Our yard this summer

I thought I would give you a little tour of our yard and home from the outside. Last year we worked on clean up. This year we have continued the clean up, while working to make our yard pretty, comfortable and enjoyable for us as a family. (...knowing we aren't going to be doing a major landscape overhaul right now. Yes... there are some huge overgrown shrubs that need to go, but that would just lead to the next thing, and the next thing!) So, here is what we could tackle!

This spring, Mark moved and separated the hostas to go in a perimeter around the landscaping by our front door. Before they were in random disjointed clumps. He also added the shrub/tree in the middle. I added the bench cushion, pots, and planter you can't see by the front door. Mark updated our house numbers.

Down at the end of the drive by the street, we planted a ton of impatients and some perennials. We will slowly be working to add more shade perennials that can handle the soil and light. There are two frog statues from the "Lemons and Leftovers" area at Bachman's and a troll/gnome statue in the middle, which was a Father's Day gift to Mark. The ferns are new transplants from our neighbor. We will add and move some hostas here again this fall.

Notice the nice lawn by the rocks above. We are busy seeding the dead patches all along the landscaping, etc. Slowly but surely we are working our way around the house and other areas. Also, I often now help mow the lawn too!

These lilies use to be in a clump in the landscaping at our front entrance. They were out of place, (along with the hostas). I separated and moved them to the back yard along the garage...

amongst the garden area we are working on. I placed extra rocks around the edge, but ran out. We have talked about heading to the country to get some from one of any of the rock piles I added to as a child...but haven't quite gotten to that.

Lettuce we neglected to eat, along with a few peas, carrots, tomato plants, and herbs.

This basil never gets any bigger, because it is always my first pick...

Now on to our back yard flower bed. It still needs a lot more something or another. The kids picked out the flamingo this spring. I have tried to add a few perennials. They have a long was to go yet. Stevo the gnome is Mark's Father's Day gift from last year. I am working to trim back the rose bushes, a little each year. And... the stones now neatly follow the edge, instead of sitting in a pile in the middle.

Finally, our weeping willow tree. I just trimmed all the branches up a bit last week. We have moved some more hostas over to this area, and will do a few more inthe fall, to go along the roots. I wish I could tell you Mark and I relax here with a glass of wine...but that doesn't really happen.

So there you have it! A yard we are enjoying.