The deals, well I wasn’t posting them today. I was outside in the sun. It was glorious. We did some major weeding, hauling, digging, raking, moving, filling and barking in our front yard today. For a good portion of the day we were outside and I think I’ve decided I should call this “spring” – don’t you agree? I think I even got a little sun burn. . . or at least some freckles connected.
I’m sure tomorrow I’ll be so sore that I won’t be able to walk – which is good news for you wanting 24/7 updates on the blog, because I’m sure my fingers will still work.
Now let me just tell you – before you do any yard work projects, take before and after photos. I took the before photos, worked for hours and was feeling okay about our progress. BUT it wasn’t until I put the before/after photos up next to each other that I really got a true sense of accomplishment. Even if you don’t have a blog to share them on – do it.
We’ve spent so much time in the backyard last summer – building our raised beds and building our chicken coop, that we had let our front yard go. This is totally embarrassing. Almost as bad as my bedroom closet, but at least nobody had to look at that. Anyway, this whole area had been beauty barked – probably 4-5 years ago by the previous owners. We ordered a big load of beauty bark this week to give it a new look.
This the strip between the sidewalk and the road. It has weed barrier under the dirt, but it had started to get it’s share of moss and it needed a face lift, too.
We literally spent hours and hours weeding, moving dirt, moving bark, moving rocks. Look at our handy work! I’m so tickled and I think it looks a million times better. What do you think?
Before today we had random rocks all over the place – but I put those in a nice line around the birch trees and we barked above the rocks. Below the rocks we filled it in with dirt that we had pulled from other areas. I’m going to add some of rich gardening soil and I think I’d like to plant some lavender bushes or other small shrubs along the front. What kind of plants do you think will look good in this space (think low maintenance and perennials or evergreen).
We of course didn’t do this all alone. We had “help” from our kids. My daughter dressed herself after she woke up from her nap. She came out ready to go – with her hat, because she said it was summer. I think I have a future gardener here.
And lest you think I’m into child labor. Don’t fret. She did this for about three minutes before dumping the beauty bark in the middle of the driveway and heading over to her trike. . .
I hope you got outside and enjoyed this beautiful weather (if you’re in the northwest). Did you get outside today? Have you done a front yard makeover lately?
You might always be interested in these posts:
Melissa says
Your yard looks wonderful!!!
If its full sun try Echinacea or day lillies… or maybe even Euyonmus (a broadleaf evergreen that can be low growing-depending on variety) they require little care and have lots of color.
If its more shady you could try perennial Fuschias, Hostas, or even fragrant daphne…
Angela says
Rhody’s are always nice, or azaela’s, or hydrangeas. Roses aren’t exactly low maintenence, but they’re always pretty! I’m sure whatever you choose will be beautiful!
Denise Mauldin says
Rosemary grows like a weed here (no maintenance required), puts out pretty purple flowers, and is useful in cooking.
Steph says
How much sun does the area you want to plant get a day?