Hardwork and Progress in the Backyard!

We have been working so hard for the past 2 months and the results are really showing!!  When we moved in, the backyard was pretty overgrown.  No one had lived in the house for the past two years and even before that my grandparents were only able to do minimal maintenance.  There's nothing better than a project and we have jumped in with two feet.  Things are really looking nice - we have grass growing where grass should go, all of the brush removed and new plants in the back border!  It's been a LOT of hard work but we are getting so close!  Our next project is to get someone in to put in a nice patio - we just have to save up the money for it - things are EXPENSIVE around here!!

Here's the view from our living room on June 7 - a week after we moved in and the first day of yard work!  I wish I had taken a picture before he started to work.  Where he is standing was covered with 10 foot tall forsythia!  Also - notice the woodpile in the brush behind Brendan - you'll see why later!

Later in the day on June 7 - trying to burn the stump out - this was NOT successful!

 The first of many brush piles in the driveway!!

The first brush pick up waiting for the county!

Here they are!!

Here we are on June 22nd - notice that the 20 foot tall trees/shrub behind/above the woodpile is gone!

 Another brush pile!

 Border of the yard before - nothing started here yet!

 The woodpile - home to several copperheads!

 View of the bushes in the back of the house

 The infamous woodpile!

 So after many, many hours working in the backyard, I decided to take a landscaping company up on their offer to give us a hand.  In about 4 hours, they got accomplished what would have taken us all summer.  They took out all of the overgrown bushes and ground all of the stumps and root balls that we needed removed.  It was a little expensive but they did a much better and faster job than we could have ever done.  It set us up for being able to tackle the projects that we were capable of accomplishing!!

 Cutting off the stump that we tried to burn out

Grinding the stump - this took 2 1/2 hours!

Here we are on June 28th - we have gotten so much accomplished but there is still so much to do!

 Taking out the shrubs by the house left big grassless areas filled with trash from the past 60 years. 

 Look how much more open the back is!

 Woodpile with the ground out stump!

 Here we are working on the back border on July 15 - we planted lots of hydrangeas, hostas and other shade loving plants!

 Aidan helping me!

July 29 - the plants are getting bigger and we have some mulch!

 The woodpile is getting smaller!!

 Grass is growing and covering up all of our bare patches!

So here you go - a pretty big change from the first week in June to the last week in July!  We have lots more work to do but I'm feeling pretty good about the major stuff being under control!  We LOVE being in our backyard now and we can't wait to get a patio!!

Before:

After: