Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Spring Cleaning Pt. 1: Yard Work

Right now I've been working hard to accomplish several spring cleaning goals. First, I want to tackle the yard, which currently looks like this


A hot mess, I know. Our lawn is pathetic, if it can even be called a lawn. It's more like a sea of weeds. I'm really disappointed because we spent a buttload of money last spring to have our yard covered in English ivy, which our landscapers promised would look lush and beautiful by this spring. As you can see above that's not the case :-( I'm not yet sure what we are gonna do about this, but I need to figure it out ASAP, cause looking at our yard is making me depressed.

In addition to the lawn I've been working on tackling our flower beds. First up, are two that occupy the front of the house which up until this point only had some hydrangea I planted last year in them.


Even though hydrangea are my absolute favorite flowers I decided to plant some more items, because they are such late bloomers, and I really want some color as early in the year as possible. To spruce things up I added some evergreen bufford dwarf holly shrubs  and yellow and white daffodils. I can't wait til' things fill out a little more in a year or two. I'm working on selecting a border for the beds because the wood pieces the prior owners installed are rotting.


I also want to add some purple flowers in pots on the porch, any ideas on what to plant there?

On the side of the house, next to the daffodils I planted three azaleas. I agonized over what color to plant and ended up putting in some light pink ones. I hope I don't regret it, I kinda think maybe red would have been a better choice? I'm not sure how I will feel about the pink against the yellow of the house.


Well, that's about it for what's going on in the yard right now. All of this racking, digging, mulching, and planting has this pregnant lady pooped! I had wanted to start an edible garden this spring, but think that will have to wait til' next year after the baby comes and my energy levels are higher. I'm aiming to take care of the side garden and possibly backyard garden next, as well as clean and paint the porch steps. Then I'll rest :-)

Slowly, but surely things are coming along. What's going on in your yard?

“Nature never hurries: atom by atom, little by little, she achieves her work. The lesson one learns from yachting or planting is the manners of Nature; patience with the delays of wind and sun, delays of the seasons, bad weather, excess or lack of water.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

12 comments:

  1. Wow, you've done all of this and pregnant - that's great. Good for you. I think your additions of the daffodils is a really nice touch. Some planters on your porch would be nice and maybe something with some height. Your house has beautiful curb appeal. I actually have a post already planned for tomorrow with a few photos from our yard of what's in bloom. We just moved last year to this house so this is our first spring and it's been fun to see what's blooming and when. They did a beautiful job with the perennial garden.

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    1. Thanks Holly. I'll be on the lookout for your post. It's always nice when you move to a new place and are surprised by what pops up during spring :-)

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  2. I think one of the things that is so hard about gardening is the patience required to see the results of your work. (At least that's true for me.) The plants you've already put have made such a difference -- imagine how they'll look in the spring when your little one is five! I wouldn't worry about the colors you are choosing. Flowers look amazing regardless of how they go with the house. That's just my opinion! Also, maybe your ivy will come back?

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    1. Yes, I think patience is the hardest thing about gardening. I pass by more established landscapes and lust after their maturity. But as they say......patience is a virtue. My fingers are crossed that the ivy will come back. I'm gonna wait it out a few more weeks.

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  3. The daffodils you planted are so cheery and lovely! Gardening is not an easy task when you're pregnant. You will pick up some energy once you're in your 2nd trimester, and might be able to do more yardwork. I hope the English Ivy you planted will take off this year!

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  4. Thanks Yuko. I'm actually in my 2nd trimester now. I keep hearing that's when your energy picks up some, which is why I've been racing to get all my major projects done during this window :-)

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  5. I didn't know you were expecting! Congrats! And I love what you did with the daffodils. By the time the hydrengas come up, it'll be like you "redecorated" your yard...smart thinking. For the potted plants, I'd just wait until a couple of days after Mother's Day and then go to my local gardening center and get whatever strikes me; they have potted plants SUPER cheap that week as they're selling off excess.

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  6. Thanks! Waiting for Mother's Day sales is actually a great idea. I think I'll do that.

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  7. Congratulations on expecting a new little one, that's exciting! I think your house is so cute and you'll get the yard just how you want it. I've been working on my backyard for several weeks now trying to get it in shape for summer!

    Tania

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  8. It looks like you started with the tough work, which the exterior usually is. How’s your spring cleaning chores doing? Are you now working on the insioe of your home, or you’re already done with everything?

    German Zollinger @ Total Clean Equipment

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  9. has the ivy come in yet?

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