City Backyard Landscaping Ideas

Although things were moving a bit slowly with our backyard makeover and the flagstone patio installation was all we could work on at one time, I’m happy to report that all of the items on our makeover plans have been completed! Since the patio was first on the list, and it’s now done, our next projects were to redo the landscaping and get outdoor furniture. Here is what we did, so you can see some city backyard landscaping ideas and what we accomplished in our small outdoor space.

Last we left things, we were growing grass and that all of that came in. We recently put on weed and feed because the clovers were taking over and things are looking much less like a dirt pile and more like a yard. Here was the before.

After we removed the brick edging, reconfigured the landscape, removed plants we didn’t want and planted grass, here is the space now.

Dan created a curved edge by the garage and we added some new plants including cana which I love. They grow to be very tall with wide redish leaves, and they remind me of the tropics. They are small now but will come in quickly.

We’ve had the rain barrel for a few years, and I love using it to water the garden, it’s so easy. Along the back fence, we added a lot of soil and compost {we also have one of those} and planted tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions. I try to maximize our small space and get in as many veggies as possible.

We used some of the rocks we had leftover from the edging to separate the vegetables from the mulched/planted areas and I like the divided look. Plus it keeps the mulch in line.

Along the sunny {neighbor’s} fence we planted more cucumbers – I’m planning to make pickles – and onions. They look all nice and orderly now, but wait until the cucumbers take over. They will be climbing the fence.

I’ve written before about our many rose bushes. We ended up taking out two small and dying ones and now have about 7 I think? We inherited these from the previous homeowner and they remind me of my grandma. She used to love to grow them and when I smell them I think of her.

Over behind the garage, which used to look like this,

We gained some landscaping space there and moved some of the hostas around. We’re still debating on what to plant in that far corner. It’s almost complete shade and I’d love something tall. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them! The lattice is not staying, it was also something we inherited, so it’s hanging out there for now.

And as you can see, we finally got a table and chairs! The chairs were a Target clearance, only $15 each, down from $50 at the end of last season. They still have some like this in the Threshold line in stores now. The table is Acadia wood from Ikea. We got the bench too. I thought a square table would fit perfect on the new patio and I was right. The umbrella is also a Target clearance.

Building the deck was a lot of fun. For the guy we hired for it, we did NOT DIY that 🙂 It turned out amazing and I’m super happy with it. Remember what the deck used to look like before?

Here it is now. This material is Choice Deck and is environmentally friendly, which is why I picked it. I’ll write a post on building the deck, because it’s fun to see how it gets done.

I love how this all came together and how the modern look of the deck goes so well with the old brick and flagstone. We spend a lot of time out here now and absolutely love it. We even hung up some globe lights along the fence.

Thanks for coming along on our small backyard makeover! Next up I’ll show how the deck was built and maybe this year we’ll get to do something with the small area behind the house? It didn’t get much attention in this round of the makeover but then we have have more fun with another makeover. Has anyone ever used that deck over paint for concrete? We’re thinking of using it there.

Here is the makeover list all done!

Backyard Makeover Plan Updates

• Remove the old red deck More on that here
• Remove the cement sidewalk More on that here
• Install a new flagstone and reclaimed brick patio More on that here part 1 and Part 2
• Reconfigure the landscape around the patio
• Reconfigure the landscape in the rest of the yard
• Remove the red brick edging
• Remove plants we don’t want
• Plant new grass
• Get new plants and grow vegetables, mulch
• Get a patio table, chairs, and umbrella
• Hang some lighting