I don’t do grass. As in, the YARD grass. Grass is a man’s job. Besides, our property is only a smidgen over 1/4 of an acre. Every April like many others, I become obsessed with anything outside. That means that local nurseries are going to put me under their evil spending spell (before I get burned out, literally).
Wednesday is yardman day. I came whipping in the drive way with a van load of crap to plant, and the 2 local guys that cut the grass were snickering at me. “So ya know, I have a few acres in the country for sale if you’d like to buy em”…”How many more things are ya gonna stick in this tiny yard?”
Zip it. I smiled, flipped open the back of the van (filled with happy, live, green stuff) and went about my business. So what if I have a peanut sized yard? Make the most of what you’ve got.
The corner of my yard is coming along slowly but surely, although that stupid ugly electrical box is a friggen eyesore. I’ve planted some wild honeysuckle (free) on the left that I transplanted from my mother’s house, and the vine in the back is cultivated orange honeysuckle (a small fortune). We have tons of hummingbirds around if you encourage them, although having a cat probably poses issues.
I chose 2 fragrant Tea Olive bushes to replace my crazy, marijuana looking Fatsia plants. The Fatsia looked pathetic, I figured our crap winter had killed it. Now it’s coming back to life slowly back there so I may have to move it to a new location because they get huge. There’s also a Butterfly Bush, but currently it looks like a shitty weed.
I have nothing in the backyard that blooms in early spring. Flowering Japanese “Yoshino” Cherry Trees were marked down so I picked one of those up.
Earthfare- $70
The newest rain barrel. It could not be easier to conserve water, especially in the drought stricken Carolinas. Some nurseries will come and install them for you, although cutting the metal gutter is not a tough job. (that Bob will be doing tomorrow, thanks dear!)
This awesome double flowering Clematis will hopefully grow up the pergola. The picture does not do this flower justice, it’s HUGE! Almost the size of the palm of my hand. I would have loved to plant Wisteria, but that stuff would have been more out of control in the yard than my kids.
Shaye’s Rose Bush
When Shaye was born, Southern Greenscape owner John Bell put in the cutest, little pink rose bush while working on our yard. Now the rose bush is H U G E. It’s completely covered in pink buds, but here’s the first flower getting ready to pop!
Spring Project #2. The Playhouse.
I’m going to “landscape” it. I started with some Hostas that were on sale, and behind it I planted English Ivy. Hopefully this is not a mistake, as English Ivy has a mind of it’s own like my children. There’s still a lot of work to be done, stay posted!
