Lost Cause?

Our backyard is sorry sight.


No way around it, it just is. 


I've detailed our hassles with it here in my reverse makeover post, but I hate to admit - it's gotten worse.  Worse I tell you!


Here's what it started as:

Here's what it became after some hard work:

Here's what it became a few months later:

Reason:  A waterflow problem leads to a crazy dog problem which leads to a lack of funds problem which is exacerbated by a laziness problem.  I made a chart.

And yes, my PowerPoint skills are amazing.  Smart Art is my life.


Now that you have a firm grasp of the situation, here's the photographic proof of the current disaster:

There are a slight few redeeming qualities:


My Lady Banks Rose vine has been growing steadily, especially with all the rain we've been having.  I will train a shoot onto my line, and then it stops growing, and another random shoot will spring up on the plant elsewhere.  So, it probably hates me, but at least it's sorta growing.

Cucumber!  I know this is not the appropriate way to plant a veggie plant, but whatev.

Hostas, born again from the dead of last year.  Only problem, they think they are in an AT&T commercial and have decided to grow in descending bars.

You can't even see the poor little one.  It's seriously one leaf struggling to live.

This dead hanging plant, complete with huge weed, and an American flag. We're nothing if not patriotic...

So, needless to say... there's A LOT of work needed back here to make it livable.  Not sure when that's gonna happen (doesn't exactly fit in the savings plan...)


We need to fix our irrigation issue (which, for many reasons, will be a huge hassle/investment) before we can really expect grass to grow properly, considering our backyard is a riverbed when it storms. 

I would love to build a nice low-profile deck deck with built-in seating, like these:

Source

Source

Source

Since traditional grass is probably a no-go, I think it would be fun to have big landscape beds and hardscapes of flagstone and peagravel or something... but that's pricey too....


So for now, we will settle for a crummy backyard.  Hey, the dogs still like it.

Who knows, I might break the cycle of laziness and pick up some of those never-ending sticks.  Or paint the shed.  Or kill those rampant weeds in the corner.  You never know.