Terri asked me at the RU to post some before and after pics of our yard. This was taken exactly 12 months ago today May17. We had were doing an excavation to put in a French drain and the sprinkler system at the same time.
What a difference a year makes!
This one was taken this morning from almost the same place! Its difficult to believe its the same spot - I'd almost forgotten myself just how 'horrible' it was!
OK, so now I've started lets see other folks before and after shots.
Carol
This message was edited May 17, 2005 2:49 PM
Holy cow, Carol! One day I will but, probably not untill next year!
John
Wowser!! Can't believe that happened in just one year! Looks great!!
My goodness Carol, amazingly beautiful!
Wow, big difference!
Here's one of my before and after.
1st picture (before).
#2
After
Here's another. These old pictures were taken before I moved into my house in 2000.
#1 - before
But, now there is no lawn to fertilize, water and mow!
#2 - after
#3 after
Oh, yes there is, John. In that "after" picture of my garden room, you can see a wrought iron fence on the left. That fence divides my garden room from my "yard." See, I have grass! This is the "yard" side. Maybe I can find a picture that shows more grass.
This message was edited May 18, 2005 1:56 PM
Here's a different before and after group.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
This is inside one of the new little street beds but I haven't downloaded the most recent picture showing both beds. Will do that later tonight when I get home.
Gosh Terri that out does mine - How long between the before and after?
Here is another of my befores - taken at the end of May last year. They had finished the pool the week before.
This is the after taken yesterday. Hopefully in a couple of years the pool equipment will disappear!
Carol, that is lovely!! Do your banana plants and palms make it through the winter in the ground?
By the way, didn't know you had a pool. You may have to have a pool party this summer for a few DGer's!
Yes the bananas came back happily this spring - they died off in November and I thought the snow might have done them in - they didn't get covered up - but they are back and have tripled in numbers!
The palms got frost burn on the leaves where the snow sat - I did cover their growing points up - but they have recovered fine. It was only the snow that caused a problem at all, they were uncovered all the rest of the winter.
The pool isn't heated so its a bit cool yet except for serious swimming - but later maybe!!
Carol
This message was edited May 18, 2005 2:35 PM
Well if all you have to worry about is damage from snow, then you don't have to worry too much around here! lol
Forgot to answer your question about the time lapse. I bought my house in May of 2000. The first year I just piddled in what little flower beds there were. In May of 2001, John and I got married, he moved in with me, and had his landscape guys dig out the grass and put down the brick for me in the "garden room." Also replaced an old chain link fence that divided the back yard with a wrought iron fence and put up a new wooden fence all the way around. The previous owners had a big dog at one time and thus the dividing chain link fence. I decided I wanted to keep it divided in order to have the "garden room." The other side of the "yard" had a 40 foot sycamore tree and the ground was nothing but ivy and weeds as up to my knees. So we had the tree cut down and the yard dug up. Started beds from scratch. I layed out a hose where I wanted the beds and the landscapers sodded the back yard leaving the beds empty. Then John's bricklayers came over and laid brick between the sod and what would become my beds. (These beds are all in pictures you have seen on a thread I started last year). So, everything has evolved since the summer of 2001. That same summer, John had the landscapers dig out the straight line of hedges in the front yard and put in a sprinkler system. I did the same thing in the front -- outlined the beds I wanted and the landscapers put in that metal edging for me. The new "street" beds were made this last fall.
Probably more than you wanted to know. lol
If you had contractors do all the digging out etc for you, it must have cost a fortune!! It is lovely though, and I know you are working so time is a factor.
Aside from the pool Richard and I have done absolutely everything ourselves, and we had to bring in tons and tons of soil etc to make up the levels.We are retired and home full time though. Mind you that also means a restricted income so sometimes 'Needs must when the devil drives' as my grandad would have said!
We are still working on the front yard its coming together but slowly, we keep having to wait before we can get the next set of edging etc.
Gosh, I definitely understand that. The only reason I could have the heavy work done by contractors is because John is a custom home builder and tends to give them a lot of business so they are nice to me. :-)
I have a yard and a camera, willing to take that Before picture and the After one, who wants to come be creative? LOL
(I am so jealous of your projects, they are all lovely)
Susan
You are funny?!
Yard envy is almost as bad as zone envy...
Everything looks lovely :-)
Carol, you guys have accomplished some wonderful things in your yard in a short time.
Congratulations!
And you Terrie have done great things too, in a very creative way, I must day, your yard is picture perfect, and you have good reason to be proud.
Josephine.
Thanks Jennifer - it was hard going last year but we are really enjoying it now!
Carol
Terri and Carol, I must come and visit your yards and pick your brains. Absolutely stunning differences you ahve both made.
Adeline
Thanks, everyone! And welcome, Buns/Susan!!