Destruction and Renewal

It's a new year, and those of us at Stone Soup Gardens are right back at it.  Before the end of last year we started on a challenging project involving a concrete backyard.  The previous owner of our client's home put in a basketball court in the backyard, great for some, but not great if you are a lover of gardening or green space.  In December we began jackhammering out the concrete and setting it aside.  This is hard work on the body, so it was great to be able to finish that task and have a nice break over the holidays.  Here are a few before pictures to give you an idea of what we were facing.  

Once the jackhammering began, things got messy and loud quick!  We started by pulling out large chunks of concrete where the growing space would be, and set aside those pieces to use as a retaining wall around the raised beds.  We also carved out a winding concrete path from the existing concrete pad rather than having an added expense of installing a walkway.  Here's a few images of us playing with power tools.  

Now that the holidays are over, it's back to work!  This week we are working on building out the raised bed area, as well as continuing to pull out concrete, installing grass, and sculpting the pathways. We've even planted a tree.  It's shaping up to be a lovely space.  

Next, we'll be installing a small swale to catch the roof runoff in the front of the house, doing a bit of planting when the weather is more predictable, and finishing up with some lovely touches in the back.   It will be a wonderful garden retreat once finished.  Stay tuned for more images!