Why mow when you can mulch?

Late last fall we had a patio built below our deck. The process of building the patio, along with having 2 dogs with large paws, destroyed a good portion of our grass near the house. We tried our hardest to make grass grow, but it just wasn't working and we were tired of spending money on on a seemingly futile effort.

Yesterday I had a truckload of mulch delivered and I mulched about 750 sq feet of our yard close to the house and around the patio.

New rain barrel - installed by Kris

Half of this garden bed already existed in an attempt to hide the ugly utility boxes with ornamental grass.
We extended it to cover an adjacent area of our yard (under and around the big rocks) that seems to have drainage issues. Last summer it was always wet and became a mud pit for our dogs to play in. This year it is mulched.

New rain barrel, new plants.

A nice surprise: chives and parsley that seeded themselves last fall.

I am happy with the results. We still have some trouble spots where we need grass to grow, but the overall look of the yard is so much better. Next year I'm hoping to fill this area full of native plants. Until then, I have lots of time to research and plan.