My Summer Project 2012

Okay, I finally have some time to post about this. I've been so busy with the girls and their school, that I haven't had any time. I was going to do this last week, but our Spring break got ruined, because they had to use the time to catch up on their assignments. Anyway, here is what the area currently looks like...


I plan to remove all the grass, take down the soil by about four inches, cover with visqueen or weed barrier, and then use rocks/landscape stones for filler. I also plan to install a few round planting areas for flowers or shrubs. I still don't know what types of plants will be used, so your suggestions are most welcome! The mower curb I plan to install will be a 7-inch strip of concrete that goes along the length of our property line and will act as a border between our yard and our neighbor's yard. That way, when our neighbor mows their yard, they can run their mower wheels onto the strip and not have to use a weed whip.


I think I may remove this tree as well. It's more of a hassle than anything else...


This is kinda what the mower curbing will look like, except instead of having the mower edge done in brick, I'll pour concrete for the edging...


I was going to try and have just a concrete mower curb, but I just can't see paying upwards of $200 to have that done. Yes, I'm cheap! Also, I couldn't find any forms which would allow me to do it myself, so what you see in the photo above is plan B.
Anyway, if any of you have suggestions as to design or the types of plants we could put in, please leave a comment. Since I won't be able to start this until the girls are out of school, there's plenty of time to comment.