I’ve promised Before-and-After shots of my nei
ghbor’s front yard, so I’m delivering. Now if you look at the After shots below with your gardener eyes, you’ll be able to imagine the many azaleas and a fragrant viburnum in their glory next spring, followed by months of hydrangea blossoms. People with regular eyes should check back here next spring for the full-color results.
Now because this is a lot and a half, there’s lots of extra garden space. Originally the huge oak was surrounded by crappy-looking grass. Later the grass had been banished and plants stuck here and there. Overall, a hodgepodge.
The features of this no-cost make-over were:
- Removing the great expanse of blue tarp covering a mulch pile.
- Moving large plants from the front of the garden to the back and corners. Available for this were 5 full-grown azaleas and an unidentified viburnum.
- Putting full-grown hydrangeas in front of the large oak in the middle
of the garden to hide the ugly cement moat-type thingie around its base. They were moved there from unseen spots in the back yard. - Dividing the hell out of the huge existing liriope clumps and using them to line the sidewalk and driveway.
- Using the existing octagonal pavers to create a little woodland walk around the tree and on either side of the driveway. And sinking them to grade (they’d previously been sitting on top.)
To Design is Divine
Ha-ha-ha, like I really did a ‘"design" for this. But it DOES hang together in a way that we love (that’s me and the neighbor, who still technically owns her property, although you wouldn’t know it from my behavior), and here’s why I think that is:
- First, everything was removed. That created the blank slate that I can’t design without - and how professionals or talented amateurs do it is beyond me. This is where holding gardens come in really handy.
- The entire property was scoured for plants that weren’t being used to their best advantage or even seen at all. (My property, too.) And plants were mercilessly divided.
There you have my formula for a no-cost make-over. Just add mulch.
Photos: Click to enlarge.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Annie in Austin 11.08.06 at 6:04 pm
Bravo, Susan - taking what was there already, cleaning it up and organizing everything into a pattern will mean a payoff in beauty next spring!
You did have some luck, of course, because there were some decent plants to work with and transplant to better places. It’s astonishing that one can move into a 15-year old house and find not one single flowering plant or spring bulb in the yard, except for a row of bush honeysuckles under the telephone wires, their seeds excreted by birds. [Ask me how I know this.]
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Pam L 11.09.06 at 9:34 am
Wow, nice work there. I’m all for no cost makeovers. I was wondering who did all the digging, hopefully not just the two of you? I’ve dug, divided and moved a few things this fall, but I think that much would do me in!
Kasmira 11.09.06 at 2:35 pm
Looks awesome! Removing the tarp alone makes a huge difference! I love the “woodland walk.” It’s charming.
Pam/Digging 11.09.06 at 7:13 pm
I love these how-I-did-it garden stories. Thanks for showing us the before and after. It looks great.
Miz S 11.10.06 at 6:27 am
Wow! I’m inspired. I actually did take you up on some of that front yard advice you gave me. But I’m not ready for you to come look at it yet.
blackswamp_girl (Kim) 11.10.06 at 5:34 pm
Wonderful job!
And I giggled at this: “People with regular eyes should check back here next spring for the full-color results.”