This weekend I finally got around to sketching out some ideas for the back corner of our yard—the shady spot near the fence that just sort of exists. You know the one: patches of moss, old tree roots, the random stepping stone from someone’s forgotten project. It’s been bothering me for years. I’ve tried everything from flower pots to a garden bench, but it still ends up being the place where we dump bags of mulch or hide the recycling.

But this year feels different.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been spending more time outside—thanks to longer evenings and fewer Zoom calls—or if it’s just because I’ve started seeing my yard as more than just a lawn to mow. Either way, I’ve been craving something more intentional. A real outdoor room, maybe. A space that could become part of our daily rhythm, not just a backdrop.

I started where I always do: Pinterest spirals and frantic screenshots at 1AM. But funny enough, I ended up landing on a guide that felt way more grounded in real, New Jersey backyards. I found it while researching local companies and wound up on this page from Baur Lawns — Expert Landscaping in Freehold. The photos weren’t glossy magazine stuff—they looked like yards from my neighborhood. Real homes with imperfect corners, just like mine, turned into these polished, cozy, usable spaces.

What caught my eye first were the raised garden beds framed by tidy stone borders. I love the idea of mixing edible and ornamental plants—maybe some lavender near the tomatoes or a corner of herbs in a little spiral layout. The way they talked about shaping spaces “with purpose” really stuck with me. I’ve been guilty of just throwing down plants without thinking about how I’d actually use the space around them. Baur’s work had this nice balance of beauty and function. Not just for show, but for living.

I also didn’t realize how much a little grading could impact drainage. That shady patch I mentioned? It floods every spring. And while I’ve always blamed the trees, it turns out it might just be a slope issue. The Freehold page had a section on creating properly sloped yards and adding subtle hardscaping like retaining walls or low stone dividers to manage runoff. Something clicked. Maybe I don’t need to remove the trees—I just need to reshape the land around them.

And then there was a photo—nothing dramatic, just a clean, quiet nook with a bench nestled between hostas and a low retaining wall. It looked like somewhere you'd go to sip tea on a Sunday morning. Peaceful and simple. Exactly the kind of energy I want to bring to my cluttered corner.

I’m still not totally sure what direction I’ll go in yet, but the idea of turning that forgotten space into something intentional—whether it’s a small sitting area, a garden corner, or even a tucked-away path—feels really exciting now. And knowing there are local crews like Baur Lawns who understand our climate, our soil quirks, and our sense of space here in Marlboro and Freehold… well, that’s reassuring.

For now, I’m just doodling ideas and taking slow walks around the yard with my coffee. But that neglected corner? It’s finally starting to look like possibility instead of a problem.

I expected a sales pitch. What I got was a reality check about my "low-maintenance" gravel yard that had become a weed haven.

The Baur team helped me:

Phase projects realistically

Choose native plants that thrive

Balance aesthetics with practicality