With the interior of the house settling down as we continue settling in, we're prioritizing work on the landscape. Dozens of transplanted azaleas, peonies, hydrangeas and other plants are finding new homes, and the basic work on the backyard is nearing completion. Things that will be completed in the spring include digging out and properly layering materials in to the rain garden, replacing the one likely dead ornamental tree hydrangea, laying a paver walkway, and adding more small plant materials in key spots.
The backyard as of last Friday. Unlike most developer-built new homes on typical south Minneapolis lots (40' x 129' is common), our house design is compact enough to allow a 25' x 40' backyard. Turf is used mainly to minimize erosion as water from the south side of the house flows across the backyard to the rain garden. From there, an overflow pipe drains off excess to the alley via the north side of the garage, and the rest slowly percolates down into the soil.
The City of Minneapolis requires that new homes have a total combined tree diameter proportional to the lot size. We need at least 16", and the one and only tree on the property is only 2" diameter. We've added 9 trees so far, and the final major specimen will be planted on Wednesday.