Backyard...Another Year Later

 

New Flower Bed

I love weekend projects that pack a big punch when they are done.  This weekend's weather was great so I decided to tackle the back fence in my back yard.  I had planted roses at the end of last summer but never got around to creating the actual beds they would live in.

Please ignore the weeds that are all over the yard.  I'm working on getting those out but for now I just welcome the greenness of them.  I had about 20 concrete bricks in the bed on the far right so I headed to Home Depot to pick up 40 more for my expansion.

40 stones at 25 lbs each.  Each carried one by one from my car to the back porch and then from the porch to the yard.  That's quite the workout.

I got them laid out Saturday morning and then Sunday morning went back to Home Depot to stock up on some more flowers and mulch.

Between the hole digging and mulch toting, Sunday was another workout.  It all turned out great though!

I can't wait until things start to fill in a little.  It's hard to see but I added another rose bush, several flowers and then my crape myrtle is starting to grow a little.

If I can keep everything alive I think it is really going to look nice in a couple of months.

Glutton for Punishment

I have killed nearly every green living thing that I have brought into my house, not to mention several green things outside.  My outdoor skills are improving (slowly) but for the most part I've switched to fake plants on the inside.  This weekend I decided to give indoor plants another shot.  I really wanted a large plant in the living room.  I decided on the Fiddle-Leaf Fig.

It has beautiful big leaves!  In it's native habitat these things can grow to 40+ feet but since I'm growing it in a container I hope to grow it up to about 6 feet.  That is, if I don't kill it first.  Anyway, it's beautiful and was only $9.99 at Home Depot.  I'm really tempted to get more but I guess I'll see how this one works out first.

It is supposed to get a bunch of bright, filtered light.  Hmmm.  I may have to put it closer to a window for day to day living, and then move it back for company and such.  I'll keep you posted if I can keep this guy alive!

Halloween Recap

Last night marked my second Halloween in my new house.  Sidenote, not sure when my house officially stops being my new house but just go with it.  To prepare for the night I first did some basic housekeeping.  My front lightbulbs were swapped out with ones that actually function.  I never even realized I had 3 out.  Then came a little clean up.

Up close everything looked in order but my sidewalk and driveway were covered with millions of acorns.  I did a pretty big sweep a week ago but they just keep dropping.  I had also slacked on getting any fall color planted. 

My trip to Home Depot for plants was pretty sad.  They only had small mums left and the colors just weren't that nice.  I opted for all yellow flowers since they were the most cheerful available.  I got 3 mums, a yellow lantana and a couple of yellow pansy plants.

Nothing too spectacular but it was the best I could do on a Tuesday night.  Hopefully they will blossom and look wonderful for Thanksgiving.  After cleaning up the front, I made sure I was stocked up on candy.  Props to Mom for letting me know about the candy body parts at Target. They are pretty awesome. 

All my preparation paid off and Halloween at my house was a success!  Here are my stats and how they measure up against last year.

Time

• 2011 - My first trick or treater showed up at 6:30, lights off at 8:20
• 2012 - My first doorbell rang at 6:17, lights off at 8:30

Kid Count

• 2011 - 44 tiny people
• 2012 - 45 tiny people

I had a little bit more candy left over this year but that's because I bought 4 bags.  I would say the majority of my trick or treaters were 6 and under.  I had some very cute costumes and a few I couldn't figure out (but didn't want to insult the kid so I didn't ask).  All in all is was a blast and I look forward to next year!  Maybe I'll get 46 kids.

Green Plastic Thumb

My backyard green thumb continues to florish.  As a matter of fact, just this morning I found a bunch of new tomatoes growing in my garden.  Unfortunately the same can not be said for my indoor gardening abilities.  First there was the The large tree thing I brought home from the office and put in the dining room.  Granted it wasn't in the best shape when I brought it home but conditions have not improved since.

I also managed to kill the other plants I brough home from the office.  What hit me the hardest was probably the cute succulent I got for my living room.  It was a brand new plant, not one that had lived most of its life in a 60 degree office with no real sun light.

This was what caused me to give up on my indoor green thumb and imbrace my indoor plastic thumb.  Thanks to the fake plant section at IKEA it was a pretty cheap fix.

For just a few dollars I now have the same look on the coffee table but no longer have to worry about watering.  I also got a plant for the window ledge in the kitchen and one that will eventually find a permanant home in my under construction office.

I gave it my best shot when it comes to indoor gardening but it looks like fake plants are the way I'll have to go for now.  I think they look great.  Hopefully they are not a gateway drug.  Otherwise next I might be telling you how I gave up on my front lawn and put in Astroturf.

More Backyard Landscaping

I'm slowly coming up with a plan about my backyard.  I started out with just a blank, semi-grassy rectangle and I'm trying to make it a bit more attractive.

I started out giving 2 Double KnockOut rose bushes a shot with hopes of adding more if they worked out.

Aside from suffering a little bit of dog pee damage, they are still going strong and have just about doubled in size.  My mom recently added some to her backyard and while buying them discovered the Black Diamond Crape Myrtle she thought would be great for my backyard.  It's a crape myrtle that only grows to about 10 feet tall so I don't have to worry about the power lines that run along my back fence.

Calloway's ended up running a sale last week on the Black Diamonds and they had KnockOuts for 30% off.  I took it as a sign and grabbed some plants after work Thursday.  Unfortunately we had too much rain this weekend and I wasn't able to get them planted until last night.  I also wasn't able to mow so please excuse the messy yard (and out of control weed vine sneaking in from the alley).

I dug two new holes next to my original roses and added weed block to all four.  Again, ignore the weeds in my yard.  I promise to work on that this weekend.

Next I planted the crape myrtle a little further over.  My goal was for it to mature in such a location that it blocks the view of the house across the alley.

Here is the back fence now with all the new additions.  I may need one more rose bush but other than that I think I'm getting close to having full coverage...once everything matures.

My next step will be to turn the stones to the right and have them come in front of that tacky gas meter thing and then all down in front of the roses.  This will become one big bed.  I'm monitoring Home Depot and Lowe's for them to run a sale on the stone I need.  They are normally about $1.70 a stone but I'd like to get them for a little less since I need quite a few!

Summer Begins to End

The heat may be sticking around a few more months, but with the start of college football just days away it can only mean one thing.  Fall is on its way.  I thought I'd take this time to reflect on how my Spring/Summer To Do list worked out.

 1) I put a dotted line through 'Paint more ceilings' since I did get some done...like my master bathroom ceiling...but I still have plenty left to do.

 2)  I planted a garden and rocked it for a while!  For a first attempt, I think I was quite successful.  Right now the only thing still growing is okra and very small jalapenos.  I think if it weren't for the hail storm and the new dog, it would still be doing pretty good.  Now I have to come up with what to plant for winter.

3)  I remulched the front yard and had it looking pretty good until the scorching heat took some of my plants and the hail storm covered the mulch in more leaves.  I think next spring will be even better since I've learned a lot about what works in this area.

 6,7 & 8) I finally found curtains and redid my dining set.  The results turned out better than I expected.  Formal yet fun. 

So the only things I didn't get around to doing were fixing the faucet and saving for kitchen countertops.  But I did have a fabulous European vacation and get a new roof. 

Not too bad.  Now I just have to put together my Fall To Do list and figure out how to fit home renovation around college football schedules.

Yard Update

Just when everything was starting to look good....I had a hail storm, a new dog with a penchant for "marking" and a bug rebellion hit the garden.  But all is not lost.  My roses are doing a geat job struggling against hail damage and Stewart's own special form of "watering".

After planting

Current

My lantana is really doing good.  I hadn't had the best luck with lantana in the past but I seem to be doing pretty good.

My weeding skills could use some improvement but at least the plants are all alive!  My neighbor's crape myrtle is blooming over my fence and really makes an impact on my back yard.  It also sprinkles blooms all on my seating and yard but at least it's festive.

The garden is going through a little bit of a transition. After thinking I was going to be eating squash three meals a day for the entire season...this happened.

And now it's completely dead.  I'm not sure if Stewart peed on it or if some bug got it but it's definitely gone.  I'm going to replant these squares soon.  My spinach and green pepper died after a hail beating but I haven't given up on them yet.  They may be able to come back. 

Luckily my other peppers are great, as are my tomatoes. 

I've made a few batches of salsa so far (adding store-bought onions and cilantro) and it has been great!  Yesterday I accidentally harvested the world's smallest carrot.  I think my seeds are a little close together so this guy punched up a little too soon. 

All in all things are still doing pretty good considering all the adverse conditions they have been put through.  Now I just have to figure out what I want to replace my dead squash squares.  And then teach Stewart on to pee on it.