Backyard Landscaping Project REVEAL!

Over the last 13 years we have slowly transformed our backyard from a weed filled gravel pit into a yard the whole family can enjoy. We are almost done with the backyard landscaping but have a couple spots that still needed our attention. I tackled the garage & coop area first because it is so close to the patio and has been a bit of an eye sore. I teamed up with Vigoro to share how I made over this space!

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot & Vigoro but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own.

BEFORE:

This cement pad was poured by the previous owner and we have been baffled as to what to do with it. I don’t want a shed that small or that close to the house. Up until now, it has only served as a place to put the picnic table while we mow.

Backyard Landscaping Process

We decided to just get rid of it. Shane rented a jackhammer from Home Depot back in early March and within an hour he had the whole thing broken up!

Even though it was still a bit chilly, they boys had fun clearing away the chunks. I found a recycling center that takes concrete so it isn’t going to waste.

We filled the hole with Vigoro soil. My favorite trick when filling a large area is to lay out all the bags and then slit them open. All you have to do it flip the bag over! It goes really fast! We figured this out when doing our paver patio a couple of years ago.

Once it was raked smooth and stomped down, I added Vigoro grass seed. It ended up getting snowed on several times (Utah weather is crazy!) but still came in nice and thick. My youngest loved checking it every day and reporting back to me how much in had grown in a day.

I had cleared out the area a little bit by the garage earlier in the year but still needed to get a nice clean edge. I used string to create a line and dug along it to ensure it was straight.

One of my new favorite things is this no dig edging! I have three type of edging already in my yard, and so I have experienced how long it takes to dig and then make sure as the edging is going in that it doesn’t go all bendy and wonky. It is a pain! This was edging from Vigoro a breeze to install. And it is super sturdy.

Vigoro has a huge selection of plants at Home Depot. I picked out some not only for this area by the garage, but also for around the chicken pen.

You can order online and have any of these Vigoro items shipped to your house, or you can buy online and pick it up curbside. I have done both! One of the other things I had delivered, was mulch.

Ever since I put black mulch in my front yard last year I’m obsessed. I weeded ONCE last year and it was only a few dumb morning glory weeds. I didn’t even put landscape cloth down or anything. Plus the dark color makes such a stunning contrast against the plants. It comes in other pretty colors, I’m just partial to the black.

The edging will help keep the mulch in the flower bed.

The Reveal!

We started this process in early March. Weather, Covid-19, and a sprained ankle drew out the process a little longer than I would have liked, but the end result was totally worth the wait!

One of my favorite parts of this project though is the fountain!

Shane thought I was crazy at first that I wanted to MAKE the fountain. But I had a vision. I knew from watching videos online that it was best to use melamine boards. The concrete doesn’t stick to them and it creates a smooth surface. So I ordered some from Home Depot after drawing up my plans. I’ll have a post about how I made it later. For now, let’s just admire how good it looks surrounded by the new plants and mulch!

The planter and the stones were also delivered by Home Depot. I like that the planter ties in the white window. White and greenery always looks good together! And the large, round gray stones are PERFECT in the bottom of the fountain!

I’m a sucker for rows of anything. I love looking at my vegetable garden because of that. So I’m kind of digging the single row of salvia plants from Vigoro with their purple blooms. They are pet friendly too so if my chickens, ducks, or bunnies get out, it won’t hurt them if they nibble on them. But fingers crossed that they won’t!

We covered the PVP pipe spigot with some cedar and stained it to match the shutters on the garage. I think it looks so much better!

You can kind of see where the concrete pad was (in person) because the new grass is still a little brighter than the rest of the lawn, but in the evening when the sun is going down it blends in nicely! It will continue to darken as the summer goes on. It is so soft!

I’m so happy with how the backyard landscaping turned out. It took a long time due to crazy Utah weather and then my sprained ankle, but thankfully I have very helpful boys who will do just about anything for a snow cone…. even in chilly April!

Vigoro products are exclusively sold at Home Depot. They have everything you need for transforming your yard. Gravel, rocks, mulch, plants, grass seed, fertilizer, soil, landscape cloth, weed killer, edging, trellises, plant hooks, garden twine, and more!

What type of outdoor projects do you have this year? Tell me about you plans and ideas in the comments below :)