How I Transformed My Back Yard Into An Outdoor Oasis: Phase 2
Taking my back yard patio to the next level with pea gravel, garden spaces, and a kid play area that actually looks good
The White Cape is a newsletter that shares the interests, evolution, and changing perspective of my little white Cape Cod-style home, and the people (mostly me) inside it.
This week’s things:
Inspired by my favorite podcast, A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica, each week I will share my favorite things that are occupying space in my mind.
Book:
The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell - I was inspired to pick this one up after listening to author Montell on the Be There In Five podcast. As someone who studied and was fascinated by behavioral science in school, I was drawn to Montell’s natural inquisition and need to rationalize phenomenons we are witnessing almost daily. She uses moving personal anecdotes to humanize the larger ideas, and her personality shines through the otherwise complicated concepts.
Purchase:
GLDN - I recently visited Napa for my 30th birthday. This was always a dream of mine, as nearly everyone I knew had been there and only said amazing things about it. On my birthday we took a little trip to Sonoma, and I saw a sign for permanent bracelets in one of the jewelry shops downtown. I nearly sprinted in there and spent $80 to get a delicate gold chain welded together on my wrist. Unfortunately (you know where this is going), when I looked down at my wrist the next day, the chain and my investment were gone. Thankfully I found GLDN and their delicate, affordable gold jewelry, and I’ve been loving them. I have been wearing the Minimal Cable Chain Bracelet and Utility Links Bracelet every day since getting them, and they are the perfect little touch of elegance to every outfit.
Recipe:
Elyse Kopecky’s Veggie Skillet Frittata - Recently, my husband and I hosted brunch on our patio with our best friends. We showed off our new-and-improved back yard and enjoyed a 10/10 meal while our toddlers played together in the new “kid zone.” I made a fresh loaf of my whole wheat sourdough, banana bread, and a smash hit frittata. I own all of Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky’s cookbooks, and they are on a constant rotation in our homes. Their most recent book, Rise & Run, is entirely focused on breakfast and has dozens of muffin recipes that are absolutely incredible. My daughter loves to stand on her toddler tower to help me cook or bake, and muffins have become a regular Sunday activity in our home. This frittata, however, was perfectly made with vegetables from my garden and breakfast sausage we had in our freezer, and did not take very much time or prep to make.
Transforming my back yard into an outdoor oasis: Phase 2
Welcome to Part 2 of my backyard transformation. In case you missed it, I shared Part 1 last week, where we got into the details of how we identified the potential of our back yard the moment we saw it in person, the design process and decisions made, and the process getting to a semi-final product.
We finished the first phase of the project in 2021 and lived with it in that state until this past summer. We always knew the space was unfinished, but after becoming pregnant in 2022 and having a baby in 2023, there just was no time or space to get it done.
This spring/summer, finishing the back yard was our top priority.
The punch list was simple in theory, but took a lot of time and effort to complete. My husband and I were doing this project entirely ourselves, during 2-hour nap time windows on Saturdays and Sundays. As you can imagine, this meant the process was fragmented, stressful, and slow.
We learned our lesson and thanks to one full day of PTO, and one weekend paying for a babysitter, we were able to focus and dedicate a solid few days to knocking it all out.
The list included:
Stain the pergola and wood furniture
Rip out existing rocks, grass, and wild mint
Place iron edging around patio
Lay multiple layers of stone, including Blue Stone Gravel and Pea Gravel
Build swing and sandbox
New plant beds
Lay mulch
Buy and plant new pots and hanging baskets
Plant vegetables
Teamwork really did make the dream work. My husband and I got into a rhythm, and found the entire process therapeutic and satisfying. We ripped out all existing rocks, grass, and wild mint that was growing sporadically, which took much less time than I was anticipating.
The most technical aspect of the entire project was installing the iron edging around the patio. This would prevent pea gravel from spilling over onto the patio, and also created a nice barrier around the areas of stone vs. areas for plants. Wherever there were spots that required a bent angle, we needed to measure and bend ourselves. That meant that I needed to hop on top of the edge piece. Unfortunately, my body weight wasn’t quite enough to make it an easy process, so I ended up needing to hop hop hop a bunch of times in order to get it to bend properly — ha! It all worked out in the end, and we joked that we could have second careers as “edgers.”
We then ordered two piles of stone from our local garden center. First, Blue Stone Gravel, which helped to establish a solid foundation for our decorative pea gravel, and also act as a barrier to weeds and grass. This also helped level out the sections of the yard that had inconsistencies. Next, we placed down a layer of weed blocker material, which might not do anything but we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
Then came the best part—laying the pea gravel. The stone was placed in a very large section on the side of our house, around the vegetable garden beds, and around the remaining perimeter of the pergola. This would carry the material through the different sections of the yard, creating a cohesiveness that otherwise would have been missed.
Flowers were the final finishing touch, and really brought the space to life. We purchased a few perennials that we hope will grow into large, lush flowering bushes over the next few years, and hide the majority of the backside of the house. Then, we added a few decorative pots and hanging baskets, and called it quits.
We are so very satisfied by the way the yard turned out. It feels complete and our daughter has a dedicated area for playing that also doesn’t compromise the aesthetic of the yard. My garden has been flourishing this season, the yard stays clean when it rains, and we feel at peace when we are able to be outside enjoying it.
There might be a Part 3 to come in the future, perhaps including some more trees, plants, and maybe a new fence. But we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
As always, thank you for being here.