Hi all, I have recently done a lot of work to clean up my backyard. It is long and narrow as the houses here are pretty packed in.
Unfortunately, the bricks (here already when I bought the house) were not laid properly, but rather placed directly on the dirt, so weeds are constantly growing up between all of the bricks, making it a pain that must be weeded constantly.
I added the stock tank pool myself, as summers here can be brutal.
I am looking for inspiration to maximize and improve the space I have and could use some outside perspectives.
Ideally I will be replacing the shed in the near future, as it has some structural damage and rot. Because my house is small with limited storage, having a shed does add a lot of storage value to the property, so I will be keeping a shed/structure in the back of the yard.
Before and after pics of the work I've done so far included.
by SirenThief
6 Comments
Too beautiful to hide. If it were mine I would pressure wash it and then add a long lasting weed and grass killer.
Laying bricks directly on dirt in New Orleans is a guaranteed lifetime subscription to pulling weeds. You have to face the music and pull those bricks up to put down a proper compacted gravel base and sand layer otherwise they will just keep heaving and sinking into the mud. While you have them up you need to fix the bowling alley effect you have going on. Your yard is a straight narrow runway right to that shed. Break up that solid brick expanse by pulling up sections to create large sweeping planting beds that jut out from the fences. This forces the eye to wander side to side and makes a narrow space feel twice as wide and gives the yard actual structure instead of just being a flat brick hallway.
When you replace that rotting shed do not just drop a new bright white box in the exact same spot. A bright white shed at the end of a narrow yard acts like a visual stop sign. Get something dark green or black so it fades into the heavy shadows of that massive tree back there and let your plants be the focal point. You have a good start with those large tropicals on the left but you need to bring some of that sweeping green texture over to the bare wood fence on the right to balance the space and wrap the pool. Before you break your back hauling bricks and buying a new shed run a photo of your yard through the GardenDream web app. It acts like a visual blueprint that lets you test out different brick layouts and shed colors over your actual space so you know exactly what to build before you waste money and weekends doing it blind.
Right now, the focus of the yard is the shed. The bricked area is wider than it needs to be. I would remove bricks so what remains is a wide, gently curving path. Then I would use that additional pace as garden beds to plant native shrubs.
I would plan a few plants of different heights between the pool and shed so it is a backdrop to the pool. This will give you something nice to look at from the pool and draw more visual focus to the pool instead of the shed.
Shed is not the right size and the lights on the fence should be removed but here you go. Something a little different.
https://preview.redd.it/rulfem6m2rxg1.jpeg?width=1086&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac494b7fb93eaa86981746a05f33682cf2a992fe
Really nice space as it stands. Nice tree, love your cooling off pool and brick is perfect for your area.
Doesn’t matter whether bricks were well laid or not. Weeds will find cracks to grow in even if they were mortared together on top of concrete. If the bricks are uneven and annoying to walk on relay them but they look acceptable to me. I’d use a pressure washer and clean out the weeds and organics that have built up between the bricks and either replace with that expensive plastic sand that does help a bit with weeds for a couple years or brush sand into the crevices and water repeating until you cannot force any more sand between the bricks.
I’d replace the shed too. Spend the big bucks on it and buy something that reflects your aesthetics. A playhouse or chicken coop might be nicer and work better than any actual shed you find for instance. I’d want one with a porch large enough for a chair so it’s a focal point and destination. Take your time building the best foundation for it you can. Maybe if you treat it like a mini house it will last longer and it definitely will look better than a big box store cheap metal shed.
Do you need more shade? If the space would be more useful shaded combine a pergola with storage that fits the style. Along back and/or sides build a reach in ‘closet’ with doors that could have weathered panels backing up a Victorian gazebo without walls or horizontal slats for doors with a MCM butterfly roof shade structure to go to extremes. I see this sort of storage in lots of mid century houses with carports and it avoids wasteful floor space. Be sure to leave space between roof and top of storage for air flow. If it turns into a wind tunnel then close it up or buffer with fretwork later.
I’d use large tubs of varying depths for tropical plants. 12″ deep and crammed full of annual flowers, 24″ deep for larger plants like cannas, ginger and bananas. Use for food plants if you like. Keep on rolling plant caddies and move around according to need. I’m semi addicted to galvanized steel and would look to them first but you could paint anything you find pretty colors to go with your whimsical soaking tub.
Less bricks