The Big Yard Overhaul Starts!

When Spring hit Scott spent most of two full weekends working on our front yard. He also goes outside to check on and admire his plants at least 6 times per day. That dude is obsessed with plants. There are a lot lot lot lot lot of plant jokes being made in our hizzie these days.
We don't have much land to deal with but he redid every inch. I loveeeeeeeeeeee it! And, there is more to come (he couldn't find what he wanted in the store so he ordered some plants online... craziness! We are super-futuristic-Jetson-people ordering plants online). And, there is more to grow (secret bulbs hiding out waiting to surprise us with their beauty!).

I am tricking you here and it isn't fair but I am going to show you a really updated yard photo and then just talk to you about round one of Scott plant time.

I have been meaning to post this post for a long time. Because of that all of the super-futuristic-ordered-online-bulbs have now popped into our mailbox, into the ground, and have peaked out of the ground with some greenery. Sooooooooooo you will have another thrilling yard update very soon. Every week or so Scott says, "OK I am done for the year." Then he rinses off his shovel and retires his gloves. But guess what happens... those plants pull him back in again. He can't help himself. He wants every inch to be covered. Then he realized that there was room left to catch the sun's rays on both levels of our porch so those spots got planted up too. Please don't misunderstand me. I love these plants and I am thrilled that they make Scott so happy!

Let's get on with the plant convention, shall we?
Here is what we started out with.

There was lots of Juniper. At the time, I thought it was fine. Scott did his plant magic and fine turned into fine-tastic. Uhhh Whoa Whoa who liked that cleverness?

First, he built a wall with the help of his dad.

Then round one of plants went in
Scott got all of the plants situated and did lots of rearranging.

We bought Roosty the Rooster and gave him a home. Those plants on either side of Roosty (called Loropetalum) were the only things that made the cut from the landscaping we had when we moved in. Scott planned to ditch them but they  had pretty purple blooms when he started and decided to give them another chance.

Cora hearts him big time

Here comes plant nerd time. I got some info from Scott so I could tell you a little about what you are seeing. He did a lot of reading about his plants before he planted them. Then he came up with a couple of spreadsheet presentations for me. I had a little say in the whole deal but not much.

The Creeping Phlox didn't have flowers for very long. Cora loved all of the pink flowers and wanted to smell them every minute. The four plants in front of the wall are Gardenias. Scott thinks the Snap Dragon flower is fun.

Somehow, despite all of the reading he did, he didn't realize that this vine is a people-killer. Seriously, one bite and it could be fatal. It is called Carolina Jessamine and it no longer resides on our railing or anywhere near our house. 

This one is my favorite. I love the chartreuse color. It is called Stonecrop and it has spread like crazy! 

Here it is again and there is a little succulent sneaking around behind it called Hen and Chicks. It has popped out two chicks and has changed location in the yard once. Scott is constantly digging up plants and moving them around. 

This red stemmed plant is called a Red Stem Dogwood. It is pretty cool because when the leaves fall off it shows off its awesome redness! 

The little purple ground covering has been hard at work. Looking outside right now, that stuff has gone wild. It's called Burgundy Glow Ajuga. It has started to grow on me a bit but at first it reminded me of a weed.

 This Bonsai-ish-looking plant is called Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. I think she's pretty cool but apparently she is supposed to look pretty droopy and it is confusing.

Wow! It is crazy how different this first round of yard overhaul is from what is going on out there now! I will try to be quick with the next update. It is fun to see how much things have grown- for me, anyway, and we all know it is fun for Mr. Planterino.

Here is a peak of Round 2. Scott brought the whole squad out to show it off. We are seriously up to Round 35 now. I will be kind and include the rest of the yard updates in no more than 2 more posts.

At the top left of that photo, you can see a spiny-looking plant called Winter Sun Mahonia. It was one of Scott's favorites but we don't think it is going to make it through year one of the new landscaping. Fascinating, I know.

This is another current view of Cora with Bee Balm and her bee pals. 

I'll be back soon with some more updates for you!