Finishing the Yard

Last year we delved into the huge project of re-doing our yard. First it was pouring the concrete patio in the back, then it was the curbing in the back, then it was re-doing the front yard, and then curbing in the front. I know at some point after the front was done last year, I posted pictures. Well, this year everything is growing and the colors are just beautiful! Here is the front yard:

Another shot, just closer. We only had one plant that didn't survive, so overall I think that's pretty good!

This year I wanted to get the backyard done early, before the heat really began. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at before pictures, but we basically had to move a bunch of rock and dirt out of the curbed beds, spread the dirt so it was level and mostly flat, plant all of the flowers and shrubs, put down the black felt, and then finally put the white rock in. We were very lucky because we had help from Dad for the first part of that!

The picture below shows the back of the house. This is where we decided not to put anything, at least for now. Next year it might contain some potted flowers and decor, but we'll see.

Below is our Rose of Sharon tree, which is doing very well this year. It doesn't flower until late summer/early fall. You'll notice a yellow dragonfly to the left of it. I caught Anthony throwing Guiness' ball at it yesterday... boys!

The picture below shows the only tree that was already here when we moved in. I think it's a Quaking Aspen (?) Can't remember for sure. Anyway, don't really love it, but we decided to keep it.

The picture below shows the Aspen and the Rose of Sharon

The picture below is our Gingko Biloba tree (right) and on the far left, our Birch Bark Cherry. We're not convinced that one is doing so well, as it hasn't really filled in much this year. We have one in the front yard, too, and it looks great, so we'll see what happens with it. Might have it give it another shot of Fox Farms!

As you can see, the poor Birch Bark... not filling in like the rest. Keep your fingers crossed! Also, a ladybug stake... which has been removed many times by Anthony!

So, that's what we have done so far! I still have a pile of rocks to go through and determine which ones I want to keep. I will use them to fill in spots in the beds. You can see a few piles in the picture above.

Next step - the arbor! Hopefully Jason will be ordering the wood this week!