My BIG Backyard Makeover Part III

This is the third and final post about my BIG Backyard Makeover! If you missed the previous post you can find Part I HERE and Part II HERE.

This phase consisted of the old garden shed and the area between the shed and pond. This was the most grueling part of the whole makeover. The area between the shed and pond was low and swampy and was filled with old bricks, trash, weeds, stumps and poison oak which stealthily sneaked out and attacked me! I have never had poison oak before and let me tell you, I don't want to get it again. I scratched and itched for 2 straight weeks! I also had to work with some ugly permanent fixtures. In the picture below you will see a very ugly, large black, upside down pot, it actually hides the pump for the deep well which you can see just to the left of the pot. But this area also had some great redeeming features! There are lots of tall shade trees and some existing native Palm trees. I knew this area would be the perfect place to really showcase the Tropical Caribbean feel I was trying to create! Here is a "Before" shot of the low swampy area.

I started this area by removing all the old trash and weeds, digging up all the old bricks and stumps, then raking and raking and raking till the area was fairly level. I could not bring in a lot of dirt to make it completely level because that would cause undo stress on the existing tree roots. So, to help eliminate the swampiness, I created a curvy sand "Beach" that will allow water to perk down through to the tree roots. I actually added about 1,300 lbs of sand. Next, I added lots of really cool tropical plants including Banana trees, ferns, elephant ears and some very sweet smelling Ginger.  I stretched our hammock between two trees and came up with a fun solution to hide the pump. And here is an "After" shot of the once trashy, swampy area!

The large brightly colored basket now hides the pump! It is weather proof and is made from recycled plastic bottles. I have had it for about 12 years but in it's former life was golden tan, burgundy and hunter green, nothing a little spray paint couldn't fix. The smaller basket hides the hose. The tall pole was snagged from my neighbors trash, again, nothing wrong with it that a little spray paint couldn't fix! The lantern is actually solar powered and lights up at night. Here is another "Before" shot from a different angle. This shot was actually taken after I cleaned the area up a little bit.

On the end of the shed I added a trellis with a Mandevilla vine, more ferns and Caladiums and a large, brightly painted Tera-cotta lizard that Mr Bubble and I brought home from our last cruise to Cozumel. Potted Hibiscus define the entrance to the "hidden beach". And here is an "After" shot of the same area.

And finally I attacked the old garden shed, unfortunately, I forgot to take a "before" shot so I will just have to describe to you what it looked like! The door was kind of white but mostly rusted. There was no stoop below the door so you had to step up about a foot to get into the shed. The areas on either side of the door were covered in weeds and more trash, overgrown trees and no plants or anything of interest. I removed all of the weeds and trash, cut down & pruned the trees and cut some large sweeping bedlines. Next I sanded, primed and painted the door my favorite shade of Turquoise. I brought in a shipping pallet and painted it white and the same color of Turquoise and placed it below the door for a new stoop. Next I painted some old wire baskets, lined them with some cocoa liners and hung them below the two windows and finally filled them with lots of flowers. Next I added plants and flowers to the beds and added a thick layer of mulch. Finally I gave our old wheelbarrow new life and a new purpose! It was originally painted your basic contractor orange. I painted it PINK and yellow, filled it with dirt and added lots of flowers. I'm not 100% happy with the color I painted the wheelbarrow but I'm going to let it go for now. And here is an "After" shot of the shed.

And I have one last little detail to show you. This little sign at the end of the shed points the way to the "Hidden Beach". Do you see the seashells at the bottom of the sign? Well my girls actually found them on our property when we cleared our lot, proof that we once owned Ocean Front Property, lol! 

So whats next you might ask? Well, I want to build a large firepit in the grassy area just out from the pond, complete with a pea gravel seating area and lots of brightly painted Adirondack chairs!  
I'm linking this to PINK Saturday so please stop by How Sweet the Sound and say HI to Miss Beverly!
Thanks for stopping by to see my Big Backyard Makeover! Hugs and Blessings, Nan