Spring in the back yard

Our backyard is very small, more like an outdoor room than a back yard (27 feet by 18 feet).   Most things are in pots.  There is a semicircle of soil about 2 feet wide between the concrete patio and the fence but few things will grow there because it is so wet in winter (we get our neighbor's water).  There is a tree that grows in the corner.  I do have a vine maple, a yellow twigged dogwood, and some soloman's seal.  Everything else I ever planted in the soil died.  

So we use pots.  Most things can over winter in pots outside in this climate.  There are advantages to pots.  You can move them around so the best looking ones are most visible. We keep some of the big pots on wheels so we can move them easily.  Sometimes we put a pot on top of something to get more height to display the plant.

The back yard is a pretty tough environment.  Most of the direct sun comes in late afternoon to that corner near the garage (where we put the BBQ).  Most plants don't like just hot afternoon sun.  We manage to keep our tiny back yard inviting and provide for wildlife (bird seed, hummingbird food and water).  Another thing: it doesn't take long to get it cleaned up.

Part of the last two days were spent cleaning it up and arranging everything for the season.

Iceland poppy... this was an impulse buy.  It really lights up the back yard.

Choysia "Aztec Pearl"

Hosta in a new red pot.

I have always hated the color of the concrete and this year I am going to try staining it.  I have my samples and my plan.  All I need is the right weather.  And I have to clean the concrete, which I usually avoid doing because it looks better dirty.

From the back door.

BBQ tucked in by the garage

I got two metal chairs at Fred Meyer.  They are light, comfortable, stack and fade into the background.  When you have a small space, these are THE chairs to have.

A touch of red for the back yard

The red of the salvias are like red lipstick in the back yard.  The hummingbirds have found them and it is so much fun to watch them flitting and sipping.

It doesn't take much red...

The back yard wakes up

Our teeny tiny backyard is starting to come to life.  Here it is on a rainy day.

Corylopsis spicata

through the window... **

** note clothes rack in corner holding fabric I am working with

from the back yard

up close

in someone else's garden

Late October back yard

with hummer

pineapple sage

Cats and the door to summer

The cats spend a lot of time looking out the screen doors, especially at the back yard.  They watch the birds and squirrels who hang around the bird feeder and the bird bath/fountain.  I originally started feeding the birds for the entertainment of the cats and it has worked really well.  They are indoor cats and I wanted them to have some entertainment.  The back yard is our bird sanctuary and is fenced but not cat proof.  Occasionally we have to drive a neighborhood cat out.  Just yesterday John squirted Wallace with water to make him leave.

Harpo and the door to summer

Ozy watching a squirrel

Pippin watches the birds, too.  He especially likes the hummingbirds and climbs all the way up the screen to the feeder level.  Doesn't he have a pretty belly?

Cats in three sizes.  Ozy is about three times the size of Pippin, who, fully grown,  is a tiny thing at just 5 lb 6 oz.

Morning light

It's been overcast most mornings for a week or more but today the sun was out and this is the back yard in the morning light.

And this is cosmos Diablo which I am so in love with.

Back Yard Before And After

From the back door today

From the back door when we moved in

The back yard

Our teeny tiny backyard is 27 feet wide by 18 feet deep.  That's teeny tiny.  But big enough to look lush and  to have a nice space to sit and enjoy it.....and a great view from the back door.

Glad to see some rain

I am glad it's rainy.  We need the rain.  The back yard is looking nice from the door, especially the honeysuckle, which is blooming and smelling wonderful.

The Back Yard

The back yard is getting pretty inviting.

The birds are really enjoying the new location for the fountain as well as the bird bath in the front yard.  We have a big robin who is especially fun to watch bathe.   He's quite a splasher.

The back yard is always cooler than the front yard and it will be a nice escape from the heat wave this weekend.

Back Yard

After the hot spell, it turned cooler, about ten degrees below average and just right for holding flowers in bloom.  And yet, things have been happening.  Look how much our teeny tiny backyard had changed in under two weeks....

March 31st

April 10th

The view over the fence

Our neighbors took down their camelia bushes.  They talked to us first to be sure we were okay with it (we have the best neighbors EVER).  We were in favor of it because it means more light for our teeny tiny back yard.  But the view over the fence to the neighbors next to them is less than ideal.

The fence is ours.  We will remove the horizontal pieces.  I want to put some whimsical birdhouses on top of the fence to give the eye something to focus on.  I don't want to block all the light.  And if some birds move in, all the better.

I found and ordered this from Etsy.  It's got a nice whimsical shape.  I intend to add a shingled roof, a decorative door and maybe some other decorative elements.

We also plan to build a few ourselves and  use this one as a prototype design  starting place (they won't be the same as this one)

You can order one here if you like.

Fountain in September

It really looks really pretty from the back door though I was not able to capture it as well as I might like.  The shadows and sunshine are making too much contrast for my camera.  The plants beyond the fountain are too dark.

Here is the whole thing but the plants are in so much shadow.

It takes two photos to see what my eye can see.  This is the fountain

 And here are the plants

Fairy Flowers

When I was young I was obsessed with fairies.  I knew what they looked like, what they did,  how they lived.  And they lived in places that looked like this...

fuchsia 'grayrigg'

Oh, wait.  That's my back yard.  Yep, they live here.

Fountain in July

We had to move the fountain and the plants for the demolition yesterday.  It was a good opportunity to clean things up and rearrange the pots a bit.  I was feeling unhappy with how things were looking but now I am happy again.

Our teeny tiny back yard

Our back yard is so small that it is more of an outdoor room than a back yard.  We have a nice place to sit surrounded by plants.  The back yard is fenced and reasonably safe from predators so it  also serves as a bird sanctuary with a bird feeder (filled with black oil sunflower seeds), a hummingbird feeder, a bird bath and my beloved fountain.  Our cats are not allowed outside but they enjoy great views of the birds... watching the birds is one of their favorite activities.   

I am so very pleased with my fountain.  It's pretty and easy to care for.   it it is just outside the back door in our teeny tiny back yard.  This is the view from the back door.

The hakonechloa works with everything.   Here is a pot of hakonechloa with blue lobelia and red salvia.  The salvia is popular with the hummingbirds AND me.

If you look closely you can see the birdbath (it's a blue plant saucer) and the bird feeder (it's in the top right corner).

Most of our plants are in pots and that means we can move them around.  When something looks really good we can make it more visible or,  less visible when something looks bad.