The first step is admitting that you have a problem....

We need an intervention. A gardening intervention that is. We absolutely do not have another square inch to stuff anymore plants into. Here is where we started (although actually this is the neighbors as we don't have any before photos of ours so it's the reverse layout of ours but you get the idea)

The transformation really began last summer when we dug out the one long bed about four feet down and composted in it all summer to get some good dirt to combat the sand. Then in October when we lost our poor Nero, it all kicked into high gear. We wanted to keep him close, but had to bury him quickly so we dug another bed in the back right corner and as Mum was here when it happened, she gifted us a commemorative tree from the souq that we buried above him. While we were at it, we dug another two beds because why not. Oy.

Cut to now after six months of growing in, the addition of two new chairs to the two we already had, a small table and a chiminea that we lugged back from the UK (I know, I know, but we couldn't find one here) and we have this. Now we just have to keep it alive over the brutal summer. Wish us luck!

Taken from the sliding glass doors into the study. That is Nero's tree in the back right corner - it didn't even reach the top of the wall when we planted it in October. I think it's getting ready to flower with these giant  fluffy red-orange blossoms.

Our little sitting nook complete with a ploychrome Ganesh that we brought back from Nepal. That door goes into the laundry room.

Herb bed to the right of this photo with fruit trees in the left bed. The chimenea is a grill as well as a fireplace.

Hard to see from the masses of bougainvillea, but there is a fig, a lemon, a lime and a mango tree in here. Luckily we dug this bed almost four feet deep! And that is catnip in the large blue pot at the bottom left which makes the cats very happy.