We're making progress on the yard. The fence is finally finished - we'd been wondering if that was going to happen at all this year. It doesn't enclose all of the property but serves as a large dog yard and protected area for food gardens. There is a good chunk of land north of the fence that would be perfect for a few sheep but would also need field fencing, and most of the property is unfenced in front of the house. Less-than-glamorous pictures of fencing and gates below.
Here is the restored area in front of the house where everything was dying from the deep mulch and impenetrable plastic barrier underneath. The bark above the plastic was wet but the ground underneath dry as a bone. We put in a sun tolerant purple flowered rhodie, and after researching a bazillion Japanese maples decided on "Osakazuki" for its larger leaves, sun tolerance, hardiness and seasonal color changes that culminate in dramatic crimson red in fall. On the left is one of two Garry oaks in the front yard.
In the back yard I've started a shade garden with rhododendrons "Unique" and "President Roosevelt" and some ferns. Yet to be done: extending the mulched beds around the back of the house. We do have a mole tunneling through the beds but we're going to just live with it. The mounds in the second picture below are not huge mole hills, they are the rest of the excess bark removed from the front bed. And the third picture shows the finished raspberry clean up with another bark pile from the front yard.
