I think I have contracted a nasty virus - it’s called biting off more than you can chew! When I first moved here six years ago, the block was in appalling shape. My other half had already bought the land and had a house built, put in retaining walls and a driveway but that was where the whole concept of landscaping finished for him. I remember pulling up in the driveway for the first time and seeing weeds as tall as my car dominating both the rock walls and the back yard? Well there was no yard to be spoken of, just an endless forest of weeds! The only place they did not grow was on the concrete slab outside the back door!

Of course, having only ever lived in houses with fully landscaped gardens, I was pretty gobsmacked but all I could think of was how the block had so much potential in it. The rock wall formed a natural area for planting, as did the rock wall on the side of the house. One weekend, I decided the weeds really did have to go from the front of the house and once they were gone, I could see how the top part of the retaining wall would be great for a hedge lining the driveway. The lower garden bed was much wider, so I had thought a few more plants spaced widely apart would look really nice.

After a lot of hard work, we soon had a row of callistemons along the side of the house in the rock wall there, a hedge of lilly pillies lining the driveway and a few grevilleas and “tiny trevs” in the front garden bed. A few years later, the patio was erected, the fence thrown up and it was starting to look like a proper back yard as opposed to just some land that surrounded our house. Just before the fence was put up, we were offered a second hand spa to put in and knowing the hot Queensland summers, we jumped at it. We have since had a little buyer’s remorse as it is an in-ground spa and digging the hole for it has been the bane of our existance for much of the past year. Just search for “spa” in the archives and you will see what I mean by that!

The garden bed that we recently put in is coming along nicely and the plants are flourishing. So in my infinite wisdom, I decided that we could easily put in a terraced garden bed along the slope to complement the top garden bed. In my mind, I can see two retained garden beds with bromeliads and some more sedges. I need another DIY landscaping project like I need a hole in the head but I can just see how it could look so much better, not to mention be easier to maintain. Once it’s all done, it is going to look awesome! And it is that potential outcome of all of this which keeps me going when it all looks like it’s going to putty. I’ve put in a snapshot of how things are now….you’ll just have to use your imagination to see what I see in my mind’s eye.

September 28th, 2008 | Category: 52 Blessings, Home and Lifestyle |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL