I imagine that landscape overhauls are becoming more popular for people that can afford them, but most people inherit their landscaping from the previous owners of their homes.  Older homes have years and years of decaying walkways and hidden bush and tree stumps that never get dug up or ground down when they are deemed expendable.  This is what our yards are like.

I started with dreams of hauling off debris and carving out perfect pathways with brand new pavers and fencing.  Then I sobered up.  Inherited yards are not blank canvases, and mine came with loads of history that would be too expensive to ignore.  For example, the fence surrounding the wide gate into the back yard was dry-stacked logs from trees felled by the previous owner.  It was cool and we kind of liked it, until it fell down.  Now it is a pile of work that laughs at us whenever we try to clean it up a little.  As much as I wish all the logs would just disappear, they are raw material, and free raw material at that.

Another obstacle is that old landscaping starts to fall in on itself, grass reaches across walkways, pavers settle inches higher or lower than their fellows, flowers compete with weeds in their beds.  The logs ended up being the perfect solution to put some designated areas back in my backyard.

Madagascar Periwinkle or Vinca Rosea grows like a weed in my yard and reminds me of my grandmother.  I noticed that the vinca in one corner of the yard weren’t suffering the sudden death of their fellows in the front or anywhere else.  Now, anytime I find a straggling vinca I move it here.  I planted my Mexican Petunia in the back and it is liking the location, too.  Incidentally, Mexican petunia is also a pest plant.  All non hybrid forms spread rampantly through prolific seed pods.  So you might say, I gave a corner of my yard to the weeds.