landscaped a yard before, and we are doing it mostly by feel; according to what looks good to us and what sort of atmosphere we want to create. It is a lot of fun and something that we both are finding very enjoyable to plan and do. Since there was nothing to begin with, every addition is a major step towards the final outcome and a huge improvement to the eye, as we look out our windows.