This is what i am working with. Many thanks to my wife for merging all of the pictures together so that I have a comprehensive view of what the backyard looks like before all of the changes really start. its pretty boring and barren. The most important things for me about the backyard:

• Keep a lot of the treeline on the right hand side, but clear out a lot of the honeysuckle that grows around it.
• Create a barrier along the back fencerow with some type of evergreen
• Make raised beds for the garden along the neighbor's fencerow
• Bring more color, interest and wildlife into the yard

Somehow, I've got to get all of this started by the weekend. I've got plants on top of plants on top of plants now, and nowhere to really put them. My last shipment of items came today from my original order in February. I also got the added surprise of roses to plant in the yard from family. I'm not sure what kind they are yet, but I'm so excited to get them out in the yard and hopefully see them bloom this summer.

Its getting close to Spring; I can feel it in my bones! I can't wait to be back outside digging in the dirt and watching all of the plants and trees come into bloom. I've got quite a project ahead of me to transform our backyard from its current shabby state into more of a place that the wife and I can enjoy on a regular basis.

I've got plenty of ideas in my head for what I would like to be able to do. It's all just a matter of time, and proper planning. I want to use this blog to share my transformation (metamorphosis if you will), and let it serve as a history of the changes that I have made. I've already got some things ordered for the garden, and I've done a few things already, but overall, its going to be a long road of changes.

I am most excited about it being spring again. Winter is such a logn and dreary season. With a bland garden and backyard, there's really nothing much to watch. It's a land of sticks and brown grass right now. I want to incorporate evergreens, and things to feed wildlife in winter. That way the yard is always busy and welcoming.