Today I’m back to talking about the patio. I’ve been adding the finishing touches to the area just in time for cold weather! We’ll still be able to use it since cold weather in Tennessee tends to be tolerable weather. (I still use the grill even in the wintertime) Please ignore the overflowing trashcan in the background but do pay attention to the planting bed I built earlier in the summer next to the garage. I never got around to blogging about it but here it is. It is a two bed system made of landscape timbers. The top bed is filled with gravel and used as a spot for the trash can and the other bed is for plants. An arborvitae that we brought back from my brother-in-law’s wedding is now serving as a screen. Once it fills out we won’t see the trash can at all, or at least that is my goal.
Next to the house is our potting bench. I put it together using scrap lumber and an old wooden pallet. I have a few adjustments to do on the potting bench that I’ll blog about later. Between the house and the patio we put a decorative gravel mixed with a couple larger natural stones. This area was a haven for weeds before I cleaned it out. I layered the area with landscape fabric then covered with the stone. The gutter was redirected into a corrugated pipe that goes underneath the deck and out into the yard. My goal was to make the area low maintenance and keep the water away from the foundation. I think that it is actually much better than it was before! Of course I might be a little prejudiced.
Good morning Dave! Looks like cold weather is heading our way! But we might escape a freeze. The patio continues to get better and better! I like the stone you’ve added, it is decorative and a smart move. Those darn weeds will sprout everywhere!
Gail
Dave — my husband grills our turkey every Thanksgiving! It’s the best…and, it frees up my oven. I’ll have to post the instructions on my blog in a week or so. We live outdoors as much as possible, too. Cameron
I think it looks great and hardly notice the trash can at all.
Looks good Dave. Like Tina said, hardly notice the can. I think Argorvitae are pretty but from my experience, within a few yrs. they grow into huge trees. We actually had to trim them out to drive through as they had been planted on either side of the driveway with plenty of room. We never dreamed they would get that big.
Looks good Dave. I love the way you are screening off the trashcan. Very clever way to make the area next to the house low maintenance.
Hi Dave – I like that homemade potting bench. And that gravel is a nice touch and will help with those weeds.