If you're lucky enough to have a large backyard, there's a good chance you're not absolutely thrilled with how it looks.
Backyards require a lot of upkeep, what with lawns to mow, hedges to trim, and gardens to tend to — not to mention the fact that so many people use their backyards as playgrounds for their children.
If your kids (or grandkids) have the run of your backyard, it's probably scattered with toys, sporting equipment, and play spaces.
Because everyone's lives are busy, it's easy to let housework and chores get away from you — and the backyard is definitely one of the first things that goes by the wayside when life gets overwhelming.
One man knew this was the case for his backyard, but he dreamed of a better life for his outdoor space.
He knew the place could be beautiful if he put some effort into it, so he decided to finally get started on his backyard makeover.
At the beginning, his backyard looked like anyone else's: patchy grass, overgrown trees and shrubbery, a worn-down fence, and an old trampoline and bike.
This was not how he dreamed of his backyard, so he decided to make a few changes.
He posted the photos on Imgur, where he explained:
It all began with this small side area by the house. Previously just a giant pile of leaves, I put down some weedblock and mulch…
But once that was done, the mulch was just overflowing onto the path…
I reused some of the garden border stones to outline the path and contain the mulch.
Once the path was outlined, it looked so nice that he decided the rest of the backyard could use some help, too.
Laying the mulch and stones was so simple that the rest of the yard would be no problem whatsoever.
He wrote:
But where could this path lead instead?
These detailed plans were drawn up, and the Zen garden began!
Even with just a simple wall, the backyard looks completely different!
But this small improvement was nothing compared to what it would be weeks later.
He also explained:
This project provided a great opportunity to regrade the landscape to allow the water (from heavy rains) to run off the street (instead of pooling in certain areas).
This was the most difficult part of the build, considering I only used a pickaxe and a wheelbarrow.
Setting each stone one at a time.
Inspired by traditional Japanese Zen gardens, I decided to make the border wall along the right side of the garden a double wall, filled with blue stones.
The double border wall gives the garden a beautiful completed look, and outlines the plants in a more dramatic way.
Once the walls were all in place, he filled the split with slate-colored moon rocks.
The finalized backyard was absolutely gorgeous. Although it took almost four months to complete, it was definitely worth the work.
The blue moon rocks work perfectly with the color of the house.
He wrote:
Next step was to fill in the channel with river rocks to complete the “Zen river” look, and allow the water to easily run through it.
When everything else was done, he added plants, the fire pit, and mulch.
He even added solar lights into the ground to illuminate the garden at nighttime.
Isn't this backyard incredible? The people who live here must spend all their time in the stunning garden.
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