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Bare Walls Be Gone

From "Grounds for Improvement"
episode DGFI-208

Figure A

The yard redesign is nearing completion. The back wall has been transformed with alternating sections of paint and lattice wall panels (figure A).

To give the yard shade from the intense Las Vegas sun, Dean installs a shade cloth close to the house. Tall posts are set into the ground to act as supports for the triangular cloth and tilted back approximately 10 degrees to help create a tight tension. Dry quick-set concrete is then poured into the postholes, and the holes are saturated with water. A hole is drilled at the top of each post, and an eyebolt is installed to hold the shade-cloth hooks (figure B).

With the wall painted and the lattice panels in place, climbing vines are planted in front of the lattice. Yellow bird of Paradise is planted against the orange wall, star jasmine in front of the trellis panels and Mexican bird of Paradise along the opposite walls.

Two days of hard work and some creative thinking have brought new life to this struggling backyard (figure C) (figure D).

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

With the help of family and friends, Nate and Kat now have a unique, colorful environment that reflects their personalities (figure E) (figure F) (figure G).

Figure E

Figure F

Figure G