Huga's Progress.....Part 2

We're moving right along!!! Got a ton done today!! Pics coming tonight :) I took quite a few so I thought maybe I should start a new thread today for those interested in watching our "progress"...

For those of you who haven't seen my posts before, here's a link to the previous thread:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/492481/

We're in a new house and we are just starting the landscaping from scratch... lots of dirt and grass, but not much else... yet! :) It should be really fun to track the progression of our little garden. Well, fun for me, anyway :) Hopefully fun for a few others...

I'll post all about today's checkmarks later tonight after I get the girls in bed ;)

Hugs :)

Okay, here we go :) Today was extremely productive... "Go Huga's Hubby!!!" :) DH basically did everything while I stayed with the little ones. He finished the small bed around the lightpost in front. It looks soooooo great!!! Better than I even envisioned it :)

Another angle.... mostly perennials going in this bed, along with a few annuals. Cleome is going all around the lightpost, the "green" you might be able to see are some purple coneflower and shastas that I started from seed last year just for kicks. They came back!

This pic shows the whole lightpost bed a little better than the first two. Our front yard slopes quite a bit right here, so that's why only the front of the bed has the landscaping stones. Sooo excited to plant in this great dirt!!! It was well worth the tilling and money to improve that soil :) Even DH thinks so....

This is the bed on the right (east) side of the house that I'm calling the Redbud Bed. Didn't DH do an awesome job of leveling this area off??? I'm so proud of him, he really took this and ran with it :) He got this area done by about 2 or 3pm today...

Here's a good before shot that shows the slope we were trying to combat in this spot...

And here's the new bed.... filled with gorgeous black gold! I am so excited about my dirt!!! LOL :)

Another view....just for fun :)

Starting on the birdfeeder bed.... also on a horrible slope....

But now look at it!!!! I am just giddy about all of this today :) Very exciting to see it start coming together...

An overall view of these two beds... there's a grass path between them.....

Last one :) Thanks so much, ya'll, for sharing in my excitement!!! :)

Boy, he worked himself to pieces today, didn't he? Great job, too. I know you must be soooo excited about getting out there and planting in them. He's a pretty nice guy, isn't he? lol

My husband is going to get out there with me, and lift up my pet taxis and stones, and stuff, so I can shoot slugs with a salt water spray bottle. We both got pretty nice guys, didn't we?

Those beds look really awesome! I want to do some small retaining walls in our front yard and make a few tier beds. You've really inspired me and given me ideas. Way, way, cool.

:) Kimberley

Very nice! Should really look nice in a while, when plants are in & getting some color.
Have a great day!
Bernie

I really like what you have going on there huga! It flows so gracefully, I'm betting it will be a knockout! Heh heh now I'm embarrassed at my own puny attempts. I think I might steal your ideas hee hee!

That is going to look so awesome when it fills out. Your DH did a great job!! Your neighborhood is beautiful.

I very curious about how your going to plant your Hostas out there....I don't see any trees for shade. hehe

Donna

Thanks, everyone, for more encouragement :) Ya'll are so fun to share this with! not everyone in the world gets as excited as we do about developing special places for plants :) Most of my non-DG friends are casually interested in my little hobby, but you all really enter into the experience with enthusiasm!!! I love it :)

LOL -- SoCal -- yeah, not a lot of shade :( Thankfully there's a house just 20 feet away that's going to act as my tree :) Really, though, I'm getting a bit concerned. We moved in late last April, and I didn't really track my sun/shade patterns here until late July or maybe even August. The Spring sun (as you know) has a bit different angle.... uh oh. When I tracked it last summer, this spot got about 3 hours of morning sun max and then shade the rest of the day.... next best thing to dappled tree shade for hostas. BUT -- so far this spring that place is getting some pretty long hours of full sun. Watching it closely....... that's the east side, in the summer my own house starts to cast a shadow after 11am. Waiting to see when the beds start getting less sun. Taller shrubs and a redbud are in the plans, but I really, realy hope I don't have to wait several years for those to size-up before I plant hostas!!! Ack! LOL...

Hoping to get the lasagna bed done this week and get the last of the soil off the driveway. Also decided that we need a few retaining wall stones just at the left side of the largest bed out front. I think that's going to be it for this spring except for planting. PLANTING!!! Yippee! I'm soooo excited for it :) Can't wait to have something besides taxus and yucca -- LOL :)

Thanks again for your enthusiasm, everyone :)

Hugs

Try taking pictures of all sides of your home, several times throughout a day. The files will help you guage the amount of sunlight the various areas get.

We took out two old ratty maples in front of our house last summer, so we should see a little more sun in our front-most garden areas. Yay!

That looks great! You will have the best yard in that neighborhood by far!

Gosh, Jacci, he really got down to business on Saturday!! Wow! I see in the one picture you were taking of the Redbud Bed that he's going to town on the other Birdfeeder Bed. LOL! I know how it is though.....you get on a roll and get the hang of laying those stones and you don't want to stop. Not to mention that mound of dirt in the driveway that he's probably eager to get out of the way! LOL

Hmmmm....there's an idea. Have the dirt dumped on the DH's side of the driveway so he's motivated to help get it spread. LOL Yep you're giving me lots of ideas!

Seriously though, it looks wonderful. You certainly have an "eye" for the design. That's my big failure as a gardener -- I have no vision. I've never been good at visualizing anything and it hurts me in the garden arena.

Keep the pics coming. Can't wait to compare these photos to your Fall ones to come.

Thanks for keeping us posted. I'm so excited for you and your family. Hopefully your children will all have the gardening bug just like you.

Deb

I can't wait to see what's next!

hugahosta .. I'm jes gonna keep on lurkin' ... Finding it difficult to keep my lower jaw from danglin' .. to manage to get my words of amazement 'said' ... (*hee*) .. Havin' to deal with far too many 'ooos and ahhhs' .. goin' on here!! And such a beautiful home also.

The anxiousness of seeing what you and that t-rific 'keeper' hubby of yours'll be doin' next - is simply awe inspiring!

Seems that sis of yours ... ranks pretty darn'd high also! Such a sweet and giving sis!! (*hugs fer all of ye*)

The handi-work of those beds are lookin' mitey dandy! I know you guys are plum proud ... Such a nice big canvas to tinker on and with !! .. Keep'em updates and pitters comin' too .. please !!

- Magpye

Hey, Huga - check out this idea for your kids (and you guys): http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/499041/

Hey huga, I want you to know two things: First of all, you husband is incredible.... Mine is too, but I really have to convince him to do "my" projects!! :) He likes him own projects. Second, you have shown me the light and now I have found a solution for a large circular area that is unsodded and on a slope.... BUILD A WALL!! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! My husband is on board, but doesn't want to do the work, so I have some help I can hire out to do it. It's the perfect solution to keep things in place and I love what you've done.. Yes you are right, folks here are really into their gardens. I have dreams of plants and garden related themes all the time. I sometimes go to sleep thinking about what I want to do with my garden. The other day a friend came over and I couldn't wait to get her outside to see all the new plantings and I got so excited, I got goosebumps just talking about what I had put in!!

Good for you!!!

Susan

Wonder where the cheapest source of those interlocking retaining wall stones would be in our neck of the woods.

Thanks again :) That's so cool, SGL, that this idea will work for you!!! :)

Kimberley, we got ours at Lowe's for $1.78 a block... not sure you could find it less expensive elsewhere...

I got some retaining wall at 80 cents a block once, but I bought all the store's remaining stock at the end of the year, so it was a special deal. I mostly see $1.70 to $3.00 each around here, depending on the type of block.

Hugs, how wonderful for you to see your dreams and plans coming to life. And what a great dh you have. thanks for post pics so we can keep up with what is going on in your yard. In the years down the road you will be so glad to have the before pictures. Congratulations on the good garden areas and you will have so much fun planting. DonnaS

Alright! We have some more progress!!! :)

What an amazing couple of weeks of gorgeous weather we have had!!! Absolutely beautiful today, perfect weather for working outside :) Glad to say that the lasagna bed is nearly done and the pile of dirt on the driveway is just a little mound now :) Yippee!

The lasagna/newspaper bed runs along the east side of the house all the way from the front around the back corner. Hoping to till this through in the fall and amend it a bit more at that time. Plan on planting in it next Spring. Here's the view of the back portion of the lasagna bed...

I'm planning on finishing up the last bit of the newspaper bed tonight while the girls get a bath (Sam always does the Sat night bathtime). Then it's just waiting for the plants to arrive from Bluestone Perennials mid-week. I finally get to PLANT something!!! I'm sooooo excited!!

Here's the view from where the patio is and someday the porch will be :) Thanks for watching!! :)

Huga

Huga I can't wait to see these beds in bloom, I have no doubt it will be striking - I love the flow.

Very Impressive...I've been following your progress...and likewise..can't wait to see the blooms. I would be willing to bet that your neighbors will start planting their yards once they see yours in bloom and flourishing.

Thanks, Deb and Tammy :) I did manage to get out there a little while ago and finish up the lasagna bed :) Almost done with the dirt for this Spring!!! LOL...

Now I'm refocusing on the beds in the front. Those are the ones I'm planting in... hopefully at the end of this week. The very last of the dirt needs to get added to the largest of the beds out there and then we're in business. Planting and lightly mulching are the only things we have left to do before fall. There are a few trees/shrubs going in at the end of April or beginning of May as well.

I am just so very, very glad that we were able to get going on the landscaping so soon after moving in. Thank the Lord for tax returns!!! LOL :) We're coming up on our 1 year anniversary in this house next week, and I am truly excited about all we've accomplished so far.

Here's a pic from my first "Progress" thread that shows what the east side of our house looked like just 2 short weeks ago... isn't that neat??!! :) Thanks for sharing my excitement :)

Huga

Congratulations on the improvement, Huga. I feel tired just looking at it, as it looks like you've done a lot of work. It should really look great when you get your plants in. Goodness, I wish I had your energy. Dotti

Hello my friend. :) You have provided me some very nice 'nursing' reading complete with pics! I love how the beds are coming together and those paths of grass look vaguely familiar. LOL I do have to ask if that is the bench you rest on while you watch your poor husband do all the work? snicker, giggle, duck!!!

You two have worked very hard and I can already imagine how beautiful it be when you have it all full of plants. The edging is REALLY nice! Let me know if you think of other plants you might want.

Thanks, chele :) I'm really getting excited about plants, now. Almost all done with the prep work, sure hope it all turns out to be worth it!!! I'll write more later...

Huga