April 28, 2009

Landscaping: Before and After (Or, I’ve Been Legitimately Skipping the Gym)

Although I've been telling everyone how doing our own landscaping has been killing me, I haven't put up much in the way of proof.

Until now. . .

Keep in mind that much of this stuff is not yet blooming, so I'll be sure to add pictures as it does.

Before. . .

After:

Here's a close up of our one bed. This features a weeping blue atlas cedar and two varieties of blue-leaved hosta.

Here's another view of the weeping blue atlas cedar. It's such a cool plant but it's starting to lose some needles and I'm panicking a bit. It better make it.

Before:

After:

That's a weeping snow fountain cherry tree and in the far corner is an Eastern Red Bud and three halcyon blue hosta. There is more to come in the back yard, including (potentially) a blue stone patio as well.

Before:

After:

We created two beds here. One is in the raised rock wall area and includes a back row of blue mist caryopteris, heuchera, and liriope.

The front bed is anchored by a clump birch tree which is just starting to get some leaves, three more blue hosta, three lavender, two blue star juniper, a dwarf white shag pine, three siberian iris, and a blue boy holly around the corner.

Blue oat grass will be going in on either side of the sidewalk, beside the white shag pines (above bottom left, where the stepping stone is currently placed). Below, you can see the holly on the corner.

Before:

After:

This bed contains three more lavender, two blue star juniper, a dwarf white shag pine, two blue princess holly, a blue ice cypress (better seen below), heuchera and siberian iris (also seen below).

Before:

After:

We're only missing the stepping stones that will wind all the way to the back yard, which we should have within the next week or two. Included in the rock garden are purple coneflowers, Nikko Blue Hydrangea, elijah blue fescue grasses, blue mist caryopteris, siberian iris, sedum autumn delight, liriope, heuchera bronze wave, and some evergreen blue trailing flowers. . .

. . . that will eventually spill over the rocks. These below, are the little blue grasses sticking out from the rock wall.

From the back of the house:

Seen here are three butterfly bushes (two blue, one pink), a Dragon Lady holly, a viburnum carlesi, some upright blue/purple phlox, elijah blue grass, and a blue star clematis that will climb up that trellis there against the house.

We have been busy indeed. In addition to the plants, we used almost 10 yards of mulch. Believe it or not, we're still not finished. Part two of the self landscaping job starts soon!