I’ve mentioned before what a hot mess my yard looked like when we moved into this home a little over a year ago. Overgrown bushes turned into trees, random debris and rabid rose bushes throughout the yard are just a few of the major infractions, that I’m surprised weren’t cited by the HOA.
The fall we moved in I shared with you here the first stage of the front yard makeover. I knew we would eventually get to the back and side of the house, that time has finally come nearly a year and a half later….but who’s counting.The bushes on the side of the house were never trimmed so they grew so tall that they started to intertwine with one another. The large “tree” on the left hand side blocking my laundry room window was only intended to be half that size if it was properly pruned.
We are blessed to have a family member do our yard work so I get to get out there and supervise which is what I did on that nice Wednesday we had last week. I am ready to work on our Spring landscape and we have a ton of work to do. Slow and steady they say.
These were rose bushes. I don’t know a ton about growing roses but I gather that they have to be aggressively pruned or they will take over…like these did. However they were beautiful when they bloomed so I am sure I will be putting more where these were removed.
I was so happy to start seeing the house shining through once the bush “trees” were taken down
My garden will find its home here. I’ve been watching the past few days and the area gets a consistent amount of sunlight.
I think I am most happy about being able to see out of my laundry room window.
I’ll be back next week with more progress as we clear out the space. The stumps from the bushes have to be grinded to give me us a clean slate to start with regarding whatever is going there cause we’re not really sure at this point other than the garden.
This is what we are starting with in the back. Big changes coming.
Have you started on your garden or Spring landscape?
12 Comments
Tia
March 9, 2015 at 10:34 amAt our last duty station I did a potted garden on our back patio. I’d love to do something like that here but it’s way too much nature where we live, LOL! All the squirrels and birds would have my garden for supper on a regular basis. Not to mention I don’t need any more of them moving into our yard. Can’t wait to see progress pics.
Kita
March 9, 2015 at 6:33 pmBut why your hubs look like a creeper though…like he just appeared out of nowhere. I don’t do outside work…my grandma had me out there mowing, gardening, putting up fences (she had cows) and all types of stuff during the summers I stayed with her. I vowed to my doll babies that I would not step one foot outside when I got grown and I kept my promise.
Weekend Vlog - Landscape. Shopping. The Sprinkler - Lipgloss & BinkyLipgloss & Binky
March 10, 2015 at 10:25 am[…] finally got a Sams card. We got out in the yard and did some lawn work, you can see progress photos here. Outside of that we had a great weekend, the weather was decent. I can’t […]
Baby Teems
March 10, 2015 at 11:03 amWe didn’t have much shrubs but we had two massive half dead Arborvites in front of our entrance that took away from the house. We tore those down but we haven’t really gotten into landscaping yet. I hate that it looks so bare but landscaping can get expensive. Right now we are just working on the health of the soil and grass. Lots of Aerating and reseeding will be going on. Do you have an update on those shrubs and tree growth?
Sonya
March 10, 2015 at 11:45 amFor my husband and I yard work is probably one of the worst parts about being a homeowner. We have lots of trees in our backyard so fall is always full of racking leaves. It’s good exercise and the kids like jumping in leaf piles, but it’s really time consuming.
It looks like you guys got a lot done. Looking forward to seeing the final outcome.
K. Elizabeth (YUMMommy)
March 14, 2015 at 5:54 pmSince we live in a rental, our Spring landscaping consists of just container gardening. You guys are off to a great start though. Bushes will definitely take over if you don’t prune them. My mom had some that I would prune for her every year since they lined her driveway.
Carla
March 15, 2015 at 10:03 pmYou have such a gorgeous home!
As of right now, I don’t think I’ll be doing any landscaping or gardening for more reasons than one. But, I can’t wait to see your progress. I know it’s going to look amazing.
Dee
March 17, 2015 at 9:19 pmI’m sure your new garden will look fantastic! I’ve just started reworking my front bed and backyard. I’m trying to make the transition to mostly edible perennials (we have blueberries, everbearing strawberries, chives, herbs, and I’ll be starting figs this year) and veggies that have a long growing season.
Mimi
March 20, 2015 at 8:22 amDo you have pins or anything that I can read that you’ve been looking at to create the edible perennials? I have other areas I need to get together and this sounds like a great idea for my garden area as well. I’m really at a loss of what else to plant in the remaining yard.
Dee
March 20, 2015 at 11:49 amI have a few on my pinterest garden board. Rosalind Creasy has a website with lots of information (and photos) about edible landscaping. I also like The Edible Garden tv series (you can find it on youtube) by Alys Fowler. Alys has a fantastic garden with a combination of flowers, herbs, edible perennials, fruit trees, etc. One Yard Revolution on youtube is trying to transition towards more edible perennials, too. Oh, and I just ordered The Edible Front Yard which I hope will be helpful.
Cheryl Ward
July 27, 2015 at 9:47 amIn my house in Spain we had the same situation! It was a cherry tree having its branch exactly in front of the big window of our living room which made it so dark… We decided that it is about time to clean up the yard and cut the branches that were staying in the way 🙂 Thanks for the post!
Mimi
July 29, 2015 at 11:52 pmIt makes such a difference inside the house when you remove those light blocking tree!