Phases

The garden was started December 2010. First we removed all the large overgrown bushes. I started at the right of the house. I decided the best way to go was with raised beds. I started with 2 raised beds. We used natural wood landscape timbers to make two 8' x 8' and 8'x6' beds. I used paveing stones staggered and filled in with pea gravel to make and area to house potted plants. After that was phase 2. I created a walk way using the same paving stones filled in with pea gavel that led to both the driveway and the sidewalk. I added 2 more raised beds connected by a wooden cedar arbor. These beds are positioned at the front of the yard by the sidewalk. Looking at the house on the right is an 8'x8' bed and on the left a 16'x4' bed.  After that it was on to phase 3. I removed the rock garden filled with bushes and cacti that were on the left side of my house by the door and the kitchen window. In their place I added two more raised beds. Another 16'x4' and a 8'x8'. To date I have 6 raised bed gardens each with about 64 sq ft in them. Next step is phase 4 which involves replacing my existing mail box and doing a raised bed around it and the clean up my right entry gate and pave the whole area in front of it with paver stones. I also want to build a potting bench to keep under my covered front patio to story my gardening tool in. If it were up to me completely I would have no lawn and just gardens. But since I will someday sell this house, I figured it best to leave about half the lawn. I'm really not a big grass fan, I would much prefer to xeriscape the whole yard. Instead I will just enjoy the gardens I am able to put in.