Landscaping Efforts

I've been sufficiently busy this summer--I assure you.  One project I've wanted to start since I moved in here was landscaping the front walk area.  Finally I took the leap and decided to try something, because as I figured, anything was better than what was currently there (a lot of weeds, mostly).  I started with landscaping brick, trying to edge the sidewalk.  I went back and forth if I wanted the brick flush with the sidewalk or if I wanted a rise.  I obviously settled on flush, because I thought it looked sharper in some other landscaping I'd seen. 

The offensive area.  At first we thought we'd just section it off at the end of the porch, but the whole area is a mess, so we took it out.

A slightly different angle.  From here, right in front of my bumper, you can see this offensive honey suckle we had to rip out.  We tore out a huge root stump, so hopefully it won't come back. 

We worked the area over with our tiller, put down the black cloth, set the bricks, and waited.  My father generously offered to buy our rock and bring it in his truck... just to hit a deer the day he was going to help with it!  Once he got it back, he and I unloaded two tons of red granite (it looks really gray in the pictures, but it's because it's so dusty.  As I've been rinsing off the rock to water, it's started to turn pink). 
I also did a lot of research for plants.  I found a great website that I really like that gave helpful tips about what plants work in what areas and also provided pruning or winter care information for them.  I'm working with a full sun flower bed (some areas get a little more shade, but I'd hardly say it was good enough for a part-sun/part-shade plant). 

Work in progress--don't have all the border plants put in yet, but you get the idea.

I created a wish list on my phone so I could shop with confidence that I wouldn't buy something I didn't have plans for or hadn't read fully about.  Then the free plants started rolling in!  I had a sort of outline of where I wanted to fill in with what sizes, with some simple substitutions just in case I found them.  I got six free yucca plants (not all in the best condition.... and one MIGHT have gotten stomped, but they're apparently quite difficult to kill, so I'm hoping they'll rebound next year).  I bought four salvia plants, one butterfly bush, and one hydrangea.  The salvia was on sale, so I was excited and bought an extra one.  Then I also got day lilies and hostas (full sun tolerant variety) from my dad's yard.  I've also got to go over and get some ornamental grass and something called a live-forever.  Guess why I like that plant.

Here you can see the gap where my big flowering bush is not planted yet.  The hostas remember are transplanted from a huge plant, so they look a little weird, but they'll fill in quite nicely.  And I always think it's better to have something from a well established plant in the area, then hoping something grown in a green house will like my yard!

The plan is basically to have three different sections of border plants--salvia (will have purpleish flowers), ornamental grass (dark green), and hostas (mid green).  Then behind right in front of the bushes I put four of my yuccas.  They'll sprout big spikes of flowers that will give the garden height, so I wanted them in the back.  I took two of the worst looking ones and put them on the front corners, which might seem stupid to put them up front, but I did it so if they don't work out I can either fill in the gaps with more of my trimming plants, or perhaps find something else on the wish list to balance out and look pretty.  Smack in the middle I planted the butterfly bush, surrounded by day lilies on the sides and behind.  I figured it would make for a pretty center piece with the purple and yellow flowers.  On either side of the center piece I wanted a big flowering bush, so the hydrangea is there.  I've never been confident about these, but our neighbor has one in the same light as us and it looks great, so I'm hoping I'll have the same success.  The other side doesn't have a big flowering bush yet.  I haven't decided if I want to do another hydrangea or something different.  For now I'm waiting and watching the first one to make sure it takes. 

The little tiny store-bought plans.  They look so pitiful all alone out there, but I'm not going to be tempted in to buying more--that bush will become massive at some point, the trim plants are also going to grow much larger.  Always important to work with a "final" result in mind and not put the plants too close!

The plan is to fill in extras (from my list, of course) this fall and also early next spring, that way I can ensure I have something blooming for spring, summer, and fall in my flower garden.  But for now, I think I have a pretty solid start and I'm hoping it looks much better than our messy weeds.
(oh, and I have a new electric trimmer for the bushes... so guess what I'll be working on next week!)