That sums up the weather for our 4 day weekend. Four because Greg took Friday off and then of course there was Memorial Day yesterday. But yeah, it rained…a lot…and was somewhat chilly the entire time. It put a damper (heh) on our plans to finish the paver patio which will carry on (weather permitting) this coming weekend.
Last spring…not pretty
Then they got a trim…
Believe it or not, most of that is not weeds but weedy-looking plants the previous owner chose.
After some work this weekend
I’m a liar though. We did work outside on the front and side landscape since we found ourselves with time not laying the pavers out. Said we wouldn’t for time and budget constraints but then we began putting in the edging which led to digging up some rocks which led to digging up all the rocks (I hate them) then we (Greg) found ourselves digging up 2 of the 3 horrible bushes and putting down mulch.
We left the rocks on this side but hope to find more time to get them out as well. There are big, very heavy rocks on this side…not so much that one but the one not pictured.
Somehow we found ourselves at the nursery close to us and I found myself in love with the Mandarin Lights azaleas. That shade of orange looks so nice next to the blue green color of the house and the clay orange red accent color on the door.
Last year
Now
We didn’t buy the azaleas just then due to money and planned on getting them later when I figured out what plants I want to put by the garage where the largest open mulch area will lie. Any suggestions for perennials about 2 feet tall and wide?
Two azalea plants-one for the side by the large peony bush and irises and another for a pop of color at the front of the house. They will be somewhere around 4 or 5 feet tall and wide so they fit perfectly in those spots. I just have to keep them alive. That proved to be a problem for most of the plants last year but they were not purchased and just the ones we dug up from around here so I didn’t feel too bad. Especially since I really didn’t want a one of them.
One of my favorite photos from the weekend-both for the removal of that thing and Greg’s pose.
A lot of excess dirt/mud was removed since the previous owner seemed to just keep piling it up around the house.
Not buying them right then was a mistake because we went back yesterday at lunch to be told they had sold only a few hours before. Without anything left on our plates to do with the rain, we drove 30 minutes to a nursery with over 20 of the variety.
We planted them within an hour of getting home and took our efforts inside to the trim. I almost wrote stupid trim because it’s taking forever and we still have half the house to do. The new white trim looks worth it when I step back to admire the room. Some areas are yellow-ing even through the primer so we’re constantly putting more coats on it.
Hand cultivating nearly every bit of the back and front yard is fun. That took a good day’s work. My method was to go all out like a deranged woman who found out her husband was cheating on her with her best friend while Greg took a more analytical approach. We were both very sore in the end. We’ll see if it pays off with new grass. And don’t use the cultivator upside down because it makes it a 100x harder to use and you might get so frustrated you start beating the ground and giving the neighbors more reason to think you’re a weirdo.
That’s right, Greg and I worked in the drizzle and grilled on the side for a little Memorial Day weekend celebration. Something had to make it feel like a long weekend-not all work and no play. Not that firing up the grill is play. That’s how eyebrows get singed off.
To sum up this post, here’s this photo. If you can read it. Sorry.
