Before and After

Before

Issues we needed to address:

Before

•  The wall was unattractive

• The pretty rounded border and planter did not continue along the left side of the yard.

• The brick patio was not very inviting, the client almost never used it.

• An overgrown and diseased tree (see patch of soil). We removed it immediately.

I dislike removing trees, but this one was far too big for the space, too close to the house, in declining health, and it blocked access to the garden. Sorry I didn't manage to get a picture of it! We placed our new patio in its place. See photo toward bottom of post.

Here's what we did:

• Painted the block walls a mossy green.

• Continued the planter along the left side of the yard.

• Removed the brick patio, but left room for a small sitting area in the corner by cutting the existing brick into a rounded, pleasing shape.

• Poured a small slab, creating a patio right outside the kitchen door, taking advantage of the afternoon shade in the spot where an overgrown tree used to block the flow. Concrete was our choice because the client has issues with her legs and feet, and it was important for her to have a flat surface in such a high traffic area.

• Filled in the existing plantings with perennials, and added small trees around the perimeter for privacy.

• I helped the client place her existing statuary.
  

  

  After

After

The tree we removed took up this whole patio space!