When it comes to our jungle-like backyard, we left off previously after transplanting and removing one giant 15′ garden bed and leveling the area with the goal of growing a lush green lawn. We’re back with a backyard update — yes, we spent the weekend getting muddy, and no, I still don’t have Madonna arms (maybe a third day of bushwhacking will change that). Like any other “room” in the house, the yard is a do-it-in-phases project: each phase leaves you sore, but there’s something satisfying about digging around for a few hours while the baby naps and Burger supervises from the windowsill. After three and a half hours of work on our second phase of bushwhacking, the change was obvious.
We tackled the second 15′ planting bed and removed roughly half of the path-blocking liriope that had gone wild and made the path practically itchy if you walk through in shorts. In the photo above you can see the untouched section in the back where the path narrows to about three inches. After digging, we gained roughly 6–8″ of walking space on each side — about 12–16″ total once both sides are cleared. That’s a significant increase in usable path width and a lot less leg-itching.
We moved all the dug-up liriope to the side yard where it’s already flourishing; it looks natural and lush in a big, unruly mass, so we don’t mind letting it take over that corner. Digging up liriope is hard work. John started while I trimmed the second 15′ bed — trimming back and then removing at the roots to either transplant or discard has been the most manageable approach for dealing with large beds. John used the jump-on-the-shovel method to lever out the roots so they don’t resprout in spring. He definitely put his back into it.
Once I had the bed trimmed down (but not fully dug), we tagged-team’ed the liriope because Clara’s nap would end in about an hour and a half and we wanted to clear at least one side before she woke up. We worked from opposite ends and met in the middle. We even found time to backfill holes with soil from a few bare spots at the edge of our lot so there weren’t giant pits left behind. Small details like that make the yard immediately more presentable.
The view from one angle made the most dramatic difference. Walk past our side patio and turn left — your eye used to stop at that huge planting bed about ten feet ahead. Now the sightline continues all the way to the pretty maple at the back of the yard, so it finally reads like a backyard instead of a tangle of bushes.
There’s still more liriope to remove and the 15′ bed I trimmed needs leveling before it’s ready for grass seed, but one afternoon’s progress felt like a big win. With the pleasant weather lately — not too hot or too cold — it was a perfect day to reclaim a bit of yard.
Because our lot is wooded and full of similar-looking shrubs and trees, orienting yourself is tricky, but here’s the old-and-new view just beyond the patio. The comparison above shows the view when you take a few steps forward from where the next shots were taken and turn 90 degrees left.
To help visualize the layout, an old sketch of the lot shows the brick paths and where the two 15′ planting beds used to sit in the back. The sketch is a bit dated (it doesn’t show the deck) but it gives a rough sense of where we’re working.
Assuming the next phase goes smoothly, we’ll remove the remaining path-encroaching liriope, level the remaining bed, and seed everything in hopes of creating a lush carpet of grass. We love having a big, woodsy lot behind the house, but we’re suckers for a neat swatch of lawn in front of the woods for Clara and Burger to run around on. It reminds us of our first house’s backyard, which always looked perpetually spring-green and inviting.
Grass in the front, woods in the back — our favorite backyard setup. Even though this yard will be about half as deep as our first one when it’s seeded and lush, it still gives plenty of space to play with less to mow and rake. A practical win.
What did you do this weekend? Anyone else out digging and hoping for a long nap while you get dirty?