The Backyard Landscape — First Phase

Hello, friends! Welcome back to my backyard! You may remember that we completely renovated/redesigned our yard, patios and deck last year. That saga was shared in Backyard Renovation Reveal Part 1, the Reveal Part 2 and Deck Update - Railing Installed.

 

Where we left the landscape portion of the project last fall was that we had installed sod between the driveway and the upper patio and five upright conifers. I had planned to install shrubs and perennials throughout the backyard in the spring. However, my plans went out the window when Greg had to have emergency surgery the first week of March. He came through splendidly and has continued to recover (yeah!!). But landscaping went to the bottom of the to-do list, along with blogging to some extent.

    

Hot Pink for an August Table

I thought I'd match the heat of August with a hot pink table! I would have liked to set this outside, but the tropical storm dumped 2.75 inches of rain on us and everything on the patios is still quite wet. So we're inside where the heat is offset (thankfully!) by the A/C.

 

My initial idea was to use the garden's zinnias for the centerpiece, but they're in no condition to use after the heavy rains and the winds. To the rescue came faux flowers in hot pink and deep gold with cooler whites and purples!

Lunch by the Koi Pond

Summer colors are bright, warm and bold. They joyfully shrug off the heat!

  

Today brought normal summer temps, a welcome relief from the weekend's heat index values above 100! To take advantage of the break, I thought we'd have lunch al fresco. With a view overlooking the koi pond, I set the bistro table with a fun and whimsical shoal of fish, using melamine dishes in a super cute design.