We moved into this rental four months ago and still so much of the house remains a work in progress. Now that the weather has warmed we’re turning our attention to the outside of the house. We began work on our front garden last month and now we’re turning our attention to the backyard space.
Our first step to make the backyard more usable was to clean the slick wooden deck that became a slippery mess any time it was wet:
David rented a power washer and completely transformed the deck:
What a huge difference!
Next we want to string lights across the space, setting them up to turn on/off with our indoor light switch (an easy fix). Then we need some planters to hide that ugly water storage container. We also have to tackle the rest of the yard. (The laundry list includes removing stray building materials, closing off the yard from the front, making it kid-safe, tackling the back garden…)
I would love to plant hydrangeas like these (they grow eight feet tall in either sun or part-shade):
along the back of the yard directly in front of the fence:
Maybe next summer?
Nevertheless I feel so excited to use this space! I foresee many summer meals spent outside on our back deck.
Love that deck! Our backyard needs SO much work. It’s rainy season in Florida, so by the time you get to the last weedy spot…it’s already regrowing in the first one you cleared out!