Close-up of my "Pink Lace" azalea
Close-up of my "Alaska" azalea
This miniature rose is the perfect addition to the garden bed located to the left of our walkway. It's a shame that the 3 other rose bushes behind it aren't in bloom.
October 16, 2010
Yesterday, I planted 65 plants! And am I ever sore today. But it's a good sore because now my garden is all planted and I love it. I can't wait till spring when everything is in full bloom.
Close-up of my "Pink Lace" azalea
Close-up of my "Pink Lace" azalea
October 10, 2010
Yesterday, I checked out a couple of nurseries and garden centers and found a few things to put in our front garden. I got two roses (thank you, Mom for the birthday present!), one hydrangea, a pink bower vine and a lovely iron trellis. In my original garden plan, I was going to put a tree rose on the blank wall underneath the address light but I think the trellis adds nice architectural interest to the garden. I think I'll put a tree rose in the planting bed to the left of the garage (yes, I still have one more empty bed to fill with plants). I also need to get a box to hide our turquoise hose in. That thing is ug-ly. Surprisingly, I'm not sore today. Last night after all that digging, my muscles were so stiff I could hardly move. My body must be getting used to it. Thank goodness because there's lots more to come.
Before
After - hedge and shrub removed
After - four new plants and a trellis are in!
Plant names (click on the photo to enlarge) 
Planting bed under the big window
I bought this fountain last weekend. It's about 40" high. Perfect for this space. I'm going to put it in the center of the planting bed pictured above. Camellias will go in front of the brick wall under the window. Then the fountain will go in front of the camellias. I'll plant a fern on each side of the fountain and one in front. Azaleas will go in front of the ferns closer to the concrete border. At least that's the plan for now.
Here's what I planted:
- "Our Lady of Guadalupe" rose (silvery-pink)
- Pink Bower Vine (pale pink with darker pink centers)
- David Austin "Cottage Rose" rose (warm-pink)
- Endless Summer "Twist-n-Shout" hydrangea (blue, pink or lavender depending on soil acidity)
October 3, 2010
In a recent post, I wrote about having our hedge and a shrub taken out in our front garden to make room for lots of new plants and flowers. Here's the plan I created for that spot. I can't wait to get started planting. But there's some prep work that needs to be done. A friend said she wanted my rocks so her hubby is going to pick those up in the near future. After the rocks are out, I'll amend the soil to give the new plants a healthy start. Then (my favorite part), I'll peruse the local nurseries for plants. I'm not sure what's available right now so I may have to be patient (it's not easy) and plant the garden in stages. I'll keep you posted.
(new garden bed plan)
("before" and "in progress" photos from my previous post)
Soon, the front flower bed will look more like this one, which is located just to the left of the walkway.
July 21, 2010
September 28, 2010
I love the sound of chainsaws in the morning. . .
. . .as well as pick axes and stump grinders. Especially when it means I finally get to fill the garden bed in the front of our house with beautiful plants and flowers!
. . .as well as pick axes and stump grinders. Especially when it means I finally get to fill the garden bed in the front of our house with beautiful plants and flowers!
We bought our house 12 years ago and with it came a boxwood hedge and pittosporum shrub which are located directly in the middle front of our house. There were also a slew of other plants in the garden bed to the left of the front door that I have since ripped out and replaced with plants that I love. The only original plant remaining in that particular bed is a Japanese maple.
When we first moved in, I loved our little boxwood hedge and I enjoyed the old-fashioned charm it gave the front of our house. But over the years, my love of gardening has blossomed and recently, I've felt that the hedge is more outdated than charming. Plus, it's preventing me from planting things I really love because it blocks the sprinklers from the planting bed behind it so nothing grows there. So for years, the space behind the hedge has just been bare dirt covered by river rocks. I have always hated the ugly green shrub (aka pittosporum) which lives smack dab in the front of the house so I'm beyond thrilled that it's going bye-bye.
When we first moved in, I loved our little boxwood hedge and I enjoyed the old-fashioned charm it gave the front of our house. But over the years, my love of gardening has blossomed and recently, I've felt that the hedge is more outdated than charming. Plus, it's preventing me from planting things I really love because it blocks the sprinklers from the planting bed behind it so nothing grows there. So for years, the space behind the hedge has just been bare dirt covered by river rocks. I have always hated the ugly green shrub (aka pittosporum) which lives smack dab in the front of the house so I'm beyond thrilled that it's going bye-bye.
Before
Due to the hard work of Brad DeFury (owner of *Neighborhood Tree Man) and his team, the hedge and shrub are gone, and the Japanese maple looks shaped up and pretty.
So here's my new garden plan. The overall feeling will reflect what I've already planted in the garden bed to the left of the walkway...
- I am going to plant a couple of camellias directly in front of the window, ferns and azaleas in front of the camellias, followed by annuals in the foreground.
- In front of the wall with the house number on it, I'm thinking about planting either a lilac or buying a pretty wrought iron trellis and planting a clematis or another flowering vine.
- Directly under the window to the right of that wall, I'd like to transplant my Endless Summer hydrangea. Right now, it's on the side yard next to our trash cans. Such a sad place for such a beautiful plant. It'll be much better appreciated in the front garden, don't you think?
My Endless Summer hydrangea
- In front of the hydrangea, I'll put a few David Austin rose bushes.
- I'd also like to place a small fountain in front of the big window, but that's a little further down on my "to do" list. I'll just have to make sure I leave a little spot for it.
Photos of today's progress:
The team removed the 30 boxwood plants which formed our hedge.
The hedge and shrub are gone! We've got a pile of trimmings that will need to go out with next week's pick-up. They already filled up our green waste can and you can see in the photo below what's left over. We saved a lot of money though by not having them haul the trimmings away for us.
I need to buy a decorative hose reel box to hide the ugly turquoise hose, which was previously hidden by the hedge. So I suppose the hedge wasn't completely useless. ;)
The remaining river rock and a few stepping stones will need to find a new home before I can start planting.
July 2010
'Wise Portia' - DA, Pink Jasmine (growing on the metal obelisk), 'Julia Child' - floribunda, 'Mary Rose' - DA, and lots of Alyssum (the white border) are in full bloom in the front (eastern exposure) garden.
June 7, 2010
I was getting the coals ready for the bbq this evening, decided to check on my veggie garden, and there they were...two full-size ready-to-pick zucchini (the first of the season). I ran in the house, grabbed my scissors and harvested them. I washed, sliced and quartered, and steamed them. They were so yummy with dinner.
I put a cherry next to them for size comparison.
I put a cherry next to them for size comparison.
June 4, 2010
Here are some updated photos of how our veggie garden is progressing. I didn't realize how very huge some things have gotten until I saw the before photos.
Garden the day I planted (March 28)
Garden today.
The basil looks miniscule next to the squash, but it's actually big enough that I harvested some last week for a homemade pasta sauce - yum!
I've got a few tomatoes on the vine already (still small and green though) and more blossoms waiting to turn into tomatoes. I think I need to plant one more. I want LOTS of tomatoes this summer.
The parsley is looking pretty good. Haven't use it yet, but I need to.
The bell pepper is pretty puny but it does have a blossom on it. At this point, I can't tell if it's going to turn into an actual pepper though.
Garden the day I planted (March 28)
Garden today.
The basil looks miniscule next to the squash, but it's actually big enough that I harvested some last week for a homemade pasta sauce - yum!
I've got a few tomatoes on the vine already (still small and green though) and more blossoms waiting to turn into tomatoes. I think I need to plant one more. I want LOTS of tomatoes this summer.
The parsley is looking pretty good. Haven't use it yet, but I need to.
The bell pepper is pretty puny but it does have a blossom on it. At this point, I can't tell if it's going to turn into an actual pepper though.
May 9, 2010
Here is a photo of our house one year ago.
Here is our house now. We added decorative black shutters, coach lights, and a cute little address sign. We also removed a tree from the backyard that due to its location, was not providing any shade for us but was creating a huge mess all over the roof.
*I did not touch up any colors in this photo. The sky really looked like this the day I took the photo.
We added these pretty little coach lights to the side of our garage. They match the one I installed on our porch several years ago. Luckily, Home Depot still carries them. They provide so much light to that area of our house. I wish I would have done it years ago.
This obelisk is a great addition to this bare wall. I can't wait till it's covered in the jasmine I planted beneath it.
I added a few decorative hose guides to the garden as well. Jason washes his car in the driveway and inevitably something gets trampled. But not any longer.
I wanted a new wreath for our front porch and found one I liked on ebay. But the seller wanted nearly $200 for it (ouch!). So I took apart a wreath I already had, purchased new florals, greenery and fruit and put it all together myself. I'm so pleased with how it turned out (and only $60 for materials).
A cute marble and cast iron fleur de lis near the front porch.
A bunny hiding amongst the greenery.
My favorite azalea.
My "Julia Child" Weeks rose.
Here she is in full bloom. The blossoms will fade to a light pale butter color as they age.
David Austin "Mary Rose." My favorite rose in the front garden.
I have two Mary Rose plants in my back garden as well.
"Wise Portia" David Austin rose in the front garden. I can never quite capture the gorgeous fucsia color on camera but this is close.
Here is our house now. We added decorative black shutters, coach lights, and a cute little address sign. We also removed a tree from the backyard that due to its location, was not providing any shade for us but was creating a huge mess all over the roof.
*I did not touch up any colors in this photo. The sky really looked like this the day I took the photo.
We added these pretty little coach lights to the side of our garage. They match the one I installed on our porch several years ago. Luckily, Home Depot still carries them. They provide so much light to that area of our house. I wish I would have done it years ago.
This obelisk is a great addition to this bare wall. I can't wait till it's covered in the jasmine I planted beneath it.
I added a few decorative hose guides to the garden as well. Jason washes his car in the driveway and inevitably something gets trampled. But not any longer.
I wanted a new wreath for our front porch and found one I liked on ebay. But the seller wanted nearly $200 for it (ouch!). So I took apart a wreath I already had, purchased new florals, greenery and fruit and put it all together myself. I'm so pleased with how it turned out (and only $60 for materials).
A cute marble and cast iron fleur de lis near the front porch.
A bunny hiding amongst the greenery.
My favorite azalea.
My "Julia Child" Weeks rose.
Here she is in full bloom. The blossoms will fade to a light pale butter color as they age.
David Austin "Mary Rose." My favorite rose in the front garden.
I have two Mary Rose plants in my back garden as well.
"Wise Portia" David Austin rose in the front garden. I can never quite capture the gorgeous fucsia color on camera but this is close.
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