Backyard Vision | Fleurish Collective

The project I’m the most excited about right now is bringing our outdoor space to life in the coming weeks. It’s honestly consumed my mind and creative energy the last few months as I researched and read about all things hardscaping/landscaping/design. At our last house, we didn’t invest anything into the outdoor space. Landscaping/outdoor design is all about the long game – everything takes time and money and it just wasn’t something we chose to invest in for that house.

This time is different and we are going all out with the small yard we have. I wanted to write this post as a spot to put together the vision I have for the space. I think it will be really fun to look back on this post as things come to life and to see what parts of the vision got carried forward. This post is part one of what I expect to be an ongoing series, as there are so many elements of the space that I’m excited to share.

The Plan For The Backyard

We’re planning to divide the backyard space into four “quadrants”. The four areas will be: a dining & bbq space, a spot for the sectional & fireplace, a hot-tub area, and a grassy area with garden boxes. The hope is that we will optimize every inch of the yard and have it be an added outdoor living space that we can utilize in the warmer months.

The Phases Of Work

Last Fall, Johnny and his dad built a little deck attached to the house. Right now, we have our sectional and fire on the deck but we plan to move that to the “ground level patio” once that’s finished. I thought it might be helpful to lay out a rough timeline of the plans and what we’re working on in each phase.

Phase 1: build the deck attached to the house (this one is done!).

Phase 2: level out the yard and pour a concrete pad next to the deck, where the hot-tub will be going. We have already purchased the hot-tub, we went with a beautiful cedar exterior hot-tub and it’s set to arrive end of summer/early fall.

Phase 3: lay the ground level patio. For this area, we are using the hexagon tiles pictured in the mood board above. I wanted something neutral but with a bit of interest design-wise and these were both the right price point and the right aesthetic. Both Lowes and Home Depot carry these if you’re searching for something similar!

Phase 4: landscaping! This is the phase that I’m most excited for but have to wait for the hardscaping to be finished, as we have to move a lot of dirt around and grade the yard. There will just be too much going on in a small space to risk damage happening to new plants. We’re planning to do a whole bunch of bushes, shrubs and flowers around the perimeter of the yard as well as some little accent hedge areas along the deck. And then potted plants for interest, I envision these all around the yard.

Phase 5: lay sod for the few small grassy areas.

Phase 6: style and decorate each area!

The Plants On My Wishlist

I have been living for the process of planning out the landscaping. If you’re trying to figure this out for your own yard, you’ll want to figure out what “zone” you live in and then research plants that do well in that climate. There were some plants that I had on my wish-list that, after some research, I realized would likely not survive here. It’s also really helpful to ask questions at your local greenhouse, as they’ll have the best knowledge of what does and doesn’t work in your zone.

Here are some of the plants on my current “wish-list”: