Major change coming for the back yard.

 We received notice that the condo corporation will be redoing our fences in September.  Something that should have been done years ago as the posts have been rotting and last year we were concerned that it would fall over during a storm and take out the gas regulators in our yards.  They did a quick fix, but they put wood directly into concrete.  The concrete was also well below grade and covered by soil which isn't good for the longevity of the fence.

It will require us to move all the plants (in containers) and the patio stones at least 5 feet (1.5 meters) away from the current fence line.  With that project it gives me the opportunity to create raised beds.  Permanent plantings with trellises and if I plan it properly the various hooks can be placed to have hanging baskets so that we have a variety of plantings and colours.  We will be visiting the various home centers to look at materials for raised beds along with the associated costs.  

We will still have containers at the front of our place and for the back deck and for the eight poles.

Another bonus is that I will be able to plan a proper layout for the outdoor Christmas lights where I can quickly and easily access.  Also, with permanent raised beds I don't have to move and store the various planters making my fall cleanup much, much easier.  With the raised beds I will have a number of large concrete pavers and I will be using that to raise the two sheds up a few inches.  That will help me in the winter when I clear the snow as no matter how good I clear the yard, ice seems to build up in front of each door making it a chore getting in to take out the garbage, recycling and composting bins every week for pickup.

I will be heading out soon with a tape measure, paper and pencil to lay out the dimensions and placement of the raised beds, a small brick path between the fence and beds and the quantity of materials to create the beds.  Like my back deck project it will be done up on the computer so I have a record of what was done.  My wife is looking forward to this project as she has ideas on plants she would like to see instead of annuals every year.