Our backyard is transforming!

I hope you all had a great weekend!!  Sorry I’ve kept you guys hanging here.  I’m getting ready to start a new job so my mind has been preoccupied with that.

Anyway, I showed you our plan to remove the azalea bushes on the fence line and replace them with two huge ligustrum trees.  (Hop to the link to see the before pics!)   I can’t tell you in words how much we love our new trees!  We can’t see the house next door any longer (and they can’t see us!)   Privacy rocks. :)   Check ‘em out!

They are the perfect living screen, and they look so pretty. :)  It was kind of interesting watching them transport the ligustrum to our house.  They had to take down one 8 ft section of fence to get them in the backyard.   Sorry I don’t have pictures to capture that part!  Here is the new view right when we step out onto the deck….

Notice the fence line on the left- that gives you an idea of their size!

As opposed to the previous view:

So. Much. Better.  They ripped out the azalea bushes for us.  We wanted as much height as we could get with the tress, so instead of digging two holes, they simply plopped them on the ground, then cut the 200 gal buckets off, and finally brought in a dump truck of fill dirt to create a berm around them.   It worked perfectly!

All this dirt was brought in to create the berm around the base to give them max height!

The leaves on ligustrum trees are wax-like and the little flowers they produce are sweet too. :)

After the trees were in, we bought one pallet of St. Augustine sod and got to work laying it out.  There were 180 pieces on the pallet, and it covered more ground than we’d hoped (about 500 sq. ft!)  St. Augustine grass needs a lot of sun, so we layed it accordingly.  The fact that we love to play cornhole at our cookouts may or may not have had something to do with how the sod was layed.  Either way, we are loving our new grass and trees!

You can't tell in this pic but the lemon tree is full of lemons right now!

Instant Grassification!  ;)

Disclaimer:  When I say “we” layed sod, I really mean John layed it all out while I stood holding the hose and watered everything.  He said our system worked perfectly.  Yes, yes honey you do all the dirty work and I’ll stand there and pretend I’m working hard.  :)

Our backyard is becoming our little paradise!  Wouldn’t it be sweet to replace that lattice with some cable railing?  Le sigh.  Maybe one day.  In the meantime, we’re enjoying the steps we’ve taken to create a backyard we love.

After all that hard work the man of the house needed a beer. :)

love him!!

Questions or thoughts on the landscaping changes???  On another note, Happy Mother’s Day to Mom-  you’re the best in the world!!

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22 responses to Our backyard is transforming!


  1. Love it – especially your work system!!
    Well done guys :)

  2. I love the new backyard look! The fullness adds a lot to it:) Looks awesome!

    • Thanks girl!! btw..I’ve been reading your blog posts! But I’ve been doing it on my phone and my phone is ancient and totally sucks at leaving comments, but I wanted you to know :)

  3. Amy

    It’s going to be great!

  4. Love the changes…those trees are gorgeous, andddd you get all that privacy?!? SCORE!!

  5. that’s usually how it works in my house too…but hey we make a good team!!

    love the privacy in your backyard now..and it’s pretty too!

  6. Ooo, it’s looking so good!! We love playing corn hole… maybe we’ll crash your next cookout!
    xo Heidi

  7. Love the trees – and there’s nothing better than having some extra privacy!

  8. Looks awesome!!! Congrats on the new job…

  9. Those trees are huge! The yard looks so much better, and more private!

  10. Wow! Those trees look awesome. Nice work on watering down the sod ;) We did to do the same thing for our yard.

  11. Fantastic! I can’t believe how much coverage two trees provided!

  12. Now THAT’s a makeover. I can’t get over how much better your backyard view is just by adding a few new trees. Well done!

Not your typical home purchase

I never thought I’d be so excited to spend money on…..

….Trees!  Well, let me retract the ‘spend money’ part.  I’m not excited to drop the dough, but I’m thrilled to get some big voluptuous trees in the backyard.   Unfortunately, to get the big mature ones, you gotta pay out.  Essentially, you’re buying time.

In a nutshell, land is very expensive in the city of Jacksonville, therefore, the majority of homes are on less than a half acre, in subdivisions where you can pretty much touch your neighbor’s house by sticking your hand out the window.  It sure was an eye opener for us Midwestern kids who grew up with cows chillin’ in the backyard.

So, we bought a home in the most spread-out neighborhood we could afford, without being too far out of town.  We got most of the privacy we’d like, with the exception of this:

I'm standing on the back deck here...

It’s nothing personal…we like our neighbors…they’re nice people and all.  We just like our privacy more.

In order for us to get that privacy on our tiny lot, we bought some trees.  We found a good ole boy who owns a nursery close to us and he’s bringing his crew in later this week to remove the azalea bushes (which by the way are poisonous to dogs…who knew?)

All those bushes will be replaced by two tall trees!

Then he’s going to bring in two ligustrum trees which are currently in 200 gallon buckets and put them right on that fence line!  Ligustrum trees look like this (The ones we bought are a bit taller and more mature):

 

I won’t bore you with a bunch of tree talk, but we chose Ligustrum because they keep their leaves year round and they grow fast!  So basically, we’ll always have a nice green screen all year. They are coming tomorrow and we cannot wait!!  Pictures of the “after” will come soon!

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34 responses to Not your typical home purchase


  1. Pingback: Our backyard is transforming! | Drab to Fab Design

  2. Yeah for green trees year round!!!!

  3. Yay! Trees!! I could never imagine living in an area with no trees. It would seem so depressing! Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a ligustrum tree before but they’re really pretty!

  4. Le sigh… I miss my trees more than anything. We have like one bush now. :/

  5. You can definitely add that purchase to the list of “Things I Could Purchase When I am an Adult and Not a Minute Sooner!” I love the look of the trees! I think they are going to add the perfect level of privacy to your backyard. Can’t wait to see pics :)

  6. Excited to see how they turn out! I think buying plants for privacy is one of the best ways to spend money on your house!

    • I completely agree. They were installed yesterday and I LOVE them. Feels weird to say that about some trees but they are by far the best investment we’ve made!

  7. Such a grown up purchase! They will be great though!

  8. Marian

    Wow. Can’t wait to see!

  9. Wow. Those are going to be big trees! 200 gal?! That will be great for privacy and overall aesthetics.
    We are going to start doing a lot of spending in our back yard and I can’t wait! I wish we could enjoy it year round, but I’ll settle for a few months.

  10. Oh, those will be lovely! You really feel like an adult once you start buying trees :) . And I had no idea azaleas were poisonous for dogs. Weird.

    • You have no idea how weird it feels to write a check for more money than I care to say for TREES! However, the difference they make for our backyard is like night and day. I can’t wait to share pics on Monday!

  11. We had lots of ligustrum when we were in Florida…good choice…and we had a patio ligustrum that we were able to make a topiary out of … they are such great trees/shrubs…Looking forward to the after pictures…and I did not know that azaleas were poisonous to dogs..!

    • Wow, so cool you made one into a topiary! The crew installed them yesterday and they look so good Shirley! As crazy as it sounds, they are my favorite investment we’ve made!

  12. oooo i love those trees they are pretty! privacy is a big yes in our book too (i guess thats why we built all the way in the country!) but we want even MORE and we are currently talking about getting some trees to line the lane so our house can’t even be seen from the road…lol we are crazy

  13. Nice! Privacy trees are definitely awesome! We’ve got a row of them in the back our house and we love them!

  14. Those will be awesome, Whitney! Now you can enjoy your outdoor space AND your privacy, too! Can’t wait to see… :)
    xo heidi

  15. Ooh, fun! We have been wanting to add some privacy trees in our backyard, but we are lazy. :)

    Excited to see how yours turn out!

  16. I love when people have trees in their backyard. They’re so nice for privacy and give off tons of shade (plus, they look pretty!). In New York City, they give out trees annually ( http://www.milliontreesnyc.org/html/programs/pdr_tree_giveaway.shtml ) . It’s such a great idea, but since we don’t own a house, we haven’t been able to take advantage of it.

  17. I would come talk to you about trees any day :) One of my fav topics! I’ve been researching some trees for a “living fence” and have it narrowed down to little gem magnolias, fragrant tea olives, and ligustrum. I’m looking forward to seeing yours in place! A very fun update!

    Also – my first Arbor Day Foundation tree came several weeks ago! Thanks again for that rec!

    • Aww, I’m glad you enjoyed this post. :) Girl, they look amazing! I’m seriously so happy with them– we should’ve bought them sooner! I will share pics on Monday! Good deal, mine came a few weeks ago as well. They’re so tiny, but hopefully they grow fast!

  18. Money well spent! You’ll enjoy your trees/privacy for many years to come.

I had a hayday at Tarjay

Oops.  Kinda went crazy, but it was oh so fun!  Target gets me every time, so I don’t let myself go very often.  Luckily, every single thing I picked up was on clearance and/or sale.

So let’s take a peek into my shopping cart:

This lamp base and shade….L.O.V.E.

By the way, that plant above is real and it’s been alive for almost a year now.  Is my thumb finally turning green?! I hope so.  Anyway, I’m even more in love with the price.  $35 off…say what?!

Here’s a close-up of the shade.  It mimics tweed from a distance, but close up has a chevron pattern.  It’s clean, simple, and versatile.

I also finally purchased some kitchen rugs.  We were in desperate need.  They make the kitchen look so much more “homey.”

Moving on to the front room, remember how in my mood board post, I said I wanted some gold accents in this room?  Look at this beauty!!

It was the last one on the shelf, and it was marked down to $48.  This was a little more than I preferred to pay for a little table, but just look at it!  It was worth it. :)

You can see in the above photo that I moved the blue retro end table I painted awhile back into this room.  I’m adding pops of color against the light walls and I’m loving it!!

I found this adorable candle holder at Target, but I think it would also be super cute on my desk to hold paper clips, etc.

I also snagged this Nate Berkus rug (pretend you don’t see the tag) for inside the front door.  I love the “natural” look of it.

Last but not least is this sweet little ceramic dove I picked up for less than $3.  I like it better on the buffet than the baskets I had before.

So you can see I went crazy at Target, but who doesn’t love Target?!  Hope you have a great week, friends!

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32 responses to I had a hayday at Tarjay


  1. Oh how I love Target! This stuff really makes me want to go shopping on my lunch break!

  2. Target is my major weakness!! I love all your purchases. I got the same lamp bases for the same price {even though I have no idea where I’m going to put them yet haha}. Your new stuff looks perfect in your home!!

  3. Nice score on that lamp base! And the gold table looks great in the room. :)

  4. I LOVE THAT LAMP!!! I rarely find killer deals at my Target – my mom’s target seems to have much better ones. I think I shall see if she wants to go shopping with me. :-)

  5. I’m not sure of another place where I have to exert as much control as I do than when at target! Really love that lamp & gold table! AND still, LOVE LOVE that new sofa ! So sweet

  6. I am a classic case of the “Walk Into Target For One Thing, Walk Out Of Target With 20 Things”. They just get me there, Whitney!

  7. That side table is awesome! You’re making me think I should take a little trip to Target … (P.S. I don’t know if all Goodwill’s do this, but ours carries surplus stuff from Target. Those have been some of my favorite finds :) .

  8. I’ve bought that same lampshade for a client before. It’s great! You made out like a bandit, girl.

  9. Love Target, too! That table is unbelievable — I’d have sprung for it, too. :)
    xo Heidi

  10. I’m not sure why, but the photos are having trouble loading for me today! I can only see the lampshade and the rugs, and they look great!
    I hope your thumb is turning green!! I have kept an orchid alive for a little over a month now, and that is a HUGE accomplishment for me. YAY us! :)

  11. The gold accent table is AWESOME. Might have to pick one up for myself! Target is so dangerous, you go in for one thing and leave with five :)

  12. Love that lamp and shade! I think Gabbi just got the same one this weekend too- saw it on Instagram and commented about how much I loved it! I might have to go check out Target (for the first time- just opened in Canada a few weeks ago!!) now. That side table is gorgeous too! Great finds!

  13. i also go crazy at target. last time i went i spent 60 bucks and i only went for a flea & tick collar for the dog! LOL I came out with some cute skinnies and a bunch of other stuff!

    I especially love those rugs. I think I need them.

  14. I hit up target this weekend, too, but I did not get so lucky. I think I’m going to head back this weekend and grab some curtains that I’ve been eyeing!

  15. I LOVE that side table! SO cute. All the other finds are awesome too. Target is dangerous!

  16. LOVE that side table! Well done. Love it when shopping trips are that fruitful! :)