Face lift

House front, before

Ever since we moved in, I wanted to change the look of the gardens in the front of the house. The prior homeowner had left a few choice perennials, but they were nothing that looked good on their own. The shrubs had taken a beating from the heavy winter snow and had not been well pruned. So, this spring was the time for a face lift. I had been working on the shrubs for a while, starting last fall, actually, but now it was time to get serious.

Flower bed, before (July 2010)

Here's what went on this weekend:

1. Mom and I met at Ashcombe's for an intense strategic meeting on what I should buy. I'm completely new to this gardening thing and my successes have been rather limited to a few random pots of annuals grown on the roof of my past apartments. I wanted to create a perennial garden that could manage on its own if I forgot about it every once in a while.

2. I purchased several foundational plants and included several of my own transplants from other areas of the yard and Mom offered a few plants from her garden.

3. I removed all of the existing plants from the garden to rearrange or remove completely. This included #3/4 shrub root, which was successfully removed with the strength and determination of my husband. The last remaining shrub still stands, naked without its branches, awaiting its demise at a later date.

Bare naked house front

4. The garden on the right side of the house, near the driveway, is completely planted minus the daylillies that will fill in for the remaining shrub. I'm still undecided if I will keep the grape hyacinths as a border. I like their color in the early spring, but the remainder of the season, I think they look kind of pathetic. We'll see. (Click on photos for larger image)

Full view of this garden

Close-up of left side: In back, row of Russian Sage. Front, Left to Right: Rose of Sharon, Coreopsis, Dusty Miller, Bell Flower, St John's Wart, Phlox

Close-up of right side: In back, row of Russian Sage. Front, Left to Right: Phlox, Flax, Geranium, Dusty Miller, unknown spike plants, Coreopsis

5. The garden on the left side of the house is partially finished. I added all the plants that I own and wanted to transplant, but I'll be receiving the remainder of the plants from Mom.

Variety of sedum, coral bells and Rose of Sharon, far left.

In addition to the front garden, I was also able to get the grass seed started in the backyard just minutes before the day's rain started. Can't wait to see how everything grows now!

Totally unrelated to this gardening post:

Congrats to cousins Brad and Sarah, who welcomed their first baby girl into the world today!