Backyard Remodel 1 Year Later...

I flew my mom out last May to help me remodel my backyard. JP and I had bought this house a few months earlier and had focused so much time and money on remodeling the inside that, come spring, the outside was in some serious need of creative and hardworking hands. Hence, my mom. :)

I must say, though, that since I hesitantly took over the reins after Mom left a week later I have fallen in love with gardening and my thumb grows greener by the week. I love nurturing things and watching them grow. I truly feel sad when a carefully-tended plant doesn't take and whithers away. (I love Lowe's 1-year dead-or-alive plant return policy!! I returned $50 worth of seriously dead plants last week...) With spring in full swing here in California, I was so excited about all the new blooms that I wanted to share them with you. The photos don't do it justice, but, without further ado, here is my backyard now:

1 Year Later
(top photo = after; bottom photo = before)
click photos to enlarge
JP loves swinging in his hammock, sipping lemonade, while reading a surfing guidebook about somewhere in the South Pacific.

Here are some of my favorites flowers currently flourishing in my yard...