Backyard Make-Over

There were a lot of things we immediately liked about the house the first time we saw it. However, the landscaping was not one of them. We looked at each other and said "take it out"! Now I realize that to many people a yard of Oleander, Gardina bushes, Roses, etc would be wonderful. However, the Oleander reminded Larry of the freeways in California where Oleander is used in the medians; the rose bushes were many years old and had been neglected. They were very large but need a lot more TLC and work than I was willing to give them. Besides, roses are not easy to grow in the desert. The gardenia bush was huge and about half of it had to be kept cut away so you could walk up the sidewalk to the front door. Other assorted trees had been let go until there were a few stray limbs with leaves on them. So...for the last 3 months we have been spending weekends taking everything out by cutting it down and digging it out. I will gladly give him credit for doing the digging and at least half of the cutting. There are 2 really nice palm trees that had not been trimmed in years. The drip system worked but most of the water was coming from breaks instead of from the drip lines it was supposed to come out of. And oh yes, the rocks! I have never seen so many river rocks (1" - 3") in my life outside of a river. They were not just on the surface of the ground but were a foot down in the dirt. If I had a dollar for every shovel full of rocks we moved...

The palm trees have now been trimmed and look wonderful. The areas have been replanted with desert plants. The drip sysem has been replaced and the water comes out where it is supposed to now. About all that is left is the time to enjoy it.. And yes, the golfers put their 2 cents in on what we were doing...