Welcome to our backyard; a space “designed” to keep the kids busy, our veggie baskets full, and money in my pocket. I use the word “design” quite lightly here, because you can see that it’s not a backyard oasis in the traditional HGTV sense. However, when my friend Tara from Lehman Lane set up a Summer Garden & Outdoor Spaces Tour, I looked out my back window and thought, I think I can actually participate in a tour like this…finally.
You see, we’ve lived in our house for 10 years, and although we have worked hard every year to create a yard we can use and enjoy (and that the neighbors aren’t scared of), it started off in really rough shape, and it’s massive, so there are always different parts to focus on. We have 3/4 of an acre of land, and our house is almost smack dab in the middle of the yard. With such a huge project, it never seems like we can make a dent in the work that needs to be done, but stepping back and thinking about all we’ve done to our yard, we really have made some huge strides, even if it has taken 10 years.
Now that our two girls (they are 4 and 2) are running, jumping, and screaming, we’ve turned our focus to the back half of the yard, which we fenced in about 5 years ago, and we’ve started to turn it into a space for them to enjoy.
If you follow along with my blog, you know I create and design on a budget, and this backyard is no exception. As you look around you’ll see a lot of projects and items that were made with “hand-me downs”, but they work perfectly for us!
Earlier this spring we added this swing set to our back yard. I searched on Craigslist for used swing sets for months, and didn’t find any that were in excellent shape for a price that I wanted to pay. So I turned to the local Facebook group I am in and asked if anyone had a cedar swing set in their backyard that they didn’t need anymore that I could purchase. To my surprise, at least 10 different people sent me pictures of theirs, and everyone said I could have it for free, as long as we came to take it down. We chose this one, and ended up needing to replace a couple of the posts with new cedar posts and we gave it a new steel roof with a piece my dad had leftover from another project. For $100 and quite a bit of manpower, we now have a “new to us” swing set that is going to last many more years!
Last year, we dug out this area next to our patio as a play area. I picked up that Step 2 pool on the side of the road, and then a couple of weeks later I found a slide that seems like it was just made for it. Little did I know how fabulous this pool actually is! It’s super sturdy, fairly large, and won’t pop or pierce from crazy dogs and kids. It was discontinued years ago and you can only find them through resale (or in people’s trash!). Everyone seems to beg the company to produce them again, but it sounds like there won’t be any more of them made. It was definitely a lucky trash pick!
My girls helped me to plant our flowers this year,
and my four-year-old designed her own fairy garden. She saw all the knick-knacks at the craft store and wanted to spend a small fortune on little accessories. I convinced her that we could find plenty of items at home as long as we were creative. A painted tire from a toy truck (she wanted it to look like a ladybug), a painted wooden birdhouse, and an upside-down cover from a landscape light all came together to create a little home for fairies. The blue aquarium stones originally were in the shape of a river, but she quickly spread them out to cover the entire area. It’s hers, so I just let it go.
At the edge of our vegetable garden we planted some flowers in my stacked planter I made a few years ago. It’s still holding up strong!
I love planting a vegetable garden every summer, but it’s especially fun to have my girls help me. My oldest loves to plant, water, and check for new flowers and growth every day. It’s a really large space, and the weeds take over, so the past couple of years I’ve used grass clippings as mulch. As long as it is thick enough, it keeps out the weeds really well. Plus, it’s free and environmentally friendly!
We try to only use water from the rain barrel or the pool to water the garden. We use enough water filling up that pool, so we try to put it to good use and not use any extra for our plants.
We recently added that birdhouse to the side of our house. The girls painted it and after only a couple of hours of it hanging on the wall, two birds were already checking it out and starting to build their nest.
My girls and I went into our basement and found a lot of items that birds might like to use in their nest. They loved searching around for soft, thin items and cutting strips of ribbon, fabric, and fabric for the birds. I don’t know how much of it the birds have actually used, but my girls love thinking that they are helping the birds to make their nests!
Because I’m all about transparency, here is a look at the rest of our backyard. It’s huge, and I love it, but there is still A LOT of work to be done. That back area used to be filled with trees, shrubs, vines, and weeds. It was a thick wooden area overgrown with who knows what. After years of trying to tackle it, we finally hired a landscaping company to remove all the growth. They couldn’t totally excavate the area because we still have buried railroad ties (we already pulled out over 50 of them!) and a full foundation to a house that used to be back there, but it looks 5,000 times better than it used to a year ago. The garage is also in need of a makeover. We’re slowly making progress…
That Cottonwood tree is well over 100 years old and it is massive. When I wrap my arms around it they don’t even make it halfway around. We joke that if it falls over, we don’t think it would hit our house which is a good 150 feet away.
For now, I planted 10 pumpkin plants in a clearing back there and two rows of corn. I hope that in the fall the girls and all their cousins can come pick pumpkins in our pumpkin patch!
For now, my husband I have this patio set to sit on, relax, and watch the girls play. It’s another hand-me-down that my brother-in-law gave us 10 years ago. It was his old patio set and when we got it, it was a hunter green color. I painted the whole set black, and it stayed that way until last year when I decided to add a little bit of color.
See that green chair on the far left of the table? That chair is shaded at almost every time of the day, and it’s mine. Of course, I painted the rocker chairs in my favorite colors and placed my favorite in the prime spot at the table. My daughter is still asking me why I didn’t make her favorite color, purple, one of the rockers. I told her that when she starts painting furniture around here, she can pick the colors she wants. I might regret those words; I can totally see her finding a can of paint and creating a masterpiece of her own.
I love gaining inspiration from others, and this Summer Garden & Outdoor Spaces Blog Hop is the perfect place to find new ideas for my own space! I hope you’ll check out some of the other backyards, front yards, and gardens from my friends!
Jeny – you backyard and gardens are adorable! We love how you managed to take your thrifted ideas and make them look fabulous. We are sure your kids love this space and it is wonderful that you let them assist with planting and decor! Great ideas!
Thanks so much ladies! I think that is one of my favorite parts of our backyard – just how involved the girls can be with everything. It’s fun to see their passions and personalities take shape out there!
I love it! So many things to do and well organized. Your kids must really enjoy summer play. The bird house is genius. I have never heard of that before and your fairy garden is so pretty. Enjoy your summer!
Hi Amy – thanks so much!! Yes, our kids really do enjoy the space, which makes my life so much easier! It’s a win-win!
Your yard looks beautiful-not scary at all lol. I love the stacked planters!
I’m so glad it doesn’t seem scary, Roxanne! You know, my perspective is probably a bit jaded because I know what used to be there, and what still lurks in the back – but you’re right, it really doesn’t look all that bad from far away!
Your yard is awesome!!! All of those great, FREE finds! And your daughter’s fairy garden is the cutest thing ever. My kids are helping our neighbor with her fairy garden and having so much fun!
Thanks Bre! She sure loved putting that fairy garden together – now I need to just remind her to water it. 🙂
Jenny your yard looks wonderful! A perfect spot for your girls to play, that cottonwood tree is amazing. It looks like it gives you some great shade. Great tip with how you found your playset by asking on FB and yours is in great shape after you fixed it up. I am so glad you got to join in the garden hop :).
Thanks so much, Tara! It’s been a great tour and I already have so many more ideas I want to incorporate into my own space from it.
Your outdoor spaces are lovely. It sounds like you put a lot of work into it as well. Thanks for the tour.
Hi Elizabeth – thanks so much for stopping by! It has been quite a bit of work, but we’re finally at a place that I feel like the work is starting to show and it’s a space we can enjoy, which is a great feeling!
You have such a great yard! I totally hear you about always being more to do, but it’s fun to enjoy the yard in progress. Your veggie garden and plant tower are great! And how awesome you got a swing set for free!
There always is more to do, right?! But you’re right, that is part of the fun of it all. I usually just sit in my backyard and position myself in a way that I can’t see the back third of the yard. 😉
You have such a wonderful backyard! As a first time mom, I want to make sure that I’m making space for my son to play too, but I haven’t managed to make it nearly as amazing as your space for your children! Goals!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Iris! It is such a work in progress, and every year I look back to the year before and realize how much has changed each year. Then, they’ll grow out of everything and it’ll be time to figure out a new use for the space!
I love your collection of potted plants your fairy garden! So pretty. That was such a smart way to get a swing set. Congrats!
Thanks, Lauren. It was so nice to see so many people offer up their swing sets that had already been loved by their kids. I’m so glad I asked!
I love your back yard you created. Is very festive and colorful. The pots of plants are so charming. Great space for kids, good luck with everything and don’t be a stranger, miss you at the party. Hope to see you at the Haven
Maria
Hi Maria! Thanks so much for your kind words, and you bet I’ll be seeing you at Haven!
Love this, Jenny — some family bonding activities right here.
This is why I also love gardening. It has helped me bond with my family like no other activity has.
Cheers
Oliver
That’s so great to hear. I’m really making an effort to make our backyard one that will create many memories!
Wow! Wonderful backyard Jenny. I really love it! I’d like to try something similar with this with the kids at home. It inspires me! Kids would love this much. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Oliver
Thanks so much, Oliver!