Too much colour

It’s been said that authors will often look back at their earlier work and wonder what led them to write what they did.  I would think anyone who does creative work would do the same thing.  This landscape architect sure does. 

Case in point is my own backyard.  Only 4 years old and I think that if I were to do it all over again, I might not do it all over again.

Our south-facing patio doors lead to a superb and well-used sizable patio.  Rather than concrete, I opted to use a dark-coloured Umbriano brick, by Unilock.  We use this patio more than any other sit-down areas of the backyard, sometimes at breakfast with morning coffee, but most often in evenings. 

Go down two steps and we’re on another brick patio, this one large enough to handle a small party.  The lone Beech tree is not yet large enough to cast much shade, so this patio is often too hot. 

On the right is the waterfall/water garden, about 20 feet long, with water tumbling over a few boulders, then landing in a mini beach.  Birds of all kinds flock to the shallow water to enjoy a drink or bath. 

If I were to do it all over again, I would dial back the water feature, making it smaller, less impressive, and above all, quieter. 

A stone wall separates the water feature from the fire pit.  We use the fire pit frequently, probably twice a week, even in winter.    The fire pit takes care of everything from broken branches to Corn Flakes boxes to addressed mail that I would rather burn than shred. 

If the kids come over, or if we have more sophisticated company, we’ll stoke up the fire pit on a Saturday night, chow down hot dogs or marshmallows, and chat it up until the wee hours.

Most of the misgivings I have about the backyard deal with plant selection, a common dilemma for keen horticulturists.  I have plants of all shapes, sizes, textures, colours and forms…so many that I long for serenity rather than busyness.  The worst offenders are my prized Japanese Maples, of which I have 8 in red, yellow, tall and cascading. 

If I were to do it all over again, I would dial back the plants, opting for more shades of green, with fewer shapes, forms and colours.

But the wonderful thing about our backyard is that Cheryl loves it and forbids me to change a thing.  That’s okay, because when I yearn for tranquility, I will sit on the front porch.