I am overwhelmed and need ideas to spruce up my yard!

My husband and I moved to Missouri 2 years ago from Las Vegas. We went from the desert to the lush midwest and I had all sorts of grand plans to make our 5 acres an oasis.

Well it's been 2 years and work, money, 6 pet goats and a flock of chickens has interfered with my ideas! We have finally successfully confined the animals to one 2 acre pasture, hay is growing in the other 2 acre pasture, leaving 1 acre for me to focus on.

The panic that I am going through now is that my mother-in-law is coming from England in one month to visit. I have SO much to do to get the house ready, but I want the yard to look smart as well. I am mowing and edging, moving fallen branches, raking, clearing out debris and trash that had accumulated during the winter and WET spring, that sort of thing, so the yard is shaping up nicely. But other than some bulbs that are (of course) lovely NOW, there is little color in the yard. The goats damaged and/or killed my 4 apple trees, and the roses are still sticks so I think either the ice or the goats did them in as well. Does anyone have any ideas of things that I can plant from seed (preferably) or as inexpensive plants that would have some color and not look too "new" in just one month? Also any sources to buy plants? I live 1/2 hour away from a Home Depot and a Lowes, but would prefer to buy from a local small business, but money is a huge factor for us.

Please, PLEASE help me!
Thank you!

Hi Tiff!~ How about buying bedding annuals, in 30 days they'll look good if you're willing to plant a little closer than recommended and in containers. Bedding flats are on sale this weekend at $9.00/32 at Home Depot for marigolds, impatiens and one other that I can't recall. Maybe you can find some other annuals, hostas, roses and a few perennials on sale as well to liven up your yard. Maybe someone else will point you in the direction of local nurseries since I'm on the other side of the prairie. Make a nice inviting seating area an oasis for a "spot of afternoon tea" and she won't notice. Sounds like you'll be a busy bee in the garden! ;0)

Wow, a month doesn't give you much time to grow anything. How about a container garden? You could probably get that together within a month.

Go to a Goodwill store for all kinds of containers - I have a "thing" for baskets and picked up quite a few just the other day for $1-$2 apiece (you can spray them with polyurethane to make them water-resistant, if you want). They also had some very cute tin containers I got & drilled holes in the bottom of them. I picked up a large ceramic seashell that one of my pots fits perfectly in.

I use petunias a lot in my containers, as fillers or as main plants - instant color & cheap - but you do have to deadhead them to keep them continuously blooming well. You can usually pick those up at a lot of places. I went to Calibrachoas this year, as they don't have to be deadheaded, but they're harder to find & more expensive. I also use Verbenas, Salvias, Dianthus & Veronicas in my containers, as well as some grasses.

There's a Container Gardening forum here you can get more ideas from.

Hi Tiff:
I agree with the bedding plants idea. it will give you the most bang for your buck If you will email me your contact info I have a few things i can send you but they are small. I have a few dogwood seedlings that won't help you now but in time they will be nice.
the main thing you need to know is sun or shade how much light get through to your planters. I am picturing a treed lot with some clearings. Impatients make a good show in shady areas. I would also use something like osmocote or dynamite both slow release and great products.
I hope this helps
Dave

Thanks so much for the responses, here are some pics of the yard last year. The bushes have all been "goated", one of the appletrees is completely dead, the other three only have leaves towards the top so I'm not sure they will recover. There is not much shade other than beneath the walnut tree, it is quite bright and sunny in most spots.

The rain that started with a vengeance this morning has made the suggestions about container/hanging planting seem even more attractive. When I got home last night my husband and I were working in the yard, brainstorming and thinking aloud. Coupled with these ideas, some books I checked out from the library, and things we came up with, w kinda have a game plan now although this rain has sure put a cramp in them today!

Dave THANK YOU and I'll send you a message.


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This message was edited May 24, 2008 8:34 AM

Hi Tiff I got some hosta and liriope divisions this weekend. My son-in-law mentioned he wanted to shrink his hostas as they are crowding out other plants, so I managed to get some that I will add to what I am sending.
Dave

Dave thank you so much, and thanks to everyone who offered advice!

If you need something is a hurry, you might want to consider containers created from "flea market finds" and other "found" materials. You can use those types of items to pot the plants or as plant stands or trellises. Such as an old bed stead for a trellis, a bird cage holder to hold a hanging basket, etc. This could be perfect for your rural setting and a quick way to get lots of impact for very little cost.

Thank you guys, well here's the update ...

Of course it's rained every few days so my progress is not quite as advanced as I had hoped. But here's what has been accomplished so far:

All of the fallen branches and twigs have been moved from the "house" acre over to the "pond" acres and piled up for a bonfire, BBQ and an evening of catfishing. Some miscelaneous old wood bits hiding in places in the old barn joined the bonfire stack.

All of the trees have been pruned to clean them up a bit. I know it probably wasn't the ideal time to do it, but as many of the branches had been broken by the goats, and no pruning was done last year, I felt it was better to clean them up a bit rather than leaving them look ratty. A few of the branches were also too low to mow under easily so they got lopped off as well.

Found a spot under the kitchen stairs where 2 hens had been laying for lord knows how long ... there were about 50 each of 2 different colored eggs. So the eggs got busted up and chucked into the compost, and the hole under the stairs had some wire mesh put over it.

Started to muck out the chicken/goat house, that was another past due task that will take another few dozen wheelbarrow trips to the compost pile. Having a wheelbarrow with 2 flat tires and soggy ground made it rough going, thankfully my husband loves me enough that he only complained a little bit! After it's all raked out and dried some we'll move the old (but clean) straw bedding from the big old barn that is empty (we don't have horses or cattle) because we'd like to start cleaning it out anyway so we can utilize it in some way. And the way I see it, all that chicken and goat "leftovers" will make wonderful compost combined with all of the grass clippings, leaves, weeds and old straw as well as the citrus peel, coffee grounds and tea bags will make AWESOME compst for next year!

Weed whacked around the trees, poles and places (like the bank around the pond) where the mower just can't go.

My husband put up the green plastic construction (or "snow") fencing around the plot laid out for my vegetables. It was an existing plot that had strawberries in it before, but the chickens destroyed the patch so I tilled it all over 2 weeks ago and have been actively weeding it daily since then. Now with the fence I can plant a few things, and hopefully all of the work already done (and work to do!) will be rewarded by a lower grocery bill!

Pruned back the roses 10 days ago that looked dead, and they all have started sprouting some leaves and buds so I was so happy they weren't dead. The 2 I'd bought in pots and the 2 bareroots I bought for $3 each on sale at Orscheln's seem to be doing well. Weeded and fertilized also.

Planted a couple dozen little annuals in front of the Iris. The Iris bed goes along one whole length of the garage, there are a LOT of them. But once the flowers all die off, there is just a sea of green leaves so some color had to be put in to break it up. I am going to have to seperate them when the time is right, any advice on what to interplant that blooms at different times to the iris?

I'm hoping the Lilies will be in full bloom in time for her to see them, they are lovely and there are several beds of them on the property, last year there were hundreds in bloom at the same time. But like the Iris they are only in color for a short time and are so green the rest of the year. So same thing, I'll have to figure something out.

Husband put up a couple of pieces of fencing for the Wild Grape Vines to climb on in front of the property. Does anyone know if they are eating grapes, or just decorative? The old owner just called them "Wild Grapes". But even if they aren't edible, they are pretty when they are all climbing. There are some on some of the pasture fencing and I wish I'd gotten this fence up sooner!

Raked up and blew out the lavarock in the front of the house (I hate it but we can't change it right now), it looks cleaner and neater.

The 12 containers are doing well, getting bigger and bushier and more flowery!

well that's my update for now, thanks again for the ideas and suggestions!

Hello, and slow down, catch your breath,don't try to do so much that you can't enjoy your visit because you are wore out and exhausted. We women worry too much. Concentrate on a small area with lots of color. I think one small bed done right and looking good and some containers will be fine. Then explain that you have more planned. She will understand you have only been there a short time. Find out from spouse if possible what her favorite colors are and her favorite plants and tell her you did it special for her visit and she will be honored. You are working so hard you can't enjoy the end result. Now bossy old scraps will shut up now. I just understand what it feels to be overwhelmed. Good luck!!!!!!

I know, you are right, but it's been our own laziness that caused it and I didn't want to be fretting when she was here, so I'll enjoy the break when she is here and everything is looking more put together. I am one of those "photosensitive" people who gets depressed in the grey cloudyness of winter, and this last one was a doozy! So I am SO happy it is actually sunny (inbetween the rainbursts of course!)
Thx again

Wow woman, you are one ambitious girl and getting alot done! I'm sure by the time your mother in law arrives things will have shaped up nicely! It never fails though, when you need to get alot done, the rain interferes with your plans! I am experiencing the same thing here. As far as your Iris goes, it looks like you get full sun so you could do just about anything you want there. I'd go online to places like Wayside Gardens and Bluestone Perennials and request a free catalog. Browse those for ideas on what you appeals to you. Once you find those you like, then you can always ask us about the plant's hardiness as some perform better than others. Let us know your planting zone, putting it in your profile so we know when you post questions. Your planting zone is really important when choosing plants. I just began using flowering shrubs with my perennials. I used to plant just all perennials but found that using more flowering shrubs with a mix of perennials was much easier to maintain. Sounds like you have much to do anyway so you want to make it as easy for yourself as possible in maintenance.
By the way, good for you going from the city life to the country life. I envy you! We are in a Chicago suburb and plan to move to Iowa when the kids are out of high school (that's the plan, anyhow). My husband longs for a farm and he loves pheasant hunting in Iowa and SD and ND. I long for the country life!!! My best to you!

well here's the update today ... the guys who come by and mow the sides of the rural roads caught one side of the pasture fence containing the goats, they got out and spent the entire day eating my plants, stripping the trees, and basically undoing a large amount of the time, energy and stress I've gone through. The bushes and trees that they had damaged (like my peonies, apple trees, herb garden etc) had been making a successful and surprising rebound, I was so happy! Everything was growing nicely, I'd bought some vegetable seedlings, been given some, started others, there were hundreds. They knocked down all of those off of the sawhorses that I had them up on and trampled/ate what they could.

Don't get me wrong, I love my goats (they are "just" pets, not milking or meat goats) but last night I really hated them. Also with the fence down my jennie turkey was hit by a car, survived but had a broken leg and wing so I had to kill her. I am NOT happy :(

Hmmm...and you still want to keep the goats as pets? ;0) Perhaps the rural mowers should have a video of all the damage they caused.LOL!

I'd definitely contact whoever's responsible for the mowing and lodge a complaint, it's their responsibility not to damage your private property in the process of doing their job, and the fact that you've suffered significant damages as a result of their carelessness is something that they ought to take care of.

Oh, HisWifeTiff, how horrible!! After you got all that work done, to have it destroyed in hours must be terribly discouraging. :((((((( I'd be crying.

It's not just the money, (that's a huge part of it of course!), it's the amount of time and energy I've spent over the past few weeks, the plants I'd bought and planted were filling in nicely, the veg. seedlings were sprouting, the goat poo had been swept off of all the walks and put into the compost .... everything was looking so NICE!

The only saving grace in this whole mess is that is didn't happen 2 weeks from now! At least I have more time to work towards repairing the damage and starting over! Oh and thankfully no stray dogs got in to my chickens & ducks, and the goats didn't get into a farmers field and get shot!

I did call the county roads folks, the guy I spoke to said that sort of thing had never happened before and he would have to talk to his "commisioner" ... I'm supposed to estimate how many plants, and he'd let me know "if" they can do anything to help me rebuy them. So I'm not too sure what will happen. Fingers crossed though!

Oh no! I am so sorry. I just sent up a special prayer for you, I just hate that happened when you were already feeling overwhelmed. Goodluck.

Thanks for all the good thoughts, I was in tears to be sure! Thank heck my husband loves me and tollerated my tantrum last night!

On a good note I spoke to the mgr of the road crew, he apologized profusely and said someone from their insurance company would be calling to get an estimate of what was damaged. How in the heck to I figure that out? The recent things I bought I can figure out easily as it was just a couple weeks ago, but what about the seedlings I was given and started myself? Should I base those things like the lettuces and brocolli that are now too late to start from seed on what they would cost me finished in the market? None of the nurseries (I called all of the ones in town and the ones in the bigger city near me) have them anymore, so the "big" moneysavers we were looking forward to are no-more.

It is quite a ways from Centralia, but there is a Menonite community just west of Rich Hill. I'll bet some of them could help supply you with some plants to get you going again.

We found them when my mom died 4 years ago. Great produce and friendly people. It was fun watching them bring in watermellons with 2 and 4 hitch teams of draft horses, and watching 40' tractor trailers roll out.
They also have a "jam house" - outstanding jellies & jams.

I'd try and get "replacement cost" for your seedlings, in other words the price a garden center would charge for a similar size plant (regardless of whether they actually have those exact plants or not) I don't think you can really charge them what it'll cost you to buy ready to eat broccoli at the market, but it would be reasonable if your plants were about the size that would be sold in a 4" pot to ask for the amount that your local nursery would typically charge for a plant in a 4" pot, etc.

One of the farmers wives near me told me there was an Amish community she'd take me to nearby on Saturday to see if they had anything.

Most of the nurseries have just tomatoes, peppers, squash and mellon, so they said the same thing, to give the price to the insurance company based on wether they were true seedlings similar to what you'd find in a 4-pack, or larger like in a 4" pot.

The 2 rose bushes I'd bought (that I shouldn't have but I SO wanted something to be blooming and they were only $11.98 each) that were JUST going to be ready to bloom when she got here were eaten too, I didn't notice that until I was watering the remains of the other plants this morning. *sigh*

ONE good thing is I noticed the things that they didn't eat, namely marigolds and impatiens! The chickens have left those alone as well, so if someone is looking for flowers to have around those little buggers, there's an easy answer!