Three years ago when we bought our house, the courtyard was a mess! Above is a picture so you can see for yourself!
We moved in here in September, and by October we were already having the courtyard overhauled. If you want to see the step by step, visit the Photos page or click here.
The work was finally done around Christmas, and it wasn’t until February 25, 2008 that we actually planted the beds. The pictures above and below are the newly planted courtyard:
So today, it is two years and three months later. Below are a couple of pictures to illustrate how fast things grow.
To me, the most amazing things are the palms, all three of them. The areca palms in the corner are now way higher than the wall. The traveler palm (which was actually planted a year later than everything else) is gigantic! It was about 3 feet tall when we planted it! And the Windmill Palm that was in the courtyard when we bought the place is unrecognizable!
The traveler palm is in the same family as the bird of paradise, and if you look closely you’ll see that it is blooming right now. The reddish flower at the top of the picture just above is actually growing along the roof beam, it is a favorite of mine called the Mexican flag because it is red, white, and green.
Chris
June 7, 2010That is beautiful! You did a wonderful transition for your garden. You guys look very happy with your four-legged children.
Sandy @ Cubanhousewife
June 7, 2010Wow you did a nice job at transforming the garden. Nice pic to show the change too.
Diane
June 7, 2010It looks beautiful. Remind me, why did you pick Mazatlan? What other ares were on your short list? If I recall you looked at SMA and Queretero as well, any others?
Diane
Nancy
June 7, 2010Chris, Thanks so much! And yes, we love our four legged kids.
Sandy, Thank you so much, and thank you for coming by! I visited your blog, it sounds like you love to cook (like me!) Saludos!
Diane, Thanks! Yes, we did look at SMA and Queretaro – you have a good memory! I wrote about our decision http://www.countdowntomexico.com/2007/02/19/mazatlan-is-it-at-least-for-a-few-years/
Jonna
June 7, 2010It looks lovely Nancy, a great improvement. I love that the traveler palm is blooming, and it looks so good there. They suffer so much out in the wind that most I see are bedraggled, this one is really happy in its spot. I’d love to also see how the roof garden is doing???
Nancy
June 8, 2010Jonna, Thanks! The traveler palm is perfect for the space, I love the way it fans out on the wall. I know eventually it will grow taller than the wall but for now it is fantastic.
Guadalupe is cleaning upstairs right now and is sweeping the patio. So when she leaves and it looks all spiffy I’ll take some pictures for a before and after of that space. Thanks for the nudge.
Cheryl
June 8, 2010Beautiful! So relaxing and peaceful looking!
Amanda
June 8, 2010I love what you’ve done, you have inspired me to do something to our outside area…even though were renting and i’m limited to pots and plants….i think i can come up with something awesome! Thanks!
Nancy
June 8, 2010Cheryl, Thanks so much, we had originally wanted a way wilder, tropical look, but the courtyard with its tall walls gets too much sun sometimes and too little at others. But we still love it.
Amanda, You can do a lot with pots, I will be doing a post in a couple of days about our upstairs patio that gets full sun, and everything is in pots. I’m sure you can make your space beautiful!