(Francie, I listened to your request!) Our yard makeover is complete. Here we have a freshly fluffed bed, with some kind of fern plants and Dianaella plants added. The black mulch makes everything look clean and crisp as well.
My car has a flat tire, thanks to Lindsey, who drove it home this way all the way from HEB.
Our Bermuda grass was scalped and we added Palisades Zoysia grass. Fred, our salesperson, miscalculated by five pallets how much we would need. Since we paid for it, we resodded our front lawn too.
Plus this city easement between our house and our neighbors' home. Plus some of their backyard. Thanks, Fred. Glad we could do our part in beautifying the neighborhood.
One of the guys who did the masonry for the pool did so well that I hired him to add this flagstone step to the front porch to replace the boring concrete undersized step that was there before.
Six sick shrubs, details below.
The fountain is finally working with a bigger horsepowered blower.
Kelly had envisioned bigger palm trees, but we are still enjoying this pint-sized trio of Pygmy Date Palms.
A lonely, single Pygmy Date Palm is hidden by a moss rock wall and an accenting waterfall.
Paper lanterns didn't really have that great of an impact. I should have gotten bigger, brighter ones instead of black and white floral. They still look fun and festive.
The little "Happy Halloween" has been in our front yard every October for the last few years, so for a change, I put it back here for the only seasonal decor in the back. I love living in Austin and took a nice swim this afternoon before our Relief Society presidency meeting. Such bliss! 
I hired electrical contractors to come add an outlet to this side of the house for the white Christmas lights I put in all the live oak trees. The workers couldn't speak a word of English, so I tried to convey to them that I just had the flowers, grass, mulch put in a week earlier, as they were digging it all up and messing it up. Remarkably, they punched through the wall of the garage and ran the line down beneath the surface and put everything back into place just like it was. A large frog came jumping up for air. I don't know where he was hiding, but I did learn how to say frog in Spanish, sapo. These are Plumbego and Agapanthus in this bed.
Kelly and I were shopping late at Target earlier this week and scored these reclining chairs on clearance for $14 each instead of about $49 at the beginning of the season.
This wall of Bright 'n Tight Cherry Laurels will get tall and make a nice privacy hedge to block our neighbors' deck area. Actually these particular ones are getting replaced because they have a disease or something going wrong with them, plus they are significantly smaller than the ones I saw at the nursery for supposedly the same price that I was expecting. I will not publicly divulge how much I paid for these shrubs, but let me just say, a lot. Therefore, I'm happy they will be replacing them with healthy ones, and hopefully bigger.
They really make a beautiful backdrop for pictures, and will be excellent in a couple years. Not these in particular, but their soon-to-be replacements. I'm crossing my fingers for a much better lot.
My fountain of youth.
The purple fountain grass is one of my favorites. The Lorapetalum shrubs looks very pretty next to it. I wish I'd turned the waterfall on before I took this picture. Next time.
Eight itty bitty Fig Ivy plants were planted around the wall of the pool equipment. I can't wait to see how they start climbing up the wall.
In the right place this time, the green valve boxes were moved after the fit I threw over having them smack dab in our new back lawn.
The new shrubs all around and under the deck are Viburnum Sandankwas.
We now have Palisades Zoysia grass instead of what ever would grow naturally in the backyard.
Our sod seems to be doing well after a week of planting it. It's still rather squishy from soaking it down.
My car has a flat tire, thanks to Lindsey, who drove it home this way all the way from HEB.
Our Bermuda grass was scalped and we added Palisades Zoysia grass. Fred, our salesperson, miscalculated by five pallets how much we would need. Since we paid for it, we resodded our front lawn too.
Plus this city easement between our house and our neighbors' home. Plus some of their backyard. Thanks, Fred. Glad we could do our part in beautifying the neighborhood.
One of the guys who did the masonry for the pool did so well that I hired him to add this flagstone step to the front porch to replace the boring concrete undersized step that was there before.
Six sick shrubs, details below.
The fountain is finally working with a bigger horsepowered blower.
Kelly had envisioned bigger palm trees, but we are still enjoying this pint-sized trio of Pygmy Date Palms.
A lonely, single Pygmy Date Palm is hidden by a moss rock wall and an accenting waterfall.
Paper lanterns didn't really have that great of an impact. I should have gotten bigger, brighter ones instead of black and white floral. They still look fun and festive.
The little "Happy Halloween" has been in our front yard every October for the last few years, so for a change, I put it back here for the only seasonal decor in the back. I love living in Austin and took a nice swim this afternoon before our Relief Society presidency meeting. Such bliss! 
I hired electrical contractors to come add an outlet to this side of the house for the white Christmas lights I put in all the live oak trees. The workers couldn't speak a word of English, so I tried to convey to them that I just had the flowers, grass, mulch put in a week earlier, as they were digging it all up and messing it up. Remarkably, they punched through the wall of the garage and ran the line down beneath the surface and put everything back into place just like it was. A large frog came jumping up for air. I don't know where he was hiding, but I did learn how to say frog in Spanish, sapo. These are Plumbego and Agapanthus in this bed.
Kelly and I were shopping late at Target earlier this week and scored these reclining chairs on clearance for $14 each instead of about $49 at the beginning of the season.
This wall of Bright 'n Tight Cherry Laurels will get tall and make a nice privacy hedge to block our neighbors' deck area. Actually these particular ones are getting replaced because they have a disease or something going wrong with them, plus they are significantly smaller than the ones I saw at the nursery for supposedly the same price that I was expecting. I will not publicly divulge how much I paid for these shrubs, but let me just say, a lot. Therefore, I'm happy they will be replacing them with healthy ones, and hopefully bigger.
They really make a beautiful backdrop for pictures, and will be excellent in a couple years. Not these in particular, but their soon-to-be replacements. I'm crossing my fingers for a much better lot.
My fountain of youth.
The purple fountain grass is one of my favorites. The Lorapetalum shrubs looks very pretty next to it. I wish I'd turned the waterfall on before I took this picture. Next time.
Eight itty bitty Fig Ivy plants were planted around the wall of the pool equipment. I can't wait to see how they start climbing up the wall.
In the right place this time, the green valve boxes were moved after the fit I threw over having them smack dab in our new back lawn.
The new shrubs all around and under the deck are Viburnum Sandankwas.
We now have Palisades Zoysia grass instead of what ever would grow naturally in the backyard.
Our sod seems to be doing well after a week of planting it. It's still rather squishy from soaking it down.
Comments
Your yard was so festive the other night, I loved the trees all decorated up too.
Joanne Henry @ Tranquility Pools
Ralf Gapmann @ Pool Service Perth