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.
May 2010
'Mary Rose' - DA (front garden)
'Mary Rose' -DA (back garden)
'Julia Child' - floribunda
'Wise Portia' - DA
March 28, 2010
"Gardening is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it."
~ Author Unknown
We have an interesting little planting bed on the south side of our house that doesn't really get seen from anywhere inside the house, except that little piece of window you see which is in the breakfast room. And then you only see out that window if you're sitting in Jason's spot (which I never do since I need to be closest to the kitchen -- lucky me).
When we bought our home 11 years ago, the bed was filled entirely of star jasmine and was just plain boring. I let it stay for about a year before ripping it out to plant a perrenial and annual flower garden. I kept it this way for a few more years but it was more work than it was worth since you have to practically go outside and stand right in front of it to appreciate it. So when Sierra was about 5 or 6 years old, we decided to plant a vegetable garden there. A veggie garden (as we refer to it) isn't the prettiest to look at and they require full sun so this south facing bed with no view to speak of from the house was the perfect location. That year, we enjoyed carrots, radishes, squash, bell peppers and tomatoes. Fast forward a year...got pregnant and had Cameron. No more time for a veggie garden while preggers or with a baby in the house. So, we bought some river rock and filled in the dirt bed to keep down the weeds.
Fast forward to this year...Cameron's almost six years old and has shown a passion for gardening ever since he could hold a little shovel (he even has his own gardening gloves). For the past few years, he helps me outside whenever he gets that chance. He loves to dig holes for new plants, water, pull weeds, whatever. He even helped me clear all of the river rocks from the bed so we could prepare the soil for planting. Today, I finally purchased the plants and Cameron and I together put them in the ground. Here are some photos to show you what we did. I'm so looking forward to fresh organic veggies this summer!
Soaking the ground to get it ready for planting.
Cameron's digging a hole for the basil.
Here's the layout of our veggie garden. The brick thingy in the middle is our chimney.
~ Author Unknown
We have an interesting little planting bed on the south side of our house that doesn't really get seen from anywhere inside the house, except that little piece of window you see which is in the breakfast room. And then you only see out that window if you're sitting in Jason's spot (which I never do since I need to be closest to the kitchen -- lucky me).
When we bought our home 11 years ago, the bed was filled entirely of star jasmine and was just plain boring. I let it stay for about a year before ripping it out to plant a perrenial and annual flower garden. I kept it this way for a few more years but it was more work than it was worth since you have to practically go outside and stand right in front of it to appreciate it. So when Sierra was about 5 or 6 years old, we decided to plant a vegetable garden there. A veggie garden (as we refer to it) isn't the prettiest to look at and they require full sun so this south facing bed with no view to speak of from the house was the perfect location. That year, we enjoyed carrots, radishes, squash, bell peppers and tomatoes. Fast forward a year...got pregnant and had Cameron. No more time for a veggie garden while preggers or with a baby in the house. So, we bought some river rock and filled in the dirt bed to keep down the weeds.
Fast forward to this year...Cameron's almost six years old and has shown a passion for gardening ever since he could hold a little shovel (he even has his own gardening gloves). For the past few years, he helps me outside whenever he gets that chance. He loves to dig holes for new plants, water, pull weeds, whatever. He even helped me clear all of the river rocks from the bed so we could prepare the soil for planting. Today, I finally purchased the plants and Cameron and I together put them in the ground. Here are some photos to show you what we did. I'm so looking forward to fresh organic veggies this summer!
Soaking the ground to get it ready for planting.
Cameron's digging a hole for the basil.
Here's the layout of our veggie garden. The brick thingy in the middle is our chimney.
April 4, 2009
This is Cameron's play area. A picnic table, a sand box, lots of dirt for digging and an umbrella for shade. What more could a boy want.
Just to the right of the play area is my rose garden. They're not in bloom yet but there are tons of buds just waiting to open. 
This is the garden just a little further to the right: palm trees, more roses and some perennials. 
All the way to the right side of the yard is the pool. Cameron and I put our feet in the water today but it's still too cold for swimming.
All the way to the right side of the yard is the pool. Cameron and I put our feet in the water today but it's still too cold for swimming.
This is a photo of our side yard. Left to right: hydrangrea, orange tree, lemon tree, and a bottle brush tree. Ferns, azaleas and a cute rabbit statue line the shady bed. For those of you unfamiliar with the layout of my yard, I was standing on the grass in front of the rose garden when I took this photo. (Cameron snuck in the shot when I snapped it)
This is a view showing the garden and the covered patio. I was standing in front of the lemon tree when I took this shot.
Thanks for taking a look at my garden. Once I prune the front boxwood hedge, I'll take photos of the front of the house.
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