Before…
And after…
Category Archives: progress
Spring & Summer
This is officially a seasonal blog. This year winter hung around a little too f’ing long and it made me grumpy. Plus, I joined a gym. Okay, I rarely go but still. I’ve also found a few tv shows to obsess over so I’ve been kind of busy. Not to mention I’m a wife, mother and work 40 hours a week. Can you tell I feel guilty that I haven’t blogged for almost a year?
In the winter, I knit. In the spring, I get excited about the flowers blooming. In the summer, I wonder why God even created mosquitoes anyway. In the fall, I plant peonies. This is me. Deal with it or find another blog to read. (Who am I kidding? My mom isn’t even reading this blog.) Although I haven’t been blogging, I have been taking pictures and buying plants so I do have stuff to write about.
We labored on Memorial Day
I used to always get Labor Day and Memorial Day confused. At some point I realized that Memorial begins with M just like May. Anyway, my husband and I finished up our front yard project over the holiday weekend. I admit he did 90% of the work and didn’t complain about it. He really is the best and no, you can’t have him.
Corner makeover
Every single makeover show has a lame ass before picture where the person is wearing zero makeup and sweatpants. Of course when they smile they automatically look better. So I’m still trying to fill in where I left off last spring but my before and after pics attempt to keep it real.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Eventually, we’ll build a little fence around the AC unit. Eventually…
Come to my window
I bought a window box like three years ago. We tried to hang it the first year but realized we needed a different kind of drill bit. Anyway, it sat around while we contemplated hiring someone to do it. Then I saw this post and realized that we just had the wrong drill. We finally hung it up and I really like it. We’re excavating the space for a real walkway so ignore the ditch in the foreground. For the record, when I say “we” I really mean my husband. We really aren’t handy people.
Peonies
I think I’ve mentioned before how much I love peonies. They start off small, weird and purpley-red. Almost like alien asparagus. I think the cracked earth shows how hearty these plants can be. (Ignore the leftover leaves.)
Then they grow…
…and grow…
…and grow. (I need to wash that window!)
Surprise
I buy plants. Just how I roll. Sometimes I’m trying to fill a specific spot. Other times, I’m just shopping for pretty flowers and hoping that I have somewhere to plant it. This was an impulse buy but luckily I had a semi-shady spot to put it. It also hadn’t bloomed when I bought it so I was lucky that it wasn’t ugly. I usually don’t like surprises but this one was pleasantly purple.
Stop judging me
Sometimes life gets in the way and you just don’t have the time, energy or desire to weed (or blog about why you aren’t weeding). I’m much better at buying plants (& tweeting pics). Anyway, I’ve bought a few more plants and most of the stuff from last year seems to be in good shape. (You’ll also notice a nice big weed in that slideshow.)
Sometimes they come back
I’ve been reading Feed and it is almost Easter, thus I have resurrection on my mind. I figured now is as good a time as any to go through the list and see what made it through the winter.
Let us begin in the backyard. So far, I have confirmed sightings of:
Gaura siskiyou pink (lindheimeri)
pink fountain lindheimeri walgaupf
baptisia australis (false blue indigo)
geranium cantabrigiense biokovo
penstemon ‘prairie twilight’ / beard tongue
peony, Lactiflora ‘pillow talk’
hardy hydrangea (little lime) (hydrangea paniculata ‘jane”)
chrysanthemum
I have not yet seen the Ballerina Red Armeria (Armeria pseudarmeria ‘ballerina red’), the Bees Ruby Armeria (arenaria ‘bees’ ruby) or the Cotton Tail Thrift. I really like them so I hope they spout soon.
And now for the front yard. Here it is from the left and the right.
All of the hostas seem to have returned
Dicentra, Luxuriant, Cutleaf Bleeding Heart
I almost thought the Toad Lillies (Sinonome and Samurai) we’re weeds.
Both azaleas are hanging on but I’m not sure for how much longer.
Sedum, Autumn Joy
rhododendron catawbiense
I don’t think the guara lindheimeri siskiyou pink out in front made it.
On the other side of the front steps, we have:
euphorbia (amygdaloides var. robbiae)
columbine red (aquilegia)
And two of these things my neighbor gave me. Nandina — thanks, Maggie!
A few of the columbine plants and the speedwell didn’t make it.
my yard hates me... 