Our Landscaping Labor of Love

To say that we started with a blank canvas would be a gross understatement. Barren is more like it. But, I could see the potential in this house and couldn’t wait to get started.

Unfortunately I had to wait a little bit.

My initial meeting with the landscape designer occurred in February. We stuck the first shovel in the ground in May.

So what did I do for three months? Waited for the snow to melt. Played with the plans a bit. Scaled back a lot.

Finally, it was time.

Step 1: Spray a truck-load of Round-up on the area to be ‘scaped. Then wait. It's really dying a slow death here.

Step 2: Break out the mother-in-law’s roto-tiller.

Step 3: Nearly break mother-in-law’s roto-tiller on the dirt clods in our “lawn” and call for a replacement tiller.

Step 4: Lay the landscape fabric and edging.

Step 5: Cut slits in the fabric, dig holes, and stick a few plants in the ground.

Step 6: Continue cutting, digging, planting. Eventually realize that even though you scaled back A TON, you’ve got a really big area to fill.

Step 7: Mulch, mulch, and more mulch. I stopped counting at 42 bags. Ri-di-cu-lous.

Step 8: Sit on the rockers, relax, and watch the flowers grow.

I can't remember what this one is called, but man did it grow and grow and grow.

Here's the Coreopsis. Hey, it sorta sounds like I know what I'm talking about.

And my pride and joy, the Knockout Roses.

P.S. The front porch is a great place to watch your children grow too.

Of course we couldn't stop with the landscaping. We also needed to rip out the "lawn" (there was only about 20 square feet of lawn; the rest was all weeds) and plant a whole new one. Here's a pic of the front lawn completely ripped out.

We seeded the lawn in September and enjoyed an 8-week drought (according to my husband). I'm not even going to question his accuracy because he was the one out there traipsing across the soil moving sprinklers all hours of the day and night. His hard work paid off. The lawn looks great. Here you can see the first sprouts coming up.

Let's just hope we can be just as diligent about its care next summer and hit the back yard with just as much gusto.

Seriously, we're going to need it.