Way back in August of 2022, I blogged about our Backyard Glow Up. It hadn’t happened yet, we were waiting for the patio guy to get started. Our plan was to add privacy and landscaping after the patio was finished. The patio ended up having some issues and needed to have part of it redone last summer. In the meantime, we had a wedding, a graduation, the usual travel baseball and somehow, we just never got around to finishing up the project.
This spring, we decided it was time to get this thing done. We wanted it done before the end of May so we could really enjoy it this summer when we had free time instead of working on projects. My husband is like a dog with a bone when you give him a project. He gets into the get ‘er done mode and it’s all he can focus on. We had decided to do slat walls on top of the landscape boulders and under the stairs for some privacy with the hot tub. He put in a lot of work with the slat walls, installing beams and cutting all the pieces to fit just right. I stained most of the boards with some help from my hubby, otherwise I’d probably still be staining them. Thankfully this was a two-weekend project, so it didn’t take too long. This was a definite game changer for the patio space, it looks awesome!!!
We absolutely love sitting back here, especially at night with the landscape lights and string lights glowing. The slat walls and curtains really make it feel cozy and I love how private it feels when we are hot tubbing. Don’t get me wrong, we love our neighbors, but I am sure they don’t want to see us hanging in the hot tub any more than we want to see them when we are in there. I’m doing us all a favor with these slat walls.
During the day when the sun is shining bright on the back deck, the patio has become a nice shady place to retreat and read a book, swing on the rope swing or take a nap.
The one thing that we did accomplish last year was the native pollinator garden. I applied for a grant that was being offered for native pollinator gardens and was able to purchase a bunch of MN native plants. When I planted them last year, I had no idea if they would even survive, some were pretty little, and I had no idea what to expect. Well, those little native plants have done quite well, in fact they are absolutely thriving!
It’s been awesome to enjoy the flowers, bees and even the occasional bird hanging out on the flowers. Bonus, I love how the privacy wall blocks most of the view of the houses out this window as well as bringing in some life with the plants and flowers. Sitting back here gives me life!
It may have taken me a little longer than I wanted but check it off the list. Done! From Dream to Reality in four years, our backyard is now a place we definitely want to hang out in.
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