Pics of frontyard

Well, I finally have some pics to show of the work done at my new home over the past month (moved in July 29/05). The property, as I may have mentioned on a previous thread, was a clean slate; frontyard only had ratty grass and 2 raised beds against the house with half-dead evergreen shrubs in them (I moved these to get more sun and air around them). I went up north to my sister's MIL's house and pilfered a bunch of rocks (nearly bitten by a snake in doing so) to make a bed along the walkway. I'm kinda shy about showing pics but I'll be brave. The frontyard was started on Friday night and completed last night. I bought and planted a Dwarf Alberta spruce, Blue Angel hostas, Heather, Butterfly Bush and a Dixie fern. A friend gave me a Nikko Blue Hydrangea (that I'm praying I won't kill), MIL gave me 2 potentilla & a campanula (she would mow them down if I didn't take them) and neighbor sent over some periwinkle and a variegated single impatiens in a pot (never saw one b4).
The backyard is another long story so let's just say that there was a whole lotta nothing but sparse dead/yellow grass and MUD. I'll get shots of the backyard today to show.

Erynne

View from driveway....

View from my lovely neighbor's side... oh yeah, repainted the steps too!

erynne1973
Erynne, the stones and beds look great..It's exciting when things gradually come together after all the hard work you put into it.Nice.
Ingrid

You have created a very nice display there Erynne. I can't wait to see your backyard pics.
--Ginny

Looking good Erynne!

cvv

Thank you Ingrid & Ginny! It's been non-stop work and more work but I'm just one of those people that can't relax until my space is in a liveable condition. Thank goodness for my good & strong fella to help with the heavy stuff or it would've taken eons.
Okay let me get those backyard pics loaded from the camera.

Here's the b4 pic of what the backyard looked like all over. The only thing that we did at this point was put the back fence up.

Okay, now we gots grass!! The yard still has areas that I have to deal with but I'm thinking next year...I'm pooped!

garden in the corner that has an improvised sitting area beside it ...

garden along the garage with toad lilies which all of a sudden have a ton of buds, hostas, Jacob's Ladder & pulmonaria which are just wee things. As you can see I have more shade than I know what to do with, Lol!

Hope I didn't bore anyone to death but I'm learning. When I took these pics a few mins ago, a squirrel had just made off with the bloom from my new daisy. He then sat at the back area looked at me and ate it!!! So brazen!! I think they will be my garden woe..

erynne1973
You have nice space areas to work with..It's going to be nice.Keep showing pictures as you go.
Ingrid

Thank you again and cvv. My DH wants to put in a water garden on the right side of the yard, near the sitting area but I'm saying "next year honey". I still have way too much to learn about the plants that I have and want to watch them closely over the next year. I'm really concerned about that hydrangea though and exactly what I have to do to maintain it with regards to winter. Just makes me a little nervous.

Very nice, quite the difference between the before and after pictures. Like everyone said it shows the hard work that you have put in.
Rubria

Your backyard has a lot of potential. I can sure understand wanting to just sit back, take a breather, and evaluate before you do any more though. Although I usually think that patience is a highly overrated virtue, LOL, I have pretty much had to do the same thing with my property this year. I now actually have, gasp, a plan! And a multi-year plan at that. --Ginny

erynne
wow have you done a lot of work! Great job and remember taking a break gives you time to think of new things and check OP (other peoples) places. Plus you can get some great prices in the fall and overwinter things in a nursery type bed for use next summer.
Keep up the good work and thanks for the photos
Ann

A multi-year plan Ginny!!! Yikes, I can't think past the next couple days,lol. My brain is overkilled!
Ann, I'm really wanting a break but now the inside of the house has to be dealt with and my motivation is having a collection of house plants that will compliment the decor I'm going to choose. 2 bdrms out of three are done and today DH is going to pick up the paint for the living room.
A nursery bed, hmmm, DH is gonna scream, haha. Thanks for the idea!
BTW, the big patch of lawn is going to have to stay as is because between the 2 of us, we have 4 kids ages 6-11, that love to play in the backyard. Need a soft place for them to fall,lol.

Wow eyrnne! You've done such a great job on your land, I'm very impressed. Of course, I got very excited when you said you have toad lilies-they're my absolute favourite flower right now, being in continual bloom for the past several weeks-and as you say, they just have masses of blooms on them! Here's a picure of my little Blue Wonder. The tiny little flowers are only 1-1/2" across.
Christine

Awwww, Christine it's absolutely gorgeous! And toad lilies have become my favorite too!!! I have 2 Gilt Edge (tricyrtis formosana) at the back and 2 Tojen at the front. These plants have taken right away and the blooms are adorable. I think I'm going to be dedicating an unplanted, shady area behind the garage area to different varieties because I'm in love with them. The Gilt Edge have been blooming already and the Tojen just greeted me with the first bloom today...lookie..

Eyrnne, your little Tojen is so pretty! And your picture is so good, that I think you should post it in Plant Files - here's the link to your plant if you're interested in sharing it with all of DG - http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/51730/index.html

Everybody needs to know how lovely these little flowers are!

Christine

Erynne you did a fabulous job revamping your yard. Luv your brick house.
:) Donna

very good job and i can feel your aching muscles

Thanks for the link Christine. Yes, I think everyone should have toad lilies in their garden...I'm slowly convincing my non-gardening sister, lol. The minute detail in these little blooms just amazes me and I find myself staring for ages. I really love your Blue Wonder and I'm thinking to hunt for one (I'm hooked).

Donna, thank you for the compliment. There is something so warm about the look of it, nothing fancy but rather comfy. I'll probably stay for a long while. It was built in autumn 1955 so it's kinda apt that we are giving it some long overdue loving for it's 50th b-day. I believe a home is more than a structure; it's where love lives! (best know now that I'm the sentimental type)

Erynne

Wow, you've really done a lot of work in your new yard Erynne. It's hard to believe you've only been working on it for just over a month. It looks really good...I'm really impressed.

Love the toad lilies. I'm putting them on my list for next year.

Sandy

Thank you jagonjune :o)
I definitely ache, mostly in my lower back...go figure.

Your yard is looking really good Erynne. You've got so much done. I love the rocks across the front. Lots of shade can be great. My favourite garden is in the shade.

Keep the pictures coming, and thanks for sharing them with us.
Brenda

Hi Erynne - nice job! My current shade addiction is omphalodes -- Parisian skies, Cherry Ingram, Starry eyes. They just seem to be such energizer bunnies....the flowers are true blue, but only for spring, but the foliage is fresh and pretty, and they spread not like mad, but just right.

which is to say -- I have 'em........

Marian

Marian,
Those "omphalodes" are sweet looking. That plant is new to my ears. Would they grow in my zone I wonder?? Okay, I know the plant files is right there....go check Erynne, lol.. sorry just being lazy..
It's near going on 1am and I just finished painting the ceiling and walls in my living room and I think my head is in the perma-lock skyward position. I gotta get up at 5:40 am, so ya think I'd know when to call it quits....I wish I could find my off button...

Yawn,
Erynne

ooops, not you lazy, me forgetty -- I checked hardiness; then forgot to put it in. Digging dog says it is hardy to zone 6 -- so, if I were you I would give it a shot in a protected site. I grew it in Chilliwack quite successfully in a not very sheltered backyard and that is zone 6 (they say)

nice picture of one form at:
www.dunngardens.org/spring/omphalodes_cappadocica_cherry_ingram.html

the flowers really are blue blue. I can collect seed in spring if you like, or babies at the same time. Not sure yet how I'd mail them, but I'm sure something could be done. I get stuff the other way from Richters all the time....

M

I should go to bed to, she said. No intention in her voice. peace reigns.
and me too!!!

there for a moment i got quite excited til i remembered your zones - oh well!!

Hortensia,
Thank you so much for the offer. I definitely would love to have a few seeds from your plant seeing as it's down right purdy! I'm not sure how all this sending and receiving works, but I would send a SASE at some point right?
It's so hard for me to tell sometimes what the seeds look like on a certain plant.. some look like dust to me,lol. When I was at the cottage a few weeks ago, I came across a beautiful purple columbine and raided the dried pods; that one was a no-brainer! Now I gotta figure out when it's the best time to plant them. Soooo much to learn about the needs of each plant that I adopt...sheesh!

jagonjune,
I know what you mean about the zone thing...my aunt lives in your neck of the woods and she's always complaining about all her wants but can't haves. Despite all that, Aunt Jane has a fabulous garden and she "zone-pushes" just a little here and there to see what happens. Now if I could just tell her to do away with all the little action figures hiding amongst all the flowers....Ninja Turtles and GI Joes, I don't get it .....but it makes her happy.

Erynne

Welcome to Dave's Erynne and thank you for sharing pics of your lovely garden with us. Ü
Pam

Hi Erynne

I'm not quite sure either, but I'll post some pics of Omphalodes when she blooms, and we can arrange it then. sound ok??
M