This post is more of a visual, photo-heavy one documenting the in-progress transformation of the back of our garden. We un-paved paradise, and put up a playground…

The area at the back of our garden had been used as a dump for generations of folks. Broken bottles. Wheelbarrows. Insulation. Broken bricks. Mobile phones. You name it, we probably dug it up. Working with my parents during their visit last year, we managed to wrangle it into some sort of shape, but the rotten fencing had to be removed and we were left with an unsecured portion of the garden for much longer than I would have liked.

The further we progressed, the more we seemed to uncover. Gradually a plan took form. The back was going to become a play area laid with woodchips, and would house a mud kitchen for Evie. Getting round to doing it was another thing altogether. I needed manpower, and for that, in stepped my parents on another of their cross-Atlantic excursions. Together we’ve been busy taming the wild space. The first part of the job was getting the fence done, which was completed back in March.

The blank canvas was there at least. We had something to work with. Fast forward to the very pleasant weather spell and things took a bit of a twist. Who knew there were quite so many weed seeds in there!

After some hard graft and removing a tonne of plastic and gumph, we were back to baseline. I gave the gravel boards a coat of fence paint so they were given some protection and set about doing some more excavation and attempting to level the area. I didn’t really know what shape the space was going to take, but keeping it multi-level seemed like a sensible enough option.

Successive rounds of digging and raking to remove stones, glass, and plastic followed. Dig. Rake. Dig. Rake. And so it went on until the ground was starting to look less like wasteland and more ordinary soil. Bit by bit it was levelling off and starting to come together.

The breezeblock wall was incomplete, so finishing it seemed like a sensible place to work on next. I didn’t want to have the hassle of pouring a proper concrete foundation, so instead once I had excavated the area I used a layer of gravel which I tamped level. I ended up mixing some mortar to make a slightly more sensible wall than originally intended as the structure wasn’t terribly stable without it. I also put in a step on the left hand side to provide easy child-friendly access. It’s not my finest bricklaying job, but if it holds together I’ll be happy with it.

The plants, although not in my original plans for the space, will bring it together well. We have a series of ferns and hostas which are shade loving, and several acer palmatum trees (Japanese maple) to add some interest.

There are still a few jobs to go. There’s the weed-proof membrane to put down, the compost bin needs moved, and the treehouse requires some tidying up. I am really happy with how things are progressing and excited to see how Evie utilises the new playground. I know I would have loved somewhere like this growing up. A secret hideaway at the farthest reaches of the garden. It wouldn’t have been possible without my parents.

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