I go the keys to this little house and became a homeowner for the very first time and I was thrilled. I am still thrilled. I love my little house, its quirky, need a lot of work, it has character, and it is my haven. I am happiest within its walls. I have worked on it, cried over it, worried about it and dreamed big dreams for it. I still look around an marvel at the fact that I can call it mine. Its not the biggest, fanciest, or the best but it home to me. It is my little kingdom and within its walls, I am happy. God willing I will be here and be able to maintain it for as long as I am meant to. Ok enough of the happy anniversary.........moving on.
Today, at long last, I FINALLY went and got some flowers for the front yard. I decided that this year there is not enough money in the budget to do all I want to do so I will make the front yard as complete as I can and then deal with the back next year. Fortified with a breakfast biscuit and a coffee, off to the greenhouse I went. I bought marigolds, some petunias and then it a burst of complete Linda-ish-ness I bought two shrubs. Completely not in the budget, full price but they have a guarantee. I am calling them a birthday gift to myself so in that way I have justified the expense.
Hauled my treasures home and took to planting, weeding and making the place look like the person that lives here cares. Later on this afternoon, the heaven's opened and the rains came, cleaning, washing and freshening the earth. My plants were given a nice soak, complements of Mother Nature and I sat on the veranda, watching, listening and thinking about how the yard looked when I first moved into the house. The former owner wanted a maintenance free yard. This was her vision: not what I would have done in a million years.
Sorry its not the best picture, it was taken at dusk and its a bit blurry. So she coated the whole front yard in wood chips. The green things in this picture are the weeds that were growing up through the wood chips. Cause under the wood chips was a lovely mix of landscape fabric, then plastic garbage bags then tar paper, and then news paper. Blech!!
This was my first attempt at changing the yard so I planted the marigolds along the edge of the yard. I don't have a decent picture of just the chips but you get the idea, can we all say prison yard? Seriously, the chain link fence and the chips, nothing that would make you say, "what a cute yard". The only green thing in the whole front of the house was the variegated dogwood bush in the corner. EEK!!
So today the yard looks like this, not perfect of course, I am the gardener and I am not a very good one, I like to think I have made the place look better, at least the front is green and alive again.
Miniature lilac bushes that desperately need to be pruned but as they are blooming, they will be allowed to run amok until fall then it's hair cuts all round.
Sadly I killed off the dogwood with weed killer last year. It tried to rally but this year it is truly dead as a door nail. I plan to dig it out this fall and then replace it next year. I planted all that grass by my little self and I was so thrilled when the lawn grew in. Its the size of a postage stamp but its GREEN and ALIVE and I love it, weeds and all.
Happy Birthday (early) to me, I bought two of these today. They are spirea bushes and are suppose to produce nice double pink blooms. I bought one for each side of the gate. I love the colour of them and I hope they live, and bloom and grow.
Next year ( I have big plans for next year) the south side of the yard will be dug up and the day lilies will be replaced with hostas. I, faithfully, plant petunias in this old wash tub. It belonged to my mom and that is what she always did. I like to keep the tradition.
A row of peonies now live in front of the veranda. They should bloom their foll heads off this year, they have been there for awhile and last year they just started to bloom. I had wanted pale pink ones but I have white instead, so I will be satisfied with that. I can't wait for masses of big fat blooms on these babies. Next year I want to add those nice red chips to the yard, the old ones are showing their age. There are chips around the lilacs and the peonies. Oh and then I can start on the back yard. Wheeeeeeeee!!!!
So what do you think? Better that just wood chips? I certainly think so.
Toodles,
Linda
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