We've come a long way baby...

So often I share the inside of this house and all the work we have done. This week I finished up another landscape project and realized I have never shared how far we have come OUTSIDE!

I didn’t even comprehend the amount of work we had done outside until I looked it up on Zillow again. The pictures are from when we bought the house three years ago. Sooooo much has changed…both inside and out!

The landscaping was basically a blank slate. I pulled out a few shrubs here and there, moved some azaleas, cut down an overgrown tree in a flower bed and pulled up some edging. But basically it didn’t have a lot of landscaping. I guess the lady who owned it for over twenty years before us really didn’t do a lot.

Fine by me…just that much less to demo!

So let’s start with the front…and keep in mind I didn’t do any “editing” on the pictures i took so you can see how things really look around here. Shade and all!

Before….

The first picture is the Zillow listing. The last two are the street views from Google Earth.

You can probably tell from the Zillow picture and the Google street view pictures…clever photography and heavy editing can really make a difference!

On the house I removed the ugly wood arch things to open up the front porch, changed out the front door, replaced the dated light fixtures, added some minor detailing on the garage door and changed out the arch transom windows.

Trimmed up all the overgrown trees…a must for aesthetics but also for safety…a big dead limb can do a lot of damage.

Removed a few flower beds and then composted and mulched the others.

We brought in new top soil and sodded the entire front yard with fescue. I removed some blocks from the block retaining wall. I really wanted to created a new retaining wall with native stone but that is another project for another time.

I moved four large azaleas that were planted by the front entrance to the side yard where I created a shade garden.

Nothing was going to grow under these trees and it features a huge dogwood …the space really needed to be highlighted! The azaleas and dogwoods are spectacular in the spring!

I planted new plants in the flower beds to the left and right of the entry. Again I am transitioning to perennials so I planted small boxwoods, chokeberries, tick seed, lirope and Stella D lilies…and of course a few potted hostas.

The bed on the left is filled with beautiful daffodils and tulips in the spring…I left those. (This is where I added a simple water feature…stay tuned and I’ll share how easy it is!)

I fill in with a few colorful annuals and I have a few pots I add ferns and impatiens to every year.

Dressed up the beds on the north side of the house with a little rock and planted a few easy plants…hydrangeas, lirope and some astilbe.

Prime example of why you should really research plants…originally I planted some Stella D lilies here and they did not get enough sun. This side yard only gets a little morning sun which is perfect for the hydrangeas and astilbe.

A few weeks ago I finished a little makeover on the side yard where grass would not grow. I added a little flagstone, some decorative rock around the air conditioner, planted some lirope my neighbor was thinning out in her yard, planted a redbud and added a little birdbath.

When I was at the livestock store picking up supplies for my water feature project, they had their azaleas 50% off. I snagged a few and planted one here and two in the side shade bed incase the older ones eventually croak!

The entire back yard slopes towards the house and to each side. This side of the yard gets a pretty heavy water shed because of a downspout. It is one reason this side of the front and back yard would not grow grass. I have to be VERY careful about any changes I make.

HERE I shared the changes I made to the side yard behind the fence.

The back yard has probably had the most dramatic changes.

These are the “before” pics from Zillow…when we bought the house….

If you are wondering what that big concrete bench thingy is, we don’t know. It was there and it is HUGE so it’s not going any where. We have been told it is part of the old farm house that was once here before this area was developed.

One of the first things we did was take out the shrubs along the back of the house and cut out the old pawpaw tree. I loath to cut down any tree but this one was just too big for the space and was on the siding and roof. We replaced it with a little Japanese Maple and someday I MIGHT figure out what I want to do with this bed. In the meantime, potted flowers will have to do!

We added a little rock and planted smaller boxwoods long the back.

I’ve never been a big fan of rock beds…I always preferred mulch. The ease of these beds the last few years has really made me a fan. Truthfully it is easy to plant in and of course pretty much maintenance free.

I added the large flower bed in the corner when we first moved in. Again, it was NOT going to grow grass under the humungus trees. I knew I was going to grow mostly in pots so I put the edging down around the trees along the “shade line,” applied some Roundup on what little grass was there, then just topped everything with about 4” of compost.

(Feel free to be envious of my spectacular wind chimes. I showed them to Brian last spring at a local garden shop…he remembered and gave them to me last Christmas. The man is amazing!)

I have always heard you should be very cautious around oak trees so as to not “smoother” their root system. We have a HUGE white oak and several large red oaks. I made sure to keep the compost and mulch thin around the base of the trees. When I plant in the bed, I dig a big hole then add a mixture of garden soil and compost before planting the plant…that way I didn’t have to amend the soil in the entire bed. With all the rocks and roots in this area it would have been dang near impossible. And again, I didn’t want to do anything to disturb the tree root systems.

HERE I shared the pathway I made with my grandad’s old grind stones.

I shared HERE the extension of this little back bed. Just what little digging I had to do for the edging and planting destroyed my elbow (don’t ask, I don’t know!)

Around this entire back bed is my next “want to” project. I “want to” extend the entire bed about 4-5’, add a flagstone walk and more plants…in other words make the entire thing bigger. Hum…maybe someday when I don’t have a bum elbow.

I shared HERE the construction of the swing…and HERE when I stained it.

HERE I shared my shop and the changes I made to it to make it more appealing. The inside is still a shop full of tools, supplies and garden stuff…but the outside had to be dolled up!

I added this bed last fall for the hostas. I split off the potted hostas this year! Everyone of these hostas are splits!

Two years ago I added a little “pergola shed” onto the back of the shop for Brian’s zero turn mower and our larger garden tools (shovels, racks, wagon, etc.) Everything else goes inside the shop.

We didn’t completely sod the back yard but over the last few years I have sodded and seeded here and there…it is a work in progress. Someday I hope to have a perfect back lawn. With the shade and sun combo it is a struggle.

I was fortunate this yard had an irrigation system. It had been neglected for years so it took several years and some back breaking days to get everything repaired and in working order but it has been worth every effort. I don’t know that I could keep everything alive without it!

I keep thinking that SOMEDAY I will get it all done and then I can just sit around my park-like setting and enjoy. But truth is, I like working in the yard…I like digging in the dirt…I like planting new plants.

There are days I just walk around with my coffee and enjoy. But in my mind I am always looking for new ways to get my hands dirty.

It is my therapy.

It's time to look for discounted perennials!

A couple of months ago, out of necessity, I created a little flagstone and rock path on the south side of my house….

When I first made it, it was all crisp and perfect…then two big dogs did a little “zoomy” number on it. Now it’s not so “crisp and perfect.”

So be it…still better than the wasteland that was there before. Too much moisture and shade for grass to grow but shade loving perennials will LOVE it!

First, let me explain the difference between annuals and perennials.

Annuals last one year and in MOST zones have to be replanted every year. Perennials come back every year…in MOST zones. It is important to check your “zone” and know what you can count on to come back and most importantly, WHEN you can plant. Our last freeze is in mid-April, whereas northern states may have freezes as late as early May. Know your zone…then in my experience, add a few weeks just to be on the safe side.

THIS is a good site to check your planting zone. Again, I always add a few weeks to our freeze date before I plant. Even though the threat of a freeze may be over, new plants still struggle with cooler temps and heavy rains.

I have been trying to plant perennials as much as I can and just fill in with colorful annuals.

But man they can be pricey. A cute little annual may only cost a few bucks but a perennial can cost $10+.

Short term, painful. Long term, you will be money ahead.

One way I have found to save a few pennies is to look for perennials that have been marked down.

This is the perfect time of the year to look. Sales of plants are starting to slow a tad so stores (especially big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot) are more likely to have markdowns. Plants are more likely to be marked down just from showing stress and being root bound rather than dying from heat and lack of water. Some smaller stores are marking plants down just to get rid of them before the heat hits…especially grocery stores!

That is exactly what I did to fill this side yard with perennials…I went searching for puny plants.

I ended up finding two Redbud trees, 6 perennials ferns, 6 Lungworts, two bottle brush bushes, 2 hydrangeas and a handful of other perennials I have never even heard of….all for 1/2 off. Most big box stores and even nurseries have a place where they put marked down struggling plants. Look for them. (And it never hurts to ask a manager…this week I was helping a friend pick out some perennials and we ended up getting two free and the rest 75% off …SCORE!)

They aren’t dead. They are usually just root bound and maybe have some dead foliage. But they are still salvageable and if you plant them properly and water them well this year, they will all rebound beautifully next year!

TIP: Research each plant and make sure you pay attention to the sun requirements. This area of my yard gets no direct sunlight so I had to make sure I choose plants that could handle shade.

TIP: Make sure you dig a hole twice the size of the root, amend the soil with potting soil if necessary and cut the bottom 1” off the bottom of the root if the roots are “bound.” Water, water, water!!!!

TIP: I used a root stimulater (mainly because of the trees). You can also add fertilizer. Just make sure you follow the directions because you can burn up a plant by giving it too much of either!

I need to split my hostas. I like to wait until they are just popping their little heads up in the spring to split them. Then I can take the splits and plant them in the side yard…free plants!

MOST, if not all, of the marked down plants I picked up should survive this year…but if a few don’t I can always fill in with the hostas.

The only thing I didn’t get at a reduced cost was the dogwood tree. I have several white dogwoods in this yard and I have desperately wanted a pink one. Those aren’t on sale. Not only are they difficult to transplant, they don’t rebound well when they start struggling. I ended up buying a smaller one only because I couldn’t handle the thought of killing a big mature one. Hopefully it will make it!

Most of these plants will bloom in the spring…if this were a focal point in my yard I would have worked a little harder at “layering” the plants so that I would have blooms throughout the season…but it’s not, and I didn’t. Again, if I really have to have some color I can add some annuals or maybe even some pots later.

If you are looking for plants that will come back year after year, this is the time to buy them at a discounted price. With a little TLC this year, they will come back for years to come bigger and prettier!

Another flagstone path...

HERE I shared a flagstone patio I did at my last house. I loved that area. I am grateful I have a covered front porch in this house, but I didn’t at the Lankford house and this little “patio” really opened up the front of the house.

I also shared how to repair flagstone HERE.

HERE I shared how to set a grinding stone walk way.

These were just a few of my stone walk projects. The Lankford house had a good 10-15 tons of flagstone walks and gardens…I love it!

One thing I don’t love is small rock…unfortunately there is one area in our yard that I decided I have no choice.

It is on the south side of the house but it is completely shaded by trees and I think our neighbor’s garden pond leaches into the area keeping it damp.

When it rained or there was a snow melt, water would pool in this area.

No sun, constant damp = no grass.

Out of sight, out of mind. So I have done little here, other than attempt to seed and grow grass, to no avail.

I have two big dogs who like to run and play and always seem to gravitate to this area and inevitably their muddy paw prints end up all over my house! I HAD to so something.

I decided to do a rock pathway.

AGAIN, there are hundreds of great tutorials on how to lay rock pathways. Find one that works for you!

I started by scraping down the area about 1-2” and compacting it well with a garden tamper, paying close attention to the grade. I wanted to make sure there was a gradual fall from the back of the house to the front.

This is where a lot of tutorials suggest putting down “garden fabric.” I do not. I don’t like it and I am willing to spray a little roundup on any weeds that may pop through from time to time.

Some also suggest putting down a firmer base. In some areas you may definitely want to do that. I did not do that here because I didn’t feel like it need it.

The next thing I did was put down sand where the flagstones where going to be set.

This is a super important step in my opinion. First, you want the large stones (whether flagstone or paver stones) to sit on a “clean” base…no rocks or pebbles. If a rock were to work its way into underside of the stepping stone and you put pressure on it by stepping on it, it could break. Second, it gives you a soft “pliable” base…so when you set your rock, it is easy to make adjustments by adjusting the amount of sand…just pick up the stone and easily remove or add sand as needed.

I usually add about 1-2” of sand. After putting down the sand I wet it down well then I used a long 2x4 and dragged it over the sand several times to level it out, again paying close attention to the grade of the area…you DO NOT want to create low spots where rain water and snow melt won’t drain!

Since I was creating a “path” I “walked” the path to see where I wanted each stone to set. I wanted the stones to kind of match my stride.

I leveled each stone as I set it, starting from the lowest area by the front gate and working my way back to the highest point by the corner of the house. There is only about a 6” drop in this 22’ span so I had to be very careful and pay close attention to that grade.

This is where you want to make sure you are not doing anything to impeded the natural flow of any water shed.

For example on the other side of the front gate is the side yard of the front of the house. It is already has a good grade and I wanted to make sure that what I did was not “lower” than that grade, creating a dam.

I also wanted to make sure I wasn’t altering the grade so that water actually flowed toward the house…that could be a major issue! So each stone needed to either be perfectly level or slant slightly away from the house, never towards the house.

Once all the pavers were set and leveled, I hosed down the area so that the sand leached under the rocks, filling any voids that might have been created by all the movement.

Next up was the gravel. You may wonder where I got all this rock. At the rock store, of course…lol! I was talking to my daughter when I went to pick out my rock and mentioned I was going to the rock store…she laughed at the fact that there really is a “rock store.” I picked out my rock, determined how much I needed, then paid them to deliver it. I had hoped they could deliver it to my back yard, but their little machine couldn’t fit through the side gate so I had to wheel barrel four thousand pounds of rock around my back yard! Yes, I hurt like heck this week!!!!

I decided I wanted a “path look” to the rock…so I picked out two different rocks. A small brown rock and a larger multi colored.

I used a 6’ piece of garden edger between each rock to create a crisp line. Put it in place, lay rock on both sides, walk on the rock a bit to bed it down, then just pick up the piece of edging. I used the garden tamper as I went to bed the rock a bit more.

I think this looks super awesome…course the first things the dogs did were run back there and scatter rocks so I am not sure how long this “crisp” look will last.

So far so good…

We have had one light rain and of course it is spring so I am sure we will get some heavy rains in the next few weeks. I held back a few buckets of rock so if there is any settling or pooling I can add more if needed.

Eventually I may add some shade loving plantings…someday. Again, out of site out of mind.

While I was digging around and creating pathways I decided to tackle another area as well. This one will highlight the grindstones that were my grandfather’s. I shared those HERE when I made a path at my other house. It was one of the things I made sure did not convey in the sale…yep, we dug them up and moved them here. They have been sitting under potted plants for over a year but Brian had a wonderful suggestion for using them and I will run with it…when I can run again.

I will share that at another time…maybe when I get further along in the process. I rarely leave a project half finished but after days of digging and hauling I was just too pooped to finish up Sunday. Fortunately it is it has rained for a few days so I a good excuse to stay inside and work on my quilt project.

Until next week….