Working Around the Yard-Spring Yard Tour

 

 

 

 

This weekend we were blessed with such gorgeous Spring weather here in KC

and I was able to get another round of yard work done.

 

Right now I am finishing up the Spring clean up and will start to plant flowers in the next week or so.

 

When I bought my house, several years ago, I planted lots of bulbs and I love how they greet me with their presence every Spring.

 

They are a very welcoming sight as I am cleaning up the yard, so today I am going to walk you around the yard to share with you what I have been working on.

 

I planted Grape Hyacinth about 7 years ago when I was a new homeowner, and I really wasn't sure how they would look in the yard. The picture on the package of bulbs was so pretty and I knew I wanted my yard to look like that, so I bought a dozen of them and planted them around the trees and brick edging in my front yard.

 

Well, I like them in various nooks and crannies around the rock edging, but I do not like how they look in my front yard. They remind me of weeds, so for those of you who are thinking about planting these little guys, keep in mind they grow up in a spurt of little grassy clumps, like the picture above.

Great for added color and texture around the landscaping, but not so much in my yard!!!!! (I'm so much wiser now!) LOL

 

 

Then there are my favorite flowers of all.....my red tulips!

 

I have absolutely NO regrets planting these beauties! They add a gorgeous pop of color to my yard and look great with the green and white color scheme of the house.

Now, down by the street I have a little vignette of fountain grass and a variety of perennials like these yellow tulips, some grape hyacinth, and a Hosta.

 

Every spring I cut the fountain grass down to help it grow better. Right now it is cut down and looks dead. It will start turning green and growing in mid-May.

 

I always like having a welcome flag at the edge of my driveway to add a little color and movement to this vignette that welcomes visitors.

 

 

Please ignore the weeds and dandelions! I haven't laid down mulch or my weed-n-feed yet!

I usually trim this large Barberry and Holly bush in June with the rest of the evergreens in the front yard, but even when I trim him I don't take much off of the Barberry because I like how big he is and the interest he adds to the front of the house.

 

Around back I have more trees so I have some shady spots where I planted a variety of Hostas.

 

They are just started to come up.

 

The white and green variegated ones you see here are my favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

The all green ones are pretty too and they also product a few stems of pretty light pink flowers in late Summer.

 

 

 

 Above is my hydrangea that is starting to pop up.

 

I purchased an endless summer hydrangea back in 2010 before I started blogging and it was just a small little plant that I took out of the pot and put into the ground, and now it has grown to a fairly decent size so I hope to get a lot of blooms this Summer, and maybe even cut some to bring inside!

 

And the clump of smaller grassy looking leaves is a plant that I can never remember its name but it produces light purple flowers in May and June then is green the rest of the summer.

 

 

 

Over the fence I am growing honeysuckle.

 

I love having it close by the patio so I can smell the fragrant flowers when they bloom!

 

 

I also have two types of ivy ground cover growing here that soften the look of the space. The previous owners planted it here so I kept it and really like it.

 

It is very  low  maintenance and only requires a few snips here and there every once in a while to keep it from branching out too far and taking over.

 

 

 

Then there is this. Uh, hem. The neglected corner of the yard. I put this bird bath back there and plan to plant landscaping around it to help soften the corner and hide my neighbors brush pile.

So more to come on the bird bath area. I will post more pics once I get everything planted and in place.

 

 

My rose of Sharon is starting to get buds and the daffodils are so perky and happy right now!

 

I hope to plant more daffodils in this mulched area this fall so next spring the fill in a lot of the space.

 

 

 Oh and what looks like clumps of dead grass is Lirope.

It will liven up and turn green then it will bloom little purple flowers in August.

Now, drum roll please!

 

I planted two Peony bushes the last week of March and they are FINALLY starting to sprout!!!!

 

 

 

 

I am super excited about this and can't wait to get some pretty peonies that I can use for arrangements inside this Summer!

 

I will keep you posted on their progress as they grow and cross my fingers that I get blooms this year!

 

 

Ok, so on this side of the patio I planted a variety of things, including fountain grass which you will see on the other side of the light post, then there is a purple plant that is in the same family as Loose strife, but I can't remember the name.

 

It starts out purple then as it grows it turns green and blooms yellow flowers in late July.

Love it!

 

Then of course there are some Iris and Surprise Lilies.

 

On outer side of the patio I planted a row of Lilies. They grow wonderfully here and produce the pretties bright orange flowers in May!

 

These are very fast growers. This whole side was started from three plants. In two years they spread along the entire side. I only have to dig up a few here and there to keep them confined, and when I do I usually give the strays to someone else to plant in their yard to share the love. :)

 

 

 

Notice my helper? LOL She follows me everywhere and I guess she enjoyed looking at the Lilies as much as I did! LOL :)

 

So there ya have it!

 

Early Spring in my yard.

 

 

 

 

Over the next week or two I plan to spread my weed-n-feed, lay mulch, tackle the bird bath area, and trim the rose of Sharon.

 

Lots to do before May arrives!

 

 

I hope you enjoyed walking around the yard with me and if you have any questions about any of the plants just let me know.  (I plan to post more pics as things start blooming)

 

Have a wonderful day!

 

Jennifer