landscaping update: The backyard...

Now that you've seen the front and the side of the yard, let's take a trip around back. That's where things really get interesting....

This is what the deck looked like last year right after we stained it. 

And this is what it looks like now. 

Many of the plants and shrubs in the back were transplanted from the front, like the two that flank either side of the stairs. They were iffy after the transplant, but came back beautifully this year. 

In the spring, they blossom these pretty pink flowers, then the whole bush turns a maroon/plum color. Some of the other transplanted plants were a Rose of Sharon and some Black Eyed Susans. The Rose of Sharon is in the top right of the picture below and closest to the front are two huge Black Eyed Susan bushes that haven't bloomed yet. They have tripled in size from last year. They are almost too big for the space.

You can see the Rose of Sharon a little better in the photo below. The plant next to it, I originally thought, was a bunch of weeds. But I cut it back to the ground and this year it bloomed the most beautiful yellow flowers in the spring. It was such a nice pop of color. (That I forgot to take a picture of). 

One of our biggest concerns for our backyard was the lack of privacy. All of the yards were visible to one another. 

So our landscaper added the most beautiful island in the back with Arborvitaes, Maiden Grass and a Butterfly bush. This is how it looked early in the Spring.

So pretty and manicured and dainty. And here's what it looks like now...

The butterfly bush is so ginormous that you can barely see the bird feeder and it completely camouflages the the maiden grass between the left and center tree. The trees are going to have to step it up in the growth department to even think of competing with the butterfly bush. 

Needless to say, that puppy is getting cut back significantly before spring next year or our whole yard will be engulfed. But it does make for some nice privacy now. I can't wait to see it 5 years from now. 

And I would be remise if I didn't give some love to my roses. They make the best privacy screen of all. 

Even though they recently got nipped by some kind of bug, they are coming back strong. 

The way the whole yard turned out just makes me so happy. It feels complete and makes our house look so cozy. 

Home sweet home! 

Up next: Painting the shutters and trim! 

landscaping update: The side yard....

Yesterday, we took a tour of our landscaping in the front yard. Today, we move around the corner to the side yard...

 THE SIDE

Many of the plants from the original front were moved to the side landscaping. The only thing that didn't survive transplant was the big purple bush from the front yard. But we (and by we I mean Ryan and my dad) removed it and planted a Japanese Maple. 

I love how they took the edging and jutted it out a bit to give the tree more prominence. We live on a corner, so the first thing you see when you drive up is a big mass of tan siding. So the landscaping was designed to break up that side with different colors and heights. 

This picture doesn't do it justice but this grass is crazy high. I cut it back in the fall and it came back like gangbusters! There is another one that was planted to hide the AC unit, I didn't think it would actually do the job but boy was I wrong. 

I don't know what these plants are but they are twice as big now and well on their way to covering the AC Unit from the other side.

Anyone know what these are called? 

Up next: The Backyard....

landscaping update: the front yard...

when we moved into our house we were fortunate enough to get a landscaping credit from the sellers. They (or the builder) had planted a bunch of great things but they were all clumped together in the front, a little was on one side and the back was bare.

And we had no privacy in our backyard. 

So last July, a landscaper came out, transplanted some things and planted some new items. The edging and mulching alone looked great, but since it was so hot when they were planting, some of the landscaping didn't look so hot. A lot of them went into shock and I was nervous all this work was for nothing.

Everyone kept telling us to wait until Spring and then we'd really be able to see what took. Well, Spring came around and BOOM! It was a landscaping explosion. So lush and pretty and some of the plants are  HUGE! Over the next few days, I'll be sharing a tour of the landscaping. Up first....

THE FRONT

The front is a mix of angelina sedum, boxwood bushes and a lilac tree. The sedum has spread so much, it's great ground cover. I loved waking up in the morning in the spring, throwing up my window and smelling the lilac tree. One of my other favorite things are the three walking stones. 

On the corner of the front landscaping they added a blue spruce. It's a slow grower but once it gets a little bigger it will be a good balance for the front. 

Our front porch rarely gets sun so finding a shade plant that looks nice has been a challenge. Then on a trip to Lowe's I found Coleus. It perfectly matches the maroon in our door, has been growing like crazy and finally hides the ugly electrical outlet on the porch.

It was the perfect finishing touch. 

Up Next: The Side Yard.....

I never promised you an herb garden...

Ever since I started getting into cooking and we moved in this house, I have wanted to have an herb garden. There is nothing like the taste of fresh herbs. I attempted one inside, but didn't realize they need constant sunshine. Whoops! So this summer cultivating an outdoor herb garden was at the top of my to-do list. After a few weeks of collecting all of the materials, I'm happy to say, it's now crossed off my list!

I mentioned before that I had a bunch of outdoor projects that I forgot to take before pictures of, this is one of them. I found all three of those planter at a garage sale for $6 total. They were gold and, judging by all of the chipped paint,  looked like they were pink before that.  

But a couple coats of Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and they match our deck furniture perfectly. I lugged them around to a few stores before I found a pot that would fit. These three are from Meijer.

Next step was deciding which herbs I wanted to plant. I chose four that I thought I would use most:

I didn't want to go hog-wild on my first second attempt at growing herbs, so I stuck with four and doubled up the parsley and rosemary in the same pot. They seemed like they'd get along.

They've been out there about a week now and I couldn't be happier with their progress. I placed them right outside the kitchen door so they are easy to get to for watering and harvesting. Tonight is my mom's birthday and I plan on using all of them for different items on the menu. I'll let you know how they taste!

And for those of you who didn't get the post title pun, do yourself a favor and watch this little gem. I defy you to get this song out of your head.

livin' on the edge: landscape edging....

one thing I have learned about myself since owning a home is that I like to putter in the yard. I am constantly weeding, cutting back my plants, mulching and making sure everything looks nice. With a lot of the inside projects tackled for now, this spring, I have a few things on my yard to-do list that I want to accomplish. Edging some trees on our tree-lawn was the first thing I attempted from that list.

We live in a neighborhood where the homeowners association takes care of the general landscaping and maintenance, but the tree-lawn on your property is your responsibility. They don't dictate that you do anything to your trees, but we had two that looked so sad just plain. 

Snoozapalooza. 

So I grabbed a can of spray paint and marked where I wanted to edge. Most of our neighbors have landscaped their trees in a circle design, so I decided to follow their lead to keep everything uniform. 

Then, I just started edging. I seriously underestimated this undertaking. The first tree was pretty easy, the ground was soft and there weren't many roots near the surface. But the second tree was much harder. There was thick grass, a few roots and much harder soil. Edging wasn't bad but removing the "innards" was brutal. Once I edged everything, I went into the inner part of the circle at a more horizontal angle, trying to basically skim the top layer off and leave as much dirt as I could.

At least that was my plan. The project quickly dissolved into me stabbing at the ground and pulling out large chunks of grass and dirt with my hands. Good times.

But alas, it was ready for mulch. I used roughly a bag and a half per tree because I wanted the mulch mounds to be pretty high since dogs and kids will be traipsing all over them.

It definitely was a labor-intensive project, but the result is well worth it. Now on to sprucing up the mailbox landscaping, which entails more edging.... oy.