This year is the year for sprucing up our backyard! Last year we left it as it was (aside from weeding and installing gutters). See how it looked before when we bought it:
Before
We don’t use the space very much because Texas summers are way too hot without any sort of shade. Therefore, my number one priority is to add some shaded areas to our yard. We may finally be able to dine al fresco on a nice evening, or I can even work outside!
Mood Board
This backyard is GOALS and is the source of a lot of my ideas as far as layout goes.
My mood board
My dream is to have a built-in pergola. But after getting some quotes, it was waaay too much for me to justify for a space that we don’t use very often. I would still like one though, and I looked into pergola kits that you can just buy from Home Depot or Lowe’s. They’re a fraction of the cost of a custom pergola!
I would love to grow a canopy of vines on the pergola roof. I spent a lot of time researching what kind of vines are native to Texas, non-invasive, and easy to grow in our extreme heat. I finally settled on the Tangerine Beauty crossvine, which is a gorgeous orange color! In contrast, the purple salvia bushes would look stunning as a nearby ground cover. I’m still deciding on my planting layout. But since salvia are typically planted in the spring, I have some time to think about it before I have to do anything. I’m also tempted to get a couple of Boston ferns and hang them up during the summer, but I know it’ll just kill me knowing that they’re going to die in the winter outside. But because they’re such finicky plants (and I have nowhere to hang them inside to over-winter), I might just have to let that dream go!
Outdoor decor will probably be kept to a minimum since I want the crossvine to shine. I was thinking about what to place in front of the white chimney wall. I love the look of a potting bench but I have to be honest with myself - I won’t use it much! I already have a patio table out there; what use is an additional potting bench? So maybe yard art will have to do. It’s hard to find ones that aren’t tacky…
Another way of adding shade to our yard would be planting trees. I want a large, shade-covering tree back there. It’s important to me that the tree is native to the area. My top picks are:
Shumard Red Oak
Cedar Elm
Pecan
Little did I know that picking a tree would be so challenging. There’s so many different kinds! And it would have to not be too big for a suburban backyard. If you have any tips or ideas on how to choose a tree, please let me know!
Hopefully after our tree grows to a decent size I can put a small couch underneath. And a fire pit! How cute is that?! Our backyard is not that big, though, so I’ll have to measure carefully and make sure to not over-crowd. Ideally, I want zones for dining, lounging, and playing. That last one will depend on our little one!
Thanks for stopping by, and if you want more house inspo check out my other mood board posts.
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