One of the many things I wanted to do in my backyard was to make a feature that didn’t require me having to plant anything. Don’t get me wrong- I love nature and growing things but my backyard soil is a hot mess! So, I envisioned a space where nothing ACTUALLY grew but looked like it could. Let me show you how I created this space and how doing it in the hot heat of a Virginia summer nearly took me out!
“There will always be rocks in the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how you use them.”
Friedrich nietzsche
The Beginning
Let’s briefly talk about how it looked before. This space originally was part of a fire pit that my hubby created during the pandemic. It’s cool to think back to all of the things we created during that time of isolation and it really did work for us during that time. Soon after, we started work on our backyard area and this half moon was left undone and I knew I needed to do something with it but remember, no real life grows well and I wanted something where I could set it and forget it.
As you can see, this area is quite large. I have no idea what I was thinking trying to lay all of this AND lug around bags of rocks in the hot sun! I also wanted it to feel very organic in the design so I really just let the edging tell me where it wanted to go. Needless to say, this project took some time because I choose to use bagged rock instead of bulk rock so I did wound up making a few trips to Home Depot to get them. Now, why did I decide to go that route? For me, trying to get things delivered puts projects on their timeframe and not mine. So when I was ready to start, I wanted to just get the materials and be do with it. I did not have a budget for this project, but here’s a general rundown of costs (estimate)-
- Weed control- $45.00
- Landscape Edging (4 boxes)- $120
- Mulch (6 bags)- $24
- Rocks- $270 (estimate)
- These estimates are for an 11’x17’ space
The Finished Product!
Now the added elements where accessories that made it feel more on the Southwestern side. I’m originally from California and my family lives in Arizona so I’m used to being around a lot of rocks and agave plants. These cool metals ones were perfect for what I was looking for when it came to my design and the red clay planter just added an fun and festive vibe to the space.
I hope that this will inspire you to think outside the box when it comes to design. You can do whatever you want- it’s YOUR space! Have fun with it- I know I do!
Until Next Time,
Tracey
