When I moved into this house in November 2007 I was happy to have the large backyard, but other than that, there wasn’t much in the way of landscaping to be proud of. In the spring of 2009, work began to get that changed. The first steps involved getting the infrastructure in place. A deck walkway was put in with one segment extending to the weather instrument shelter and another leading to a 10 x 10 deck. This was considered an accomplishment of goals in 2009. The grill got mounted and many cookouts were enjoyed through the summer.

With regard to established landscaping, a large rose bush was located just off the deck near the house with a pine tree and a redbud finishing it out. Out of fairness, the rose and redbud are very impressive specimens.

Infrastructure improvement continued late this winter and in to early spring with the addition of a deck extending from the back building, and stone walkways that connected the deck and extended to an area under the redbud. Two elevated planter boxes were attached to sections of decking.

Then the work began. We brought in a tractor and tiller to create a vegetable garden and added rose boxes and other small trees and plants. I am happy to say that we have exceeded our goals set up for 2010. We enjoy the daily work of upkeep and hopefully will get to enjoy the fruits of our labor this summer.