landscape my yard

My yard is going to be in a book. Guess something is going pretty good. Anyway I am a bit pumped.

Right now I am focusing on other goals, specifically my book and artwork (as long as the weeds don’t totally block the the front door anyway)

Thought I’d share a picture of the part of the front yard. I was sorting through a few photos and this one was mixed in. I want to revamp some of the front -give it a little more order.

It is still too hot to do much right now. I am definitely more of a spring and fall gardner. Summer & Winter -weeds get a free ride and as far as plantings, it is survival of the fittest. Luckily, most everything manages pretty well.

I will have a little yardwork to do this weekend though. The city was pulling out their summer flowerbeds and I loaded up on two huge garage bags full of plants just before they went to the dump. They are in great shape. I’ve got to keep them watered until I can get them in to the ground. I JUST LOVE FREE FLOWERS!

Lots of my perennials are popping up and looking good. My big philadedrum (probably miss-spelled) that I had to really cut back after a freeze is almost as big as it was last summer -over 4 feet tall & wide. I was nervious that it would come back nice especially since it is in a very prominent spot of the front yard. I’ve redone my flowerboxes and added impatients & fuscias to the varigated ivy.

I’ve just got to get about 1/2 a flat of peach vinca in the ground. They’ve been sitting in their little containers all week right were I left them last Sunday evening when it got to dark to continue.

I still need to amend the soil in the back yard, add mulch to all the beds, and plant the seeds of cosmos & zinnas behind the fountain. I’ve had the seeds for a month now & I’ve really got to plant them. There is just not enought time.

All & all things are progressing nicely. I was able to divide and share several plants this year. I still have about three or four more areas that haven’t had any attention at all. They maybe for fall or possible next year -Luckly they are not in extremely noticable locations. Eventually you run out of time & money and have to phase it out. The nice thing about that is the design evolves and you can split & move plants around.

Yard looks beautiful. Life Sucks!

Finally got the copper mailbox up & trimmed up all the dead stuff. It took a great deal of time & wasn’t all that exciting but quite necessary and uniquely satisfying. I had some time off from work & luckily it was a wonderful few days to work out in the yard. Strange temperatures though -sleeveless tank one day then sweatshirt the next. Wish I had another few days to spend.

The front yard has been looking pretty good. Kind of a studied chaos. Quite a change from when I began with precise rows of annuals and bulbs. (Little soldiers guarding the house) I like it much better the way it is now. I have a natural propensity for symmetry and exactness so I’ve had to fight my own tendencies inorder to achieve a relaxed effect. I think I’m finally getting it though. I have caught more than one person wandering around the yard checking out the plants lately. Quite gratifying -if not a bit unsettling.

With the change in seasons I need to swap out a section of strangely enough -mums. They’ve been there a few years and are looking scraggly. I haven’t decided what I want to put in there place yet. I’ll move them around the back to a location less in the spotlight. I also need to replace the sod in one area where I just can not get a handle on the weeds.

Last weekend I got one side the side pathway fixed up. I added a truckful of top soil and filled in to the side and around the stone walk then put a load of pinestraw aound the the plants there. It is amazing how much more finished that area looks now. I have about the same amount left to do for the other side of the pathway. It is a rather narrow section between the main house and the little house approximately 14 feet wide and 38 feet long. Very shady! A magnolia tree is located sort of near the front. The magnola is great for flowers and my vanity on the second floor looks into the branchs giving a treehouse feel with plenty of privacy but it’s leaves and roots are a major pain. It had been limbed up about 7 feet before I owned the property. I much prefer magnola trees in a spot were they can spread out and go all the way to the ground. Alas it is here and to get another tree in the same location now would be terribly difficult.

I installed a copper fountain to go in the area in the front walk were I had left the bricks out. I may change it out in a few years but I really like it. It’s just the right scale. I do hope it patinas. I also bought a copper mail box, but I’ve still got to install it. This coming weekend I hope I’ll be able to mulch and relocate a couple of azaleas.

I am working on the front walk right now. (The rear yard needs the most work -so I’m saving it for later) I laid brick steps and a large landing with a insert for a future fountain or water feature. I’ve put in most of the plants around it. This past week-end I changed out some monkey grass for daylilies. It is in areas next to car traffic so hopefully they can stand the abuse.