Cleaning House...Landscaping Update

It’s been a quiet summer project wise at my house.  I had great plans of getting all kinds of things done this summer but for many reasons (most of which have been schedule related – mine & others) it’s been a lot of that frustrating hurry up and wait. 

Well, a couple of weeks ago it’s been a huge two steps forward!

Step 1 - The landscaper came to do major demo on my yard….so excited!!!!!  It’s really starting to look better but it sure hasn’t been a smooth process.
If you remember this is some of the before.  Unfortunately I really did not take great photo’s of how overgrown it really was when I moved in.  But I have since snapped a few so you can get an idea it just based on of how full the planting is.

  

Before - just before I signed the papers to be responsible for this lawn

Another Before...the back yard.  That red roof in the center is actually a wishing well.  I was a bit nervous
there would be an actual well  below it...luckily no.

Another before view of the backyard

Before...after I had done some major cleaning out of the over growth.

I originally hired a non-professional who needed a job to do some demo for me with the hopes that if he could get it all cleared out I could simply level the dirt and lay sod down.  Well, half way into the project my non-professional dropped off the face of the earth (of course after he had been paid for the time he had already put in) with not a word.  Luckily he didn’t burn me financially and didn’t leave a huge mess but it did leave my yard unfinished for most of the summer.  I knew that there was a risk that this would happen but it was worth a shot right?

During...after the initial demo.  Unfortunately this was my back yard for most of the summer

So after several weeks of waiting I moved forward and called a professional landscaping company having also decided to just turn the whole project over and forget the DIY fantasy I was having.  Couple of weeks later I had a quote in hand.  By this time it was almost August…where was the summer going??? 

And since it was August already I figured no reason to pay the extra for sod I might as well wait until September cooler days and use seed.  I’ve heard a lot of pros/cons on the whole sod vs seed debate and since we were so late in the season the major pro of instant gratification of sod was really becoming irrelevant. So seed it is.

During...freshly leveled, tilled & seeded

During... .aerial view from my 2nd floor window

I am most definitely not a gardener and had actually never even mowed a lawn before I moved into this house 5 years ago (condo living does have its perks you know).  So less is definitely more in my world on the gardening front.

Before...the garden on the right side of the front was a raised bed and FULL of weeds (and a couple of bushes).

During...fully demo'd and new grass is planted

 I have left 1 flower garden in place in the front of my house, next to my driveway.  This I can manage.

This is the after...this was so full of growth when I moved in that the cement wall was not even visible.

The rest I am happy to say is one step closer to clean & easy plantings that require minimal care.  Stay tuned for what's next now that I have a blank slate to work with.

sharing this week on:
Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, Cozy Little House, The Charm of Home, French Country Cottage, Mod Vintage Life, Jennifer Rizzo, Artsy Chicks Rule, Elizabeth & Co, Our Home Away From Home, A Stroll thru Life

Landscape Design With A Little Help From My Friends...

Sometimes I am just astounded by the wonderful FREE events that are offered in my community.  Last night at the local library hosted a Home Design Road Show – from an organization of lovely ladies called Women Design. 

Women Design is a collaboration of local women landscape designers, architects, interior designers and real estate professionals who get together to offer up free advice to fixer-uppers such as me.  It’s a fabulous idea!  They host the event and offer short consultations to whomever shows up – you just bring your photos, questions and any inspirational magazine clippings you might have.  It’s really a genius idea – I get awesome feedback and not only do I have a new resource if I decide to hire the project out but if all works as it should these professionals get referral business from those who I tell how great they were (and they were).

This year with the exterior of my house topping my never ending project list - painting, new front steps, raised bed garden removal, back yard total renovation, etc… the main question I had was “what on earth (no pun intended) do I do with the mess that is my yard?  A landscaper I am not…




This raised bed garden creates a border between my yard and my
neighbors...unfortunately it's in really poor shape with rotting railroad
ties and full of weeds (I've moved anything that is not a weed and
transplanted them to another garden already).
So, IT HAS TO GO!

 


These bushes abutt my house and line the driveway.
Unfortunately they also scratch the paint on my car
when I park too close & haven't trimmed the hedge...
So, THEY TOO HAVE TO GO

 


My back yard, over grown and full of weeds.  Not only
is there a wishing well behind those bushes but there
is an actual well below it.
Yes, you guessed it it all HAS TO GO



My sad front stoop - stairs are extremely
steep & close and not up to code.  Under
these wood steps are disintegrating cement
that will be replaced this summer!



 I arrived at the event about 30 minutes after it started and I was just one in a long line awaiting my turn with one of the landscape ladies when Heather Deschenes, from HND Architects had a few minutes free so I meandered over to her table to discuss my front stoop.  Holy cow she had great feedback!  I was really struggling on whether or not to go with stone steps or wood – Heather suggested a Azek composite decking product (i.e. no maintenance) that I think will look fab!  Heather also gave me the right questions to ask the building inspector for my town so I can make sure I’m all legal before we start the construction.  Her information was really invaluable.



The "inspiration" picture I brought - it's
actually one of my neighbors stoop.  Nice
but I needed help making it my own (don't
want to do a direct copy...)



The sketch I left with giving me basic measurements
as well as the perfect suggestion to go with a tapered
column instead of 2 straight ones as well as using
the composite decking material instead of stone. 



Once I was done with Heather I was back awaiting my time with landscaping and after just a short wait Susie Talbot from Forget-Me-Not Garden Services welcomed me to her table.  Now, by this time it was really toward the end of the evening so everyone had been hard offering advice for a couple of hours.  This didn’t at all impact my time with Susie – she was so pleasant and helpful.  She gave me some great advice on which plants will make it through a transplant and which just need a good whacking (whacking of course being the technical term).  She also made some wonderful suggestions on some border shrubs to replace some of the raised bed gardens I am removing.



Susie suggested California Privet to
replace the raised bed garden in my front
yard to create a natural border that is mostly
maintenance free



And peonies to replace the scratchy shrubs on
the side of my house/driveway.  I LOVE peonies
and Susie told me how to stake them so they
don't droop into the drive.  I am so excited
to make this change!



 This turned out to be such a fun evening and I got to spend an evening of receiving FREE great advice I have one piece of advice to pass on to you…if you see an announcement of any kind informing you that your community is hosting something similar to this – GO!  Now I just have to call the guy with the machines to do all of the digging in my yard and find a nice charity to donate some of the fully mature plants that I will not be using.