I'm such a fair weather worker. First it was too cold to work outside, then it was too hot. Last week, the temperature was in the 70's, just right to finally tackle some yard work.
We have this flower bed in one corner of our patio and a couple of years ago our butterfly bush died which left this spot bare. Well, it wasn't bare for long because it quickly became overgrown with weeds. I didn't know what to do with it so I just left it. Finally last summer, I tackled the weeds and laid some mulch but still didn't know what to plant there.
Anyway, last week I finally figured out what to do. I've been wanting to make our patio more kid friendly so the kids will play outside longer. I had this old toddler bench that looked out of place next to the adult sized table and chairs on the patio, so I thought why not make a cute little tot spot in the flower bed.
First up was to do the remaining weeding. My little guy decided it was more fun to help me than to ride his bike. I'm not one to turn down free help, so I let him work.
Then I laid down the mulch. I actually bought several bags of mulch from Lowes when it was on sale, that was over a month ago, and now I finally am getting around to using them. Then I laid down the pavers. The pavers I had sitting atop the base to our cantilever umbrella. The umbrella broke last year and so these pavers were no longer needed. Glad I could finally put them to good use. The bench went on top of the pavers and I placed a potted tree behind the bench. The tree started out as a sapling 2 years ago, it's a wonder that thing is still alive. It looks good in this spot and the terra cotta colored pot matches the color of the pavers too.
I had my little guy test out the spot and soon realized, he needed a place to put his feet....
...so I added a little paver in the front...
...and now it's perfect.
Oh, and that big blue pinwheel does a nice job of hiding our utility line.
All in all, I'm pleased with this little tot spot. I had all the items on hand and the mulch was the only thing I had purchased. At $2 a bag, and I think I used 4 bags, it was an inexpensive upgrade for the patio.
