Flower Gardening: Turning a "dead" area into a southern style courtyard

Debi M
by Debi M
We have a magnolia tree that was planted by my Grandmother in 1918 when her home was built.. Years of neglect caused the area underneath the tree to become barren. The dirt was impacted, hard and full of roots. This needed serious help. My friend Rob was the labor part of our team. I dreamed up the plans and helped with the planting. We now love to use our side entry. Our courtyard is a big hit with our friends and family
New Courtyard: After raking up tons of leaves we found lots of roots from the magnolia tree. We hauled in dirt and sand, leveled the yard and begin placing 12x12 blocks. A walkway was made with repurposed bricks from a home that was torn down. The gravel between the bricks and the blocks was left over from another project. We scavenged the rocks from a relocated house site. Many of the flower pots were found at yard sales. A 2 seater swing allows us a place to enjoy our morning coffee
The courtyard is divided into two halves by a brick walkway. Neighbors and friends gave us a lot of cuttings and flower bulbs. One friend was moving and had no place to put her cast iron lawn furniture. When she visited, she said she had something for me and made me a gift of the furniture, which is almost 100 years old. Inexpensive mini pansies and trailing pansies offer color and southern charm to this furniture. We are enjoying what was once a horrible eyesore
Debi M
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Leida R Leida R on May 16, 2012
    GREAT JOB!!! I love it. By the way I have the same chairs. A friend of mine also gave them to me because he moved and couldn't take them to where he was moving to. He did not owned that beautiful planter you have there, though. ENJOY EVERYTHING!!!
  • Debi M Debi M on May 16, 2012
    I love to "re-purpose" No sense in throwing out something that is perfectly wonderful
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