Patio Problems
It looked sweet when we finished it last year, especially if you ignored the fact that we had lots of landscaping stuff to attend to behind it.
But these days it’s looking more like this:
That’s a whole lotta ugly going on.
The patio itself still looks great (and is weed free thanks to this step, while our un-polymeric-sanded cobblestone driveway is covered with them), but the “garden” area behind the patio has never looked worse.
We even learned from the Katherine (the certified landscape designer who recently came over) that some of the trees were diseased and dying (which we actually heard from the previous owners as well but didn’t want to believe) along with a big rhododendron bush that was completely dead. Bummers.
So she told us what to prune back, what to keep, and what dead or diseased things we should remove to give the living things a better shot at survival – and make the whole area look a lot less… well, ugly.
So first we removed the two diseased trees that were on their last leg (sniffle) and the completely dead rhododendron. Then we raked up all the leaves so we could actually see the ground again.
It was definitely a huge immediate upgrade. In person the open-ness is really nice. Things were sort of encroaching on the patio a lot when it was all overgrown back there, so now when you walk onto the patio you feel less crowded and worried you’ll get a stick in the eye.
But we still had some liriope to remove and a whole lot of bare spots that needed some planting (I’ve been meaning to paint our rain barrel to blend him in a bit more, but who knows how long it’ll take me to get on that…).
The next step was digging out all the random clumps of liriope to make way for some more intentional looking plantings.
So here’s the area behind the tree that we cleared to make way for some free bushes.
How does one get free bushes? Well, by transplanting them of course. Yup, it was another suggestion from Katherine The Landscape Gal. She pointed out these were much too big and on top of each other over here…
… so we dug them up…
… and planted the three nandina bushes in a group with the one that was already there next to our giant hydrangeas in the corner. Since one happy little nandina bush was already on this side of the garden, we knew they’d do well over here. And a clump of the same type of plant always looks nicer than just one of ten different things hanging out all willy nilly together. Ideally we would have transplanted four of them to end up with a grouping of five since odd numbers seem to work well in gardening, but we were working with what we have. Thankfully they look nice in their little pack and will continue to fill in a bit more.
Then we grabbed three new hydrangea bushes from a local nursery (after some price checking, a place called Great Big Greenhouse had the best deal and also offered a year warranty on them). They’re the exact same variety as the ones we already have in the corner – which are doing gangbusters, so we hope these guys will grow nice and big and bloom just as well.
Of course only time will tell, but we’ll keep you posted. Here’s everything all dug in before we mulched the whole bed (which looks awesome by the way- just forgot to snap photos so we’ll have to share those in our next landscaping update).
Between all the rain we’re getting (and the rain barrel that’s nice and full from previous storms which comes in handy for stretches of dryness), we’re making sure these guys don’t give up on us. Oh and in Clara news, she especially loves talking about worms since digging our new plants in prompted us to discover a few (she even said she had a dream about worms the next night).
Sure we still have the corner by the rain barrel to attend to, but we have plans for that. So we’ll get there, someday! It’s definitely a nice discernible difference from the mess we were working with a week ago. There’s something really rewarding about landscaping work, although it’s bound to get you dirty and sweaty, just due to the fact that it’s such an obvious before and after. Something pretty and green can be found where there were only leaves and weeds the day before.
And the whole area is looking especially cheerful with the trees in bloom too.
Here are things from the other side (yup, Clara really did make it her job to be in every pic). This shows a few places we still have to work on (the bed near the house could use some smaller-scale greenery and of course we have the whole corner with the rain barrel to tackle)…
… but it’s definitely a lot easier on the eyes than this debacle.
It’s so crazy to me that the shot above was only taken about a week before the after pic on top of it (see all the buds on the trees that were about to bloom?).
Now they’re doing their thing. So pretty.
Here’s another before…
… and after.
And another. I can’t help it.
Ahh, much better.
I really wish I had snapped mulch pictures because it’s even better looking. Oh well, at least the mulch is holding it down and keeping weeds out and moisture in. Yay mulch. Update: Couldn’t resist sharing a Mulched & Fabulous pic, so I ran out and got this for ya:
It’s definitely a far cry from the view before:
This next picture is my favorite of the entire lot because I said “Clara, you’re in mommy’s picture!” and she squatted and closed her eyes and said “Where’s Clara” as if she were invisible.
Which must run in the family, because it’s exactly what her daddy did here.
What can I say? The girl has good hiding genes.
What are you guys planting? Do you have any favorites? I never thought I’d be buying hydrangeas since they always seemed to be out of my skill level (how can something that pretty not be super high maintenance?) but after 15 months of not killing the existing hydrangeas (which get bigger and more gorgeous each spring) we decided to go for it. And nandina is always a really easy one for us (we had that at our last house and it always did well), so here’s hoping I didn’t just jinx myself. Anyway, I’d love to hear what action is going on outside in the garden or on the porch or wherever else you get your plant on.
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Lookin’ good. I love Hydrangeas.
Looks gorgeous! All the colors are so vibrant! We had to take down a pine recently that was smack up against our house. We are planning to revamp all of our landscaping but first need to regrade the patio beside the house. It was never done properly. Plus the pavers were just put down with no layer to prevent weeds etc. Lots if summer work!
I would love to have hydrangeas just for the ability to have beautiful big flowers in wee little vases at my disposal. When we move to our first “grown up” house that will be my mission. At this rate, we’ll be retired.
These photos are one reason that I love this time of year. (the greenery and blooms)
It looks awesome. The mulch makes it look 100% more awesome.
What kind of mulch did you use? It looks great! I don’t know anything about mulch, except that I hate the trashy wood-chip stuff that came with our house. I desperately want to replace it, but haven’t done any research yet on what else is out there or how much it costs. Yours looks awesome!
We just look for the dark mulch. I think we got this at Home Depot? Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Try and get the natural wood mulch. Often the darkest mulch has coloring (ie chemicals) added that are terrible for your soil. (It’s like the red mulch).
Love it! That liriope must drive you nuts!
I think your rain water barrel would look great covered in some of that bamboo reed screen/fencing.
Oh yes, that could be pretty!
xo,
s
i read the title in the same way as you would say MEATBALL PROBLEMS! on Jersey Shore.
I like the sort of overgrown secret garden-ish look of the patio before, but if plants are diseased then it’s definitely their time to go. i am really hoping there is a similar groupon in my area soon. That consultation sounds like it’s worth it’s weight in gold.
That’s exactly how it plays in my head! Haha. Patio PROBlems!
xo,
s
Looks great guys! I gotta ask (as I sit here going back and forth between 4 different options….) what kind of DSLR camera do you guys use? I got a bunch of amazon giftcards for my big 3-0 bday and I’m spending them on a new camera….but i.just.can’t.decide. I’m hoping personal opinions will sway me somewhat….please insert opinion here! Thanks!
We have a Nikon D3000 that we love! It definitely took some getting used to (we’re still learning! haha) but it’s a nice camera and the stock lens that comes with it is really good.
xo,
s
Thank you sooooo much! That’s one of the ones in my cart right now and I’m now a step closer to buying it. Not knowing much about photography I just don’t know what is important and what isn’t….but your pics are so great, it has to be a good choice! Thanks again!
Good luck Jessica!
xo,
s
Oh cool, I never knew that stuff was called nandina. I’ve always heard it called “heavenly bamboo” down here in South Carolina!
That’s funny! I have heard “firepower bamboo”!
xo,
s
We live in a mid-rise apartment in the city. The building has a rooftop deck, but we don’t have our own balcony (and we have cats – read: they get into everything).. so we’re currently searching for ideas to attempt a modest potted/container garden on the community rooftop deck. Wish us luck!
Lots of luck!
xo,
s
Hi, again. My first 2 posts in less than 24 hours after reading your blog for almost 2 years now :) The patio looks great!
You know the small potted hydrangeas and hyacinths that they sell in the grocery stores around now for, like, $5-7? Most people think of them as indoor, seasonal decoration. My mom often buys them to line her steps and then after the holiday plants them outside. Over the years her little hydrangeas have grown into serious bushes. Just a thought since you guys (like us) like a good bargain. In this instance – patience is the price.
That’s amazing! Such a smart idea!
xo,
s
We have the same teal teardrop-shaped birdhouse/feeder that you have hanging over your patio! Love it! I just scored it at a TJMaxx for $9.99 and I was so excited.
That’s so funny! I got mine at HomeGoods last year for $9!
xo,
s
Looks great! I have grown hydrangeas for years and have not found them to be high maintenance…good choice.
Another way to get free plants is to divide some you already have, especially if you have hostas. They multiply every year, and now is the time to get more!
So I am very new to this world of blogging, but I stumbled upon yours and I absolutely LOVE it! The hubs and I also bought an old home and our yard is a jungle of craziness. I don’t know the first thing about landscaping (or DIY anything), but this will be a great go-to site to see how it’s done! DIY is kind of polar opposite to what I write about, but what better way to get my rear off the couch and get moving than to do a lil yard work and burn some calories! Thanks for the motivation, you rock!
Aw thanks Alysse! Good luck with everything!
xo,
s
I love the mulched picture, much improved! I have a total of 9 hydrangeas, 2 were here when we moved in and the rest I have planted in that time. I am PRAYING for them to bloom, no luck last year. They were green but no blooms.
Hopefully this year we both have blooms in abundance!!
Kim
http://www.mylifeincolorblog.com
Much better!
Well, we were supposed to be planting a lot next weekend, bought all supplies, furniture and toys for the back garden undecking process and all…
But British weather is always a funny (not) surprise and after 10 days of glorious sunny 23 degrees weather, today is 6 degrees with non-stop rain and fleet. Bummer. :(
I love how just cleaning up a flower bed makes it look good, then add a few things and it look fabulous!
The pink dogwood is spectacular!
That little bed near the house is begging for some hostas! They are low and lush, come back every year, and will do great in the mottled shade of your patio. I love the tall delicate purple flowers they put out at the end of summer, and my favorites are the ones with green-and-white striped leaves. (They come in lots of varieties.)
They take really well to dividing, so if you have friends who have them, you might be able to score a few for free!
Oh yes we love hostas and have some we can even transplant from the back!
xo,
s
Wow those before and afters are dramatic. What a change! We’ll have to be doing that to our yard soon.
We only have 1/4 acre, but I have spent the last 4+ years trying to transplant and add things in our yard. Previous owners planted thing where they looked best as baby plants, not considering what they would look like at mature size:( We have mostly full sun, so I have to work around that.
Firepower nandinas are nice full-sun dwarf evergreen shrubs (chartreuse in spring, red in fall!). Dwarf Gardenias are nice in the shade. We have put in two Little Gem Magnolias that don’t get nearly as big as traditional Magnolias since our lot is small. (If you can’t tell, I love evergreen plants)
I have put out three (florist) hydrangeas in semi-shaded areas that hubby brought home free from church and they have all survived and done really well! I’m sure yours will do just fine also – my mom the master gardener just told me to make sure they have some shade from scorching afternoon sun.
Now I am working on plugging in plants on a large steep hill in our backyard – I am trying to start with shrubs and large ornamental grasses and then fill in with small plants later.
I just did a post on the status of all our plants the other day: http://www.leslieadavis.com/2012/03/around-the-garden-2012/
Thanks for all the tips and good luck with your yard!
xo,
s
This is really awesome! You guys did a great job!
Great timing with all of your outdoor posts – we are planning on doing some landscaping in the next few weeks. This is great inspiration!
My parents and I spent Sunday afternoon clearing out the raised beds from last year’s vegetable garden and adding a NEW, BIGGER vegetable patch (not raised though)! Now we’ll have zucchini, squash, beans, peas and spinach in addition to the tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green, red, and hot peppers, cucumber, beets, carrots, and spring onions we had last year! Planting the peas, spring onions, and spinach soon!
Also, we moved the sod/grass that we had dug up to another spot in the yard to cover up an old flower bed that had gotten weedy and overgrown. Yay for recycling grass! Of course, all of this was made much easier by my dad’s tractor, backhoe, and rototiller: he’s a landscaper and planting projects get pretty intense at our house!
Clara ‘s clothes are always totes cute!!:)
I can’t remember if you’ve mentioned what color the hydrangeas are. I really love them, especially blue/purple ones! Also, Clara is le cute.
They’re the blue/purple ones! Yay!
xo,
s
My mom has always told me that the color (blue to pink) depends on the pH level of your soil. I googled and found this: Aluminum in the soil produces the blue color – I think it is the most normal situation – or aluminum sulfate or organic matter can be used to amend the soil. For pink blooms, the pH level needs to be higher, so adding dolomitic lime or fertilizers with high levels of phosphorus works (or planting it next to concrete). Doesn’t sound easy to change when planted in the ground (esp. from pink to blue), but easier to control in pots. Sorry if this is overkill:)
Fun!
xo,
s
My husband and I moved into our house back in the fall, and this spring we’ve been doing lots of clean-up in our yard. We inherited about 87 bushes planted all around the perimeter of the house (some so ugly and half-dead we’ll be doing them a favor to dig them out!). We’re not as far along as you guys, but you’ve given me hope!
bought some ground cover to add to a couple of beds where grass was being stifled by shade as well as three spiderwort plants (they bloom all summer long) to put around the maple tree out front. hubby absolutely adores planting, so they’ll be in as soon as he gets a free minute from work.
Beautiful! As the daughter of landscapers, I love reading stuff like this! Living in AZ, though, I’m so lost when it comes to your plant choices- ha! Liriope? Dogwood? What are these crazy plant names you East Coasters have? Now if you wanted to know how to plant ocotillo, prickly pear, brittlebush, golden barrel cactus, or fairy duster, I’m your girl! :)
Haha- so funny! Those names are hilarious to an east coaster like me!
xo,
s
What a big difference a little clean up made! We have two hydrangea bushes and I LOVE them. They are still small but I can’t wait for them to grow.
You mentioned that you weren’t going to do a vegetable garden this year because the seeds should be in the ground already, but the seeds I have say to wait until after danger of frost has passed. I’m in Maryland and I was thinking I should wait until May because it still gets pretty cold overnight. Do you think I shouldn’t wait?
Oh yes, definitely wait! We have pots in a windowsill and it’s warm here so they’re already starting to sprout but it’s different in Maryland I think!
xo,
s
I was just thinking that if you ever want to get to repainting that rain barrel maybe you should move it into the room where all of the things go to die. Then maybe you’d get on that already.
Haha- seriously!
xo,
s
I love finding Clara in the pictures! What a cutie!
Good job, Petersiks!! Very nice!! I love liriope but it can definitely be the bane of your existence since it multiples like crazy. And get some ORB on that rain barrel, will ya?
Haha, it’s on the list!
xo,
s
I’m guessing the nice yellow tint on the table means that the pollen is attacking you guys down in Richmond too. I’m in Fredericksburg and I swear to you it’s trying to murder me.I washed my car twice last week and finally just gave up. It can stay yellow until the pollen decides that it’s done!
Yes, it’s trying to kill me!
xo,
s
Looks awesome. And I love that pretty dogwood picture!
We’re pretty certain that the previous owner of our new house didn’t do anything to the yard in the 8 years she lived here! The leaves are so thick on the ground that they are turning to mulch underneath. So far, we’ve planted about 120 shrubs and plants (azeleas, creeping phlox, begonia and knock out roses), and we have four trees to plant – a pink dogwood, two Japanese maples, and a dwarf peach. We seriously need to address the grass issue (or lack thereof) but there is a desperate weed situation that we have to fix first!
I love the feeling of clearing out weeds and leaves and anything else that’s overgrown and seeing the simplicity of just the bushes and flowers with some fresh mulch! We’re working on our “curb appeal” right now. When we moved into our house we had ivy growing all over the flower beds, so we’ve slowly been tearing it out and it’s made a huge difference. We just tore it out in the front and everything looks so much more presentable! I don’t know who thought that was a good idea, but they were wrong! I’ve been thinking about planting some hydrangeas, but I’m not much of a green thumb, so I was worried about keeping them alive, but I may have to give it a go after hearing about your good luck with them!
What a great job! I am a avid gardener so I love this post…not that I don’t love all the other posts. This little patio area is looking great.
I would suggest looking into using some Hosta http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/HOPA.html and Huchera http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/HEGE.html to fill in a little more if that is what you are looking for. They are great foliage that need little attention. Clara would probably love seeing these fun fairy flowers too… http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/AQCR.html
BTW I just love this online plant source I’m not trying to do advertising for them.
Love Hosta! Thanks for the tip about Huchera and fairy flowers!
xo,
s
Everything is looking great! I have unsuccessfully tried to garden in my tiny backyard in Brooklyn the past few years, and it hasn’t been pretty. Definitely looking forward to having a real yard one day!
The part about Clara discovering worms made me laugh. Apparently, when I was a toddler, I LOVED worms. They were my best friends as far as I was concerned. So much so, that I allegedly filled my pockets with worms constantly, and my mother had the unfortunate task of emptying my pockets each time I came in from playing in the yard…so if I were you, I’d try to steer Clara away from the wonder of worms before you find some more “friends” coming back into the house with you!
Haha, so cute!
xo,
s
I live in the area and have a small nandina I have nowhere to plant…it is smaller than the ones you’ve planted but you’re welcome to it if you’d like. I would also love to adopt any boxwoods you might be getting rid of in the future.
You’re so sweet Emily, but I think we’re all set since we spaced them thinking we’d just have four!
xo,
s
I think everyone needs a Katherine landscape artist. She’s helped out a lot. I’m normally not a black/brown mulch fan, but it looks really nice next to your patio and with the bright green plants like hydrangea. I also never liked white cupboards till I started reading this blog, either, so see how you’re changing the world? My hubby is painting our ugly dark brown bedroom furniture white before we move next month and I can’t wait. Would you direct me to a link or two of yours of which is the best paint and technique for painting furniture white? Thanks, E
That’s funny about dark mulch and white cabinets! As for a furniture painting link, here ya go: http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/02/how-to-paint-furniture/
xo,
s
Love this blog, and had a question about painting the rain barrel – our rain barrels are also bright blue. I was wondering if you all were going to use spray paint or if there was a special type of paint that needed to be used. I haven’t done it yet, but since you all make environmentally friendly choices, I thought you all would be good to ask :?)
I was thinking about using spray paint with primer built in (they sell stuff that works on plastic so it should be ok for it we hope).
xo,
s
We had a bright blue plastic one too and used Rustoleum Universal spray paint which is aproved for plastics. It’s been outside all winter and is holding up well!
Sounds awesome!
xo
s
Yesterday was Day 2 of my forsythia bush removal and things actually got harder, not easier!!I did manage to cut down two bushes, though, which revealed a big old stump – that not only did the previous owner(s) not remove – they actually planted things IN it!! Ugh!
And I have NO idea what to do with all the brush I’ve cleared out since our town won’t take them with recycling/trash. We have enough kindling for the next five years!
Get out of my head YHL- I spent the better part of the last two weekends at Great Big Greenhouse. :) Our backyard gets almost no sun so we planted boxwoods we purchased there last weekend. Love the warranty!
Haha- love it!
xo,
s
Nice improvement! Our backyard is definitely needing some TLC right now, it has the post winter blues.
I love how dark your mulch is, all the mulch I see has kind of a reddish brown tint, yours looks dark brown/blackish. do you know what kind it is? thanks
We just got the darkest kind they had at Home Depot. Wish I knew more
xo,
s
It never ceases to amaze me how small changes can have such a big impact. Thanks for the reminder!
The patio is looking great! One question- Where is the blue bird feeder from? It’s so cute.
HomeGoods last year! It was $9!
xo,
s
I love hydrangea. I have five plants – two original and three from the prunings (is that a word?) of the first two. In the Spring when I prune, I just stick the pruned “stick” in the ground and water. Three new plants. It takes a couple of years for them to grow into a bush, but hey, free plants!
That’s amazing!!!!
xo,
s
Ooh, I can’t wait to have the yard to plant hydrangeas. They’re just so beautiful!!
For what it’s worth, it’s probably not too late to plant certain veggies…down in VA you might be late for things like peas, but lettuces produce all summer long (and even into the fall) and hardy guys like peppers and tomatoes do just fine being planted a little late. I’m planting a veggie garden in my in-laws yard (since I don’t have a yard) and here in PA I’ve still got sprouts in peat pots, nothing in the ground for another week or two.
Thanks for the tips Rebecca! Not sure with all the other outside plans if we’ll get to it in time since we want to make raised beds and stuff- maybe next year!
xo,
s