Ever since Joe and I purchased our home over a year ago we have been anticipating the day when our backyard would no longer be just a piece of dirt, but an extension of our home.

This weekend that day finally came, when Bryce and his team at Littlejohns Landscaping transformed our dirt plot to a place that we can enjoy for years to come. There is now a large piece of grass surrounded by a lot of hardy and fun bushes, and I even found a new plant to add to my favorites list – Pittosporum. The focal piece of the new landscape is in the left corner of the yard where a circle of pavers and more traditional tiered pedestal fountain rests surrounded by more pretty foliage. In the front left of the yard there is also a planter box for me to play around with growing items for cooking (mostly herbs).

For those of you that are fans of home improvement shows like we are, here are the before and after shots.

Before:

After:

There are still a few more things for Joe and I to work on; the fountain pump isn’t working well, and I need to figure out what is going to go in the planter box and plant it. Other than that, we are looking forward to the summer months when we can have dinner outside, and the time when Samuel is ready to start exploring and playing in the grass.

P.S. I forgot to mention how much our good friend Laurie helped out. She designed the initial plans (we modified the plans a bit) and was invaluable in helping to decide what plants to put in the yard. Thanks Laurie!