Landscaping the Back Yard

In the spring and summer of 1999, we finally realized our dream of having our back yard landscaped. This included having a pond installed, and all of the grass removed. It was a big project, and most of the work was done by a contractor. We finished off the project by doing a number of smaller tasks ourselves (although they didn't all feel so small while we were doing them).

You can read about the project here, with excerpts from my gardening journal, and pictures along the way. You can also refer to the before and after drawings of the yard layout.

This project was really a part of a bigger one, which has taken place over a few years. The earlier parts were: hiring a landscape architect, in the summer of 1997; having the fence around the back and sides replaced with a much nicer iron one, in the fall of 1997; having the driveway and front walkway repaved with interlocking paving stone, in the spring of 1998.

What follows is what I had written down as the work progressed. The names of the parties involved have been changed, to protect the innocent(?).

Side yard, facing west
before start of work (May 14/00)

May 1, 1999
D from X Landscaping here in a.m. to look at our new plans for the back yard. Work should start in about 3 weeks. Lots to do before then, lifting perennials. D promised to drop off some plastic pots to hold them in during the work.

May 13, 1999
Started lifting and potting perennials from the bed along the back fence. What a lot of work!

May 14, 1999
More lifting perennials today. It is taking a long time, since the pots are small and the plants are big. I have to divide most of them into smaller plants - long overdue anyway. Took some "before" pictures of the side and back yards (almost forgot to do that).

May 15, 1999
Today we cleared the back yard of everything we could - BBQ, bird bath and feeder, furniture.

Back yard, facing north,
before start of landscaping.
Pond will be in far left corner. (May 14/99)

May 16, 1999
Removed 2 dead cedars from north side of house. Did some more lifting of perennials.

May 17, 1999
Finished lifting the perennials, including some herbs and strawberries along the south wall of the house. That area will be raised when the back yard is regraded.

May 20, 1999
Work started today in our back yard. Today they lifted shrubs, pruned the evergreens, started digging for the window wells, and removing the old patio. We are giving the old paving stones to the new neighbours behind us.

Pond area in back yard, facing south-west,
before start of landscaping (May 14/99)

May 21, 1999
Day 2: Today they are digging. The Bobcat is tearing up the grass, and digging the hole for the pond. This is both exciting and scary. Fortunately, they got permission from the builder of the new houses behind us to come in through the back way, so a panel is out of the fence making a big gate.

Pond area in back yard, facing south-west,
with rough-dug hole (May 21/99)

May 22, 1999
Day 3: They brought in screening and started the base for the patio. They put in window wells, and the first two rows of round step at the patio door.

May 23-24, 1999
No work today (Sunday, and Victoria Day Monday)

May 25, 1999
Day 4: We changed the layout of the patio, making it a bit bigger and rounder, so today they brought more screening and started laying patio stones. They also laid the top layer of the round step. Rain in afternoon, work stopped early.

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