So here it is. Finally! After a month off vacationing and enjoying the Summer I am picking back up on my projects and can finally share my front yard landscaping with you.
Do you remember my front yard landscaping makeover that I started in June?
So here we are now with this empty space and one barberry bush that I salvaged.
The Holly bush was dug up shortly after this picture was taken. I really liked it but it was way too over grown and needed to go.
One of my favorite new plants was this dwarf Limelight Hydrangea called "Little Lime".
She will produce lots of white-ish to pale green flowers in July and they will dry out over the Fall and make for beautiful dried hydrangeas.
Over the month since the landscaping was planted, everything has bloomed.
So here is the Little Lime now:
This will eventually grow to be about 3-5 feed tall and wide so I made sure to plant it away from the foundation to allow room for it to grow.
See the space between the house and the plants?
I added a small Sheppard's hook with a little yellow bird house that I found at a thrift store for a some whimsy.
The clumps of grassy looking plants are purple Lirope that I already had on hand. I just dug up one and divided in into three chunks. This is an excellent way to save some money!
I knew I wanted these on the end of my landscaping where my pavers curve. They help round off the edge, and they will eventually bloom little stalks of purple flowers.
This hydrangea is a Fire and Ice Hydrangea.
It grows tall white flowers that over time turn a pale blush color and then in the Fall turn a dark pink color. Hydrangeas are wonderful plants that we can enjoy in the Summer but also in the Fall when their flowers dry up. They make for beautiful fall arrangements!
So here is this section of my landscaping with everything planted.
And remember Annabelle?
She did great last year in the back yard but this year we got too much rain that was pooling water where she was planted, so I had to transplant her to this shady side of the house. I like how she kind of frames off the edge of the landscaping and serves as a nice backdrop.
Once she is better established here she should fill in very nicely. See her behind the downspout?
I added a Knock out Rose bush at the corner of the front porch and at the beginning of the walkway so it is the first thing you see when you pull up the driveway.
They will fill out and add a lot of color and texture to this section and this one on the corner of the porch will balance out the space with the Barberry too.
So far it is taking quite well and has doubled in size already and is full of blooms.
And I will tuck one more Boxwood back in this corner behind the Knock Out rose bush-where the Holly bush used to be.
I chose to put a Boxwood here because it is not a flowering bush and will not draw bees and wasps. It is right by the front door so I did not want anything flowering that close to the door.
Now, for my mulch. Because I have a white house, I decided to use black mulch for contrast. I really like how it looks against the house and the color of all the plants.
Removing all the bushes and planting new stuff was a change, but putting in black mulch was stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit but I am glad I went with it as it really adds depth and richness to the space.
Mulch is something that can be easily removed if you don't like it....it is not permanent. So if you want to jazz up your landscaping but aren't up for digging and replanting, then I suggest trying a different color of mulch. You will be amazed at the difference it makes!
The Barberry that I salvaged has an odd shape because it was trimmed when the old bushes were there on either side of it.
Next year I plan on trimming it down to about two feet and letting it grow new sprouts so that I can reshape it around the new plants.
For now I am taking advantage of its height since it shades the new landscaping.
If we make our way back towards the front walkway, you will see that I lined the walkway with Boxwoods.
I chose the baby Boxwoods for $7 at Lowe's so that they can grow into their space and fill out over time versus buying larger ones from the nursery that were $35 each. I saved a ton of money this way AND got the same plant and the same look I was going for. Score!
And I am happy to report that they are already getting bigger since these pictures were taken!
I can't wait until next Spring after they have had more time to grow. Maybe by then you will actually be able to see them down by the street.
I still need to touch up the paint on the front porch where the old bushes used to be but other than that most of the hard work is done.
Now I just make sure to water everything daily and wait anxiously for it to grow and fill in!
The front is now so open and airy and so much cleaner than before. I could NEVER get all the leaves and debris cleaned out from under those bushes, but now that everything is open I can blow off leaves with the blower this Fall and keep everything clean so that I have less clean up in the Spring.
So there it is. My new landscaping. I planted every plant myself and purchased and hauled every bag of dirt and mulch myself, and have an aching back to prove it! Ha! But it was worth every sore muscle!
Now, if you are wondering what it takes to put in new landscaping, you're in luck. I will be publishing a post soon with a step by step tutorial on what it took to plan, design, and put in all of my new plants to help all of you out there who might be wondering where to start your project.
Have a wonderful day!
Jennifer
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