Rockin' Out

The only landscaping in front of our house was rocks filled with pine needles before I started attacking it.  Oh, and two sad rose bush things right next to each other by the steps.  Our landlord said the rocks were the worst idea his wife had.  I agree!

I ambitiously decided they need to go.  I started removing rocks in March when the crazy 80 degree weather began.

Let's start with some cute kids and a worm.

• Harley found a worm, that he was really excited about.  Carter took turns holding the worm too.  Then Harley made a rock bed and covered the worm with a blanket of grass roots.

• Here is where it started (somewhat).  The back of the photo shows the rock bed full.  After the first day of rock removal, I had completely removed the rocks up to the first line on the sidewalk.  The next 3 lines on the sidewalk, I only removed the top layer.  It took a week of working every night to remove the rocks.  One night a friend came to help, but the rest was just me.
• After rock removal was complete, I had all of these plants given to me!  I was so grateful, because this would have cost a lot!  The $2 garage sale chair was just sitting there so it wasn't in the yard.  I later painted it grape, which you will see. 

I wasn't done yet.  I decided that I didn't like the red mulch at all.  Why do I do this to myself?!  Oh right, I'm kind of a perfectionist.  If I'm going to do it, I'm going to love it or redo it.  So...

• Excuse the unmowed yard and poor time of day for photos, but look how beautiful that flower bed is!  As I said, I removed the red mulch, which required an hour of straight squatting and dragging mulch onto the sidewalk.  I challenged myself to continue squatting just a little longer when my legs were BURNING until I made it all the way to the end.
• I saved the red mulch for my garden plants, you'll see that in the next post.
• The grape chair makes an appearance with a garage sale flower pot.  I haven't found my favorite spot for this chair yet, so I just keep moving it.

• Harley planted this Pansy in a small clay pot at church on Mother's Day.  It was falling over for a while in the ground so I replanted it deeper.  Now it's really taken off!
• Another Mother's Day plant, a Dahlia from Scott's aunt.  So pretty.
• And one of my Sanguineums blooming. 

• This was just grass before.  I went out with a shovel and worked up all of the grass.  Then I re-purposed some of the softball sized (or slightly larger) rocks from the rock "garden" around the house to make a border.  I arranged everything  where I wanted it.
• Then I planted them and spread the mulch.  Love this!
• I had 2/3 of a trailer full of mulch after completing the two flower bed, so I decided to tackle this line of bush/shrubs things next to the driveway.  No before picture unfortunately, but there were a couple of racing tires, some cans, some yard tools... all shoved under the bushes with a bunch of leaves.  I got the trusty shovel out and created a straight edge, cleared out all the junk and mulched my heart out.  Oh, and I trimmed the sides of the two large bushes in the front with scissors.  I didn't know where hedge trimmers were.  Oh well!  Scott found that large flat-faced rock in one of the fields farming and thought it would be nice to put brass letters on with "The Hayes".

And here are my "in process" projects.

• This area is under a large pine tree and ends up full of needles.  Huge pain to clean out and as you can see, there are still a ton in there.  I've started removing these rocks to make a patio!  I've been scouting Craigslist for a really good deal on brick/cement/whatever kind of pavers.  I have a while until I really need them, so I'm patiently waiting to get them cheap.  Meanwhile, I have to remove all of these rocks, which I started a little over by the giant rock.
• This is another flower bed I made on the opposite side of the yard as the bed by the driveway.  I moved a bunch of larges rocks around the tree, built up the dirt with bags of top soil from a neighbor friend and planted a couple Lily of the Valley.  I'll be getting more from Scott's grandma.  I threw some Hostas in from the plant exchange in Lake Odessa.  Then I thought I would re-purpose some rocks as filler, but I really don't like it.  I love the mulch.  However, I used all of the mulch and really don't want to get another load or partial load this year.  I think I'll have to suck it up and get the mulch.  I don't want to move the rocks here and remove them again next year.

UPDATE: Forgot to add the sketch of the flower bed that I labeled.

•  I mislabeled the Dahlia as a Zinnia.  And I couldn't remember the name of the little Burgundy shrub on the corner.  You get the gist.

Next post... the vegetable garden!