Backyard Update....

Okay, so the backyard is still coming along.

We grill area is surrounded by stone and the countertops are in now. There is one piece of granite still missing. The granite guys had everything all perfect, and then the final piece, which is also the smallest piece, apparently broke during installation. So, they've got to cut a matching piece & come back out to install that. Other than that, the kitchen area is done...I think.

So here it is with the sealing on it. You can't tell much of a difference in photos. Basically, it makes it shiny.

We also had the small gate installed, and to make life easier for me, they made a special cut out at the bottom for the dog to fit through! So, if it's cold, or rainy, or whatever....I don't have to open the door for the dog and then go open the smaller gate for the dog to go potty.

We were at a loss with regard to finding the perfect patio table. I knew that I wanted bench seating. I knew that I wanted the table to be long and narrow because the space there is long and narrow. I don't want to block too much of the walkway on the small patio area, but that's the covered area for eating & what not.... So, we had a table & benches made to our narrow specifications. Can I just say that I think the table ROCKS!

The above pic is when the table was first delivered. It's walnut. The benches fit perfectly underneath the table, so they don't stick out to bang your knee on as you walk by. We also had them make a mini-version for the kids table!

They sealed and finished them in our garage this week....

I love them, love them, love them!
So much so that I temporarily gave up my garage parking space for them.
{Now that's love....}

What else about the backyard?
The landscaping.
Now, I'm no landscaper, landscape designer, or landscape architect. So, I came up with this plan, after researching different flowers/plants that I like and their sun and water requirements, and, I think I nailed it!
{I could be wrong....but I think I nailed it.}
Pardon my non-professional backyard map...

So, here are some the plants I'm thinking so far:

White rose trees, liriope (monkey grass), camellias, hostas, and hydrangeas. I've also got some hot pink geraniums, zoysia grass, and Italian cypress trees in the plan.  We may add more small annuals once this first round of landscaping comes in. The plants have all been ordered, and I understand it will be about 2 weeks to get the specific varieties that I requested.

The sprinkler system gets destroyed when you put a pool in. They don't care much about digging up lines and re-routing everything. They dig through whatever is in the ground at your house, put in your pool, cash their checks, and move the hell on. So, we knew that ahead of time, and the old sprinkler system is still underneath the ground in bit and pieces. The new sprinkler system is above ground and designed to control water flow in such a way as to not spray the fence. We are also strategically planning our plants in such a way that the mower and weed-eater won't be used up near the fence to ding and damage it too. We're trying to make this fence last as loooooong as possible!

We still need to get the landscaping in....finish the archway over the gate door entering the backyard....order the barstools, umbrellas, and chaise lounges.... outfit plants in the pots for the backyard....order the towel rack/table thing to go by the hot tub.....get patio furniture covers, figure out a grill cover system, have the awning installed (it arrived but came with the wrong style of brackets, so they are coming this next week with correct brackets for installation).... power wash the decking.

There's still a lot to do, but it's really all coming together. I'm started to get excited about it, especially the landscaping!

...and there has been so much focus on the back that our front yard is so sad looking right now. Spring will bring hope to the front yard too, I bet, and new flowers will hopefully be planted there as well!