iN PHOTOS: Muddy backyard near Kamloops transforms into xeriscape masterpiece

A hard working gardener near Kamloops spent the past four months transforming her backyard from a bare and muddy space to a beautiful xeriscape masterpiece. “This all started when I wanted a pathway to the chicken coop and then somehow I couldn’t stop,” said Heffley resident Adriana Mascuchova. Prior to the transformation, the yard had poor drainage and water was pooling. “The grass wouldn’t grow and when snow was melting I had a 'swimming pool' under the stairs and it would freeze, it wasn’t pleasant,” Mascuchova said. After doing research, and sketching a design for the space, she went to work hauling hundreds of wheelbarrow loads of dirt and rock and broken down wooden pallets to form a pathway and secured landscaping fabric. READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: A close up look at flora and fauna in Kamloops, Okanagan https://infotel.ca/newsitem/in-photos-a-close-up-look-at-flora-and-fauna-in-kamloops-okanagan/it105272 She worked on a tight budget, using repurposed materials. “I like to up-cycle so that’s why I hauled the pallets through my yard and broke them down to make a walkway, like a boardwalk,” she said. “I stained the boards and the colours came out in different shades.” Mascuchova then went to work planting drought tolerant shrubs, trees and flowers and left a couple of natural areas with dandelions and clover growing on them. She added solar lights so she could enjoy the garden at night. “I’m not a landscaper so researching and learning were involved, it might not be perfect but it was fun and looks like a whole different space."  She credits a lot of her accomplishment to tips from members of a Kamloops garden group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/253484968003872 To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .