Ever since we bought our house almost six years ago, the backyard has been one of my least favourite areas - surpassed on the "ick scale" only by the truly awful basement. We closed on the house in late fall, so we didn't see the true wonders that the property held until June of the next year when, seemingly overnight, up sprang waist-high horseweed and a four-foot thistle we named Mr. Prickles. Add to that a fence that was falling over, a shed that was never properly weatherproofed, and a host of trash and debris scattered about, and the yard made for a rather dismal sight.
A couple of years ago, my husband dedicated an entire summer to vanquishing the weeds, tilling, raking, rolling, seeding, and watering, and for a little while it seemed like the yard may be rallying. But we watched in dismay as, despite his hard work and our continued efforts, we once again lost ground to the Prickles family and their cavalry of horseweed.
So, I decided to make the backyard my summer project this year. We know if we hope to stand a chance against the weeds, we'll need to dig up the entire yard and lay sod - basically what we had to do in the front yard - but that's an expensive proposition and we aren't in a position to make that large of investment just yet. Instead, I'm going to convert as much of the yard as possible to pollinator-friendly gardens.
In a sense, I'm going to "wild" it. But with restrictions.
True "wilding" means allowing nature to simply run its course, which would entail giving the horseweed and thistles free rein to take over the yard and, in time, evict us from the house. And with such aggressive weeds, flowers and other plants will need a helping hand to establish themselves.
This more of a systematic wilding, which seems very on brand for high-achieving Type A like me.
The Goals
By the end of the summer, I hope to have created a space that we don't hate spending time in. It must:
Include a seating area
Include outdoor lighting of some kind
Be a space where insects, birds, and other wildlife feel comfortable visiting
Be completed on a fairly restrictive budge
The Challenges
There are plenty! But here are a few of the obstacles I'll have to overcome:
Three different fences, two of which are falling over
Seven large trees along the property line - currently pushing one of the fences over
A decrepit shed
Approximately 723 random rocks scatter around the yard, ranging in size from "even I can lift this" to "this must have been what Sisyphus faced"
Two very different growing environments, with one corner of the yard getting zero direct sunlight and another getting scorching heat for most of the day
Stumps. Everywhere.
Weeds. So. Many. WEEDS.
My low success rate with keeping things alive.
Easy, right?
I hope you'll join me on what is sure to be an interesting journey as I fake my way through building, designing, and landscaping. I'll try new things, fail at many, and maybe learn something along the way.
Here's what we're working with:
Nowhere to go but up!
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