Skip to main content

First Raised Flower Bed

I've been itching to work in our yard since the day we moved in almost 9 months ago. 

Not a SINGLE plant existed in the whole yard. 

Just a bare yard:

And then we began our gardening project!

It took us about 6 weeks total, mainly because our work schedules didn't align very often, and when they did, we only worked on it for a few hours and only 1 trip to Home Depot each time. 

So we really could have knocked it out in a weekend or two if we really wanted to. 

And it snowed once after we got started (the only snow we got this winter), and we had a few rainy days that set us back, too.

We started the outline of the flower bed. 

We were limited to a 3 foot depth due to the existing termite traps ...what are those called?


We thought it would look nice to have a little focal point at the end:




At this point we had already hauled one tarp-full of dirt/clay and dumped it in the back yard. It was incredibly heavy.

First and second layer of stones down:




...and we had to dig all of that out and haul it to the backyard, too. 

I was not looking forward to it.

Third and final layer of stones put in:


The neighborhood kids were drawn to our activity. 

We offered them dirt and rocks and we had a quick biology lesson including worms and rolly pollies!


Filling it in with "good" dirt:


All 36 bags of it:



Some plants are in! 

We chose Japanese Holly bushes. 

I like the dark green foliage. 

NO berries!



We spent awhile trying to figure out what plant to feature here; I went back and forth between a local nursery and Home Depot trying to find the perfect one.

I settled on a White Azalea.

 

A little spot for my birdbath:


I love this little birdbath. Except one of the birdies broke off, so it's just sitting there.


All finished!


 


The front of the house looks SO much better!


I really wanted some hostas, but the front of the house faces almost due east, so that was not going to be a possibility since they are a shade plant.

So I settled for planting a little one in a pot in the shade.


We took a break and walked to the backyard.

We saw a kitty in the window begging us to let him come out (with the sidewalk that leads to nowhere, haha!).


I think our next project will be fixing the backyard.


LOOK AT ALL THE WEEEEEEEEEDS!!



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

23 Weeks

Hey, I'm actually posting this on time this week!  Maybe it's because I've been awake since 5 this morning.  For no good reason.  (But I did wake up thinking about a big, juicy cheeseburger. And a cup of coffee.) And what a looooong week it's been! We got a sleet storm of about 4 inches of accumulation followed by another inch or two of snow on Sunday night. The sleet froze into ice, basically paralyzingly the area.  I don't think the streets had been pretreated, although I saw trucks putting down liquid de-icer about a week before the sleet came through.  And because this area is not accustomed or prepared for such weather, everything shut down.  All of post was shut down- not even Burger King was open.  And even the mall closed. It takes a lot for the whole mall to close.  And I don't know what else because I didn't leave the house until last night.  I heard...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Pregnant Woman's Guide to Maternity Clothes

Being pregnant with my first child, I had zero experience maternity clothes shopping. I had no idea what sizes I would need nor what products would work for me. Given that every body type is so different, and each pregnancy is so different, this post will simply serve as a guide and just a place to start. Ultimately, you will have to make some decisions yourself on what will work best for you. I just thought I'd share what I have learned in this first pregnancy. When Should I Start Buying Maternity Clothes? To me, this question has a simple and easy answer. NOW. (or, as soon as you find out you are pregnant.) Here's why: CLEARANCE . Take advantage of that clearance rack! If you buy as soon as you find out you are pregnant, the clothes on clearance are going to be the right season for when you are in your third trimester. I did a little shopping in the first trimester (early winter) and I got great summer tanks and maxi dresses for a ...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Let's Play!" Series: What is Play, and Why it's SO Important

Welcome to my Let's Play! series!! My first "official" post is going to be kind of a summary on my feelings on why telling your child "Let's Play!" is so important! So what is "play" and why is it so important, anyway? Playtime for kids is a HOT topic lately. There are some big stories floating around about it - have you seen the one about schools that are doubling/tripling recess times and seeing improvements in students' work because of it? Playtime for our kids is complete freedom.  Open-ended activites where they can make their own choices and interact with their peers under their own choosing. Playtime is where children's minds can rehearse favorite activites, explore new possibilites, and foster friendships and find commonalities with peers. It's a lot of self-discovery and learning about their environment! It's where they explore "what happens if..." and learn the positive and negative consequences of th...
Post a Comment
Read more