Better late than never - here's pictures of the latest changes to the backyard. We had the gardeners put in most of the bushes and trees, to at least get them all started. From left to right, here's our backyard now. Ignore the frost - these pictures were taken in December.

Phase 2 of the tree commencing. Janna came over and added all the detailing to my plain, boring painted brown, and suddenly we have a tree on our wall. Painting all the leaves is going to take forever, I can see that already. But the nice thing is that it looks gorgeous just as it is and if I time this right, I can have it 'grow' with the seasons.

I think we've had enough fun with the backyard for now, don't you? However, it *is* still vaguely plant-related. Our friend Janna came over a month or so ago and drew an outline of a tree on the wall in the breakfast nook, and I finally filled it in. This is by no means complete, but at least this particular project is under way.

The next step of the transformation of the backyard involved more rocks. This time it was only one ton of them (as opposed to the umpteen tons of rocks and dirt we had to use to build the flower bed). There was also more dirt, but it was only half a ton this time, and came in conveniently packaged large bags that were easier to transport than a huge pile in the driveway.

This is the last of the rocks for a while - there are lots more to lay in that yard, but maybe not for another year or two. In the meantime, the path around the flower bed is now complete.

After all the fun we had lugging rocks and hauling dirt, we decided to have someone who knows what they're doing take care of the next part. The paths (filled with decomposed granite) were put in just in time for the 4th of July. In this shot you can see the arbor gate adn the climbing roses. Also note the hedge bushes on either side of the gate, which have now grown tall enough that it's starting to get awkward stepping over them. In a few more years they'll actually be a real hedge. We'll be so proud.

The rest of the yard can be seen here. The corner where I am standing to take that picture will eventually be a tiny, secluded courtyard, mostly hidden by bushes and trees, with a few chairs and perhaps a little arbor, just perfect for readng. In the far side of the yard, where the path ends abruptly on the right, the yard continues on behind the kitchen and that will be a much larger courtyard area whose sole purpose will be to provide a wind break for Richard's grill.