We mostly ignored the backyard for the first seven years we lived here (short on both time and money), but last summer we got some furniture, and in the fall, I threw a bunch of bulbs in the ground. It’s coming along nicely now. Ellie approves.
I can’t take credit for the scilla — that’s the one flower that survived from before we arrived, and made it through the construction process when we were doing the gut renovation on the house. It’s tough! When I have time, I’d like to lift a bunch of it and move it around so it can start spreading in other corners of the yard.