The Rest of the Front Yard Project
The front yard is finally and officially finished! (No, it didn't take me 2 months to finish, it just took me a long time to post the pictures!) I received even more flowers (begonias this time) from the same client as before. I had one last spot left over in front of my boxwood's that I had my eye on. Here is what I started with:
Before. Yes, I know. It's extremely ugly...but there is some hidden potential...
Front View.
Mid way. Begonias planted, weeded, and fertilized. Next on the to-do list- mulch!
Marrster loves to watch me garden. She is great company.
Marrin inspecting my work.
May 9, 2011
Front Yard Project
Over the weekend, I got a phone call from one of my long-time clients. She offered me an afternoon pool-side, followed by a trip into her greenhouse to pick out some new flowers for the house! After basking in the sun, we ventured into the greenhouse and picked out two flats of Impatients- one white,and one red. I also got a little pot of petunias! I picked impatients because they will be planted under a tree and may not have much sunlight.
After lots of thank-you's, I took my new flowers home. Then it was time to pick a spot to plant them. It didn't take me long to realize that the large oak tree in our front yard was encircled with at one point in time. Since that time, a few perennials still pop up here and there, along with a LOT of weeds!
I took it into my own hands to start hoeing the ground to overturn and break up the soil and get rid of the weeds. It has been nearly 10 years since anything has been planted under that tree, so I knew it was going to need a lot of TLC. Once Dale got home from his golf outing, he picked up the hoe and gave me a helping hand. Not only is he great at hoeing, but he is also very good at making a huge mess. Didn't think it was possible to make a mess out of dirt in an area filled with dirt and weeds? Well it is. Need some hoeing done? ask Dale. He seemed to enjoy himself...maybe a little too much.
Day 1
The "before" picture.
This is at least 10 years of overgrown and un-loved yard. Can you see the brick outline? Just barely!
Thank you, Cheryl, for the beautiful flowers!!
After hoeing and overturning the entire area, Dale had the idea of pulling up all of the bricks. After getting them out of the ground, we added soil underneath them, and replaced them so they would sit above ground-level. This was a great idea, it made the entire garden stand out!
Almost done!
Done for the night! We were both tired and ready for dinner. Flowers go in tomorrow!
The finished product! Dale chose red mulch, I think it looks great!
View from the street. You can't see the flowers very well right now, but as they grow, they will get fuller and much easier to see.
Pray for rain!
May 5, 2011
Discovering Perennials- What kind are you!?
As spring has come around, I have noticed some interesting flowers starting to pop up around our yard. It's funny, because when we moved in I figured I would have to do some work to get the garden looking full and colorful. Then, as the weather started getting warmer, up popped the perennials! Here's what we have so far...
I'm not sure what the name of this little white perennial is called (Mom?). It covers well and looks nice against the blue house. I love the pom-pom shape.
The north side of the house is where the previous owner got a little more creative! First, we have Hosta. Nice and full. I am thinking of transplanting a portion of this huge bush to a different location, just don't know if the soil is rich enough to keep it alive.
Next up: Lily of the Valley
The bell shaped white flower has a very sweet smell, and will turn bright red in the fall.
Last but not least, my favorite, Bleeding Hearts!
Aren't they cool? The best place to plant a bleeding heart is next to a Hosta to provide it with shade. Whoever did the planting also did their research!
No, I can't take credit for this picture but it gives a better view. The drop at the bottom is supposed to look like a little drop of blood. Strange but very pretty.
Love the pink!
Well that's all for me. I'm having fun with all of the flowers and plants, now I just need to get out there and prune the beds, add some mulch...oh, and mow. I think the mowing will be Dale's job.
May 3, 2011
We Have Company
Look at this picture and tell me what you see...
I took my Impatients down last night because the local weather told me that there may be frost coming in the morning. Since these are brand new plants, I thought it would be best to take them to the garage so they wouldn't catch the frost! As I took them off their hook and carried them to the garage last night, I noticed a bird fly out as I moved the plant but didn't think anything of it. Then, as I carried them back out to hang up today, Surprise!! Three little eggs in a perfectly made little nest. How did I not notice before!?
The only question is...what kind of birds are they!? Does anyone know by the look of the eggs? I am going to do some research and keep looking out my window to see what kind of mommy bird comes by to see her unborn babies. I'm sure it won't take her long!
April 17, 2011
Suburban Lawn and Garden- WOW!
My sister Katie was up for the weekend to visit. She had mentioned that she wanted to do some shopping for her front yard. She and her husband live out in the country, so she has a lot of open space to work with. The front of their home is a beautiful red brick, and is a blank slate for shrubs, bushes, trees, flowers..you name it! (No, I don't think Derek did much gardening before Katie moved in...) After getting some advice on where to shop, we packed up the car and were off to Suburban Lawn and Garden. We were shocked with how big this place was!
After wandering for a while, Katie found what she wanted. She was looking for an entryway bush that can go right outside her front door. She ended up purchasing two yellow blooming Holly bushes. They were about 2' tall when we bought them, and will grow straight up and out to about 4' tall. Because it is holly, I warned her that if she ever wanted visitors, she needed to keep it pruned since it would be sitting on both sides of her front door. Along with the bushes, she also found a white blooming Rhododendron to put on the side of her house. Grandma Joy would be thrilled!
Don't worry, I found something too! Since we moved into our home last November, I noticed that there were two hooks hanging on both sides of our front door. So, I found the perfect hanging plants to put there! I picked out two planters of red Impatients. Since our house sits facing northeast, we had to be careful to get a flower that is "morning sun only". The store was very helpful in color-coding each plant to indicate the amount of sun the plant needs.
A close-up of the yellow holly bush. Gorgeous and full of color! (Also, a bit prickly.)
Katie and her cart with the holly. We're about to discover the Rhodedendrum plants!
This is just a glimpse of the inside of Suburban Lawn and Garden. We could have spent the entire day in there. See all of the hanging plants? We chose mine from the hundreds hanging from the ceiling.
The red Impatients hanging on the hooks outside the front door. The red looks great against the blue house.
For all your home and garden needs!
