I finally put the last of the mulch down on the raised garden I built for my wife. The darker/moister mulch is what I just put down.
Here’s the view from the back — it shows how the wall disappears into the hill, and the lower edged planting area in front of the wall. In the background you can see the remaining drainage work I need to complete. Water collects in the area of the gray rock/drain. I’ll be putting big rocks (9″-1′ rocks) along that same contour and filling the left with while river rocks after grading it a little better toward the underground drain. The right side will be graded a bit better, too, so the water doesn’t collect there either.
This one is from the garage door. You can see the steps leading up to the bench swing, and way in the background you can see the play structure I’ve been building for the kids. (It’s not yet finished but it seems like the whole neighborhood loves to play on it.)
This angle makes the garden look a little like a Pillsbury dough boy hand puppet. I was basically winging it as I built it, so that was a bit of a surprise when I realized it. On the very edge of the frame in the rocks on the left, there’s another drain that collects all the water from that nook and runs it along the concrete patio, under the “path” to the swing, and out into the yard where it connects with another underground drain. (Excuse the mess in the bkgd!)
Here’s a little drink holder I threw together to hold my beer. I’ll make one for the other side, too, and then paint them.
Here’s the little girl who was hiding behind the drink holder in the previous picture. She loves to sort the rocks.
Let me know what you think! This was my first real landscaping project and it was loads of fun!