Let’s do the path (I’m not good at math, but digging up a path, I can do). And John’s good at both. Overachiever, much? Anyway, this is just a photo from before we started working on the garden beds on either side of the porch (more on that here and here) so you can see how that clump of bushes in front of the porch was kind of weird and reversed. Don’t you think plants on either side of the porch would look nice and balanced while the path to the door and the porch should be more open and airy instead of crowded by overgrown boxwoods? It was like things were backwards. Business in the middle instead of business on the sides. It was a bush mohawk.
And when a certified landscape expert (more on that here) confirmed that those boxwoods were on their last legs anyway due to some bare spots and diseased tops, we were even more sure we had to open things up so the path to the door felt less crowded (don’t worry, we still tried to transplant as many as we could to see if they’ll make it in a less in-yo-face location).
See what we mean? On moving day we dragged things down this path approximately 5,000 times with the bushes reaching out and grabbing us the whole time.
They just don’t have any understanding of personal space. We actually learned from our little landscaping consultation that pathways are ideally four feet wide so two people can walk next to each other or carry large items without getting bush-groped. So the least we can do is make this path feel as wide as possible by opening things up.
Operation Clear The Path began with us digging out the azaleas that were completely crowding the porch (their base was literally just inches from the brick side of the porch). That garden bed is tiny, and no place for large bushes like that. They weren’t too bad to dig up since the ground was wet from rain the day before – and we transplanted them on the side yard that we’re trying to naturalize so it’ll have some pretty pops of color down there and they won’t be nearly as cramped.
Next it was time to dig up those boxwoods along the other side of the path. They were a bit more challenging to get up, but again thanks to moist soil from previous rain, it wasn’t too bad. It probably took about fifteen to twenty minutes per bush and there were eight of them, so this was an almost three hour process done over two Clara naps. A few of the bushes were too far gone so we just cut them out with the reciprocating saw and then dug up their roots since that was easier if there was no saving them.
But the ones that looked like they might stand a fighting chance of survival also got transplanted in the side lot near the azaleas.
Then it was time to do something we’ll probably be doing until the end of time at this house. Digging up more of that ubiquitous liriope that abounds. This stuff was actually growing up and over the pavers – making the path look a foot narrower thanks to at least six inches of encroachment on each side. See the root system of the one below actually covering half of that paver?
We knew digging them out would widen the path again (no more bushes or grasses trying to tickle people’s legs as they walked by), but we really weren’t expecting just how much of a difference clearing out this small bed that once housed giant azaleas and endless monkey grass would make. The porch could finally breath again!
We went ahead and mulched it all the way down, just to keep weeds from springing up all willy-nilly, but we do plan to plant some small pretty flowering perennials or annuals eventually. Just holding out to find some we really like that will do well in such a narrow spot (we’re sure there are a ton of options, so we’ll just see what we like and resist the urge to try to settle too quickly on something “meh”).
And we can’t even explain how much of a difference it made to clear out those big clumpey and crowded boxwoods that were on the other side of the path. Are you ready for the biggest landscaping difference we’ve seen this spring? Check out the path before we cleared it out…
… and after:
Doesn’t the path itself look about twice as wide and a lot more open? Don’t your eyes travel to pretty things, like the woods beyond the path, and the open and much more welcoming porch? We have plans to seed the entire left side of the path so that grass just comes right up to it (nothing big will pen you in, so the path will look nice and wide and welcoming). We have a ton of other areas to garden around the perimeter of the house, so we’ll appreciate just having to mow that strip of land instead of needing to plant/mulch/prune/weed another bed. So picture that big patch of brown as green as the grass beyond it. Can you see it?
And here’s the difference from the other side. Before:
And after:
And now for some shots from a bit further away for ya. First here’s how this angle looked back when we moved into our house (what house?):
And here are how things are looking these days:
Of course we still have about 679 other things on our exterior to-do list (see more of that here) but we’re inching towards something that looks a whole lot better than what we started with.
Ah landscaping, you take a while and make our arms and back ache, but you’re worth it.
As for how long clearing the path took in total, the entire project – including the time it took to transplant things in other areas – was around 8 hours. We started it about a week ago, which is why we couldn’t show wide shots of the garden beds on each side of the porch (since that path was torn up/in progress – and we wanted to get ‘er done before taking pics from further away). That last shot from the street deflates us further emphasizes how much more we still have to tackle, but it’s definitely nice to look at the before pic to remember how far we’ve come in the time that we’ve been here. Slowly, but surely.
What are you guys doing when it comes to the path to your front door? Is it open and clear, packed with flowering plants? Full of overgrown bushes you’re planning to relocate as well? Tell $herdog all about it.
kara says
Love the ‘2 Clara Naps’ time reference.
I envision a rating system for all your projects based on # of Clara naps!!!
Looks great!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it.
xo,
s
Sarah K says
Ooh what an improvement!
Natalie says
Holy cow! That is a HUGE transformation! Well done, you guys! :)
georgia says
You’ve done a great job guys, as always! The path looks really nice and tidy now. I don’t know if you considered “shifting” the path a little bit further away from the porch by picking 2 or 3 rows of paving stones from the side close to the porch and moving them on the other side – and you don’t have to buy any new material. That would make the planting space a little bit wider and give you more options on what to plant (roses would be awesome there). It is a lot of work though and of the back-breaking kind…
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we have thought of moving the path out and even giving it a bit of a curve if we could down the line- just have some other landscaping stuff on the agenda for now. But maybe later!
xo,
s
Heather W. says
Have you thought of putting a railing and spindles on the porch to help finish it off? The landscaping looks soooo much better already good job!
YoungHouseLove says
Since it’s so shallow we like the open feeling. We debating adding a railing but think it’ll look like a crib and feel like we’re in jail- haha.
xo,
s
georgia says
Looks Sooooo much better!!
I showed my husband and he said ‘its photoshopped’ i said its not and had to show him the whole blog post to prove you did all that hard work!
Well done, the front garden looks fab!
xx
Rebecca says
This is such an awesome before and after! You should be so proud of your work!
Also, thought you’d be interested in knowing that there’s a Domino magazine “Quick Fixes Special Edition” at the newsstand. I found it at Whole Foods yesterday and it made my day. Soooo much goodness inside. I think I was drooling on the pages…
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, so excited!
xo,
s
Becky says
I know you guys post your fails as well as successes. I read your blog daily and am always inspired to do it myself or better yet get my husband to do projects as well! So today he was to install our diaper sprayer. Easy enough right? Well apparently he needs more parts than what was supplied or “our toilet just isn’t cooperative.” I just had to laugh though because if I recall correctly John manhandled that diaper sprayer easy cheesy! Nothing my husband ever attempts works out “easy.” Maybe that means I should be the one to tackle these things and teach him along the way. But thanks for your daily inspiration and I’ll ignore the fact that you 2 are just DIY geniuses and we have a long way to go.
YoungHouseLove says
Sorry to hear it was giving you troubles. Stupid uncooperative toilet! We have our fair share of uncooperative moments in a lot of projects, so don’t worry. Hope it came out okay in the end!
-John
Jenna at Homeslice says
That was definitely a great decision! It looks awesome!
Trude says
It looks amazing! Definitely feels like you can breathe – and just think of all the cute things you can do with the porch now! :)
Adrienne J says
Forget monkey grass! We have ivy eeeeverywhere. Think of where mulch would normally go (flower beds, surrounding trees) and picture ivy in it’s place. It creeps me out with it’s ever-moving arms! lol.
Your front yard is coming along so well! I still love how much more open it looks just from cutting off the lower magnolia branches!
Stacy says
Reading this post makes me wish I took more pics of our yard when we bought the house. I could have used them for motivational purposes.
I rarely get disgruntled with yard work but today was one of those days. I found a dead mouse in the big garden near the house. In the even bigger garden near the street, I found all kinds of trash in it. I live on a busy street and apparently litter bugs think my yard is a dumping ground. The fosythia that is supposed to act as a “fence” to keep the trash out of the yard seems to thrive on growing back into the yard instead of filling in and outward, ect.
After 4 hours of cleaning up trash, giving the deceased mouse a proper burial, clipping the unruly forsythia, and raking, I called it a day. The only positive that came from all of it is my ornamental grasses are now coming in which makes me happy. I like listening to them “swish” when the wind blows.
Thanks for the reminder even if it is indirectly that alot of progress has been made and that it isn’t just us that has had to deal with previous homeowners that had odd lanscaping ideas. Intead of having oddly placed bushes that grabbed people that walked by, we had random lilac bushes and yucca plants. We have one yucca plant left and the only reason we have it is because I don’t feel like fighting with it. Just say “No!” to yuccas. You’ll be glad you did.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sounds like you got a lot accomplished!
xo,
s
JoniB says
We finally had a nice weekend, so outside I went to mow and weed. I also got my DIY on and ORB’d an old bookcase and re-did the the caulking in the kitchen above the backsplash. Whoo to the hoo!! You guys inspire me to get on that already!
Kristin H. says
Just wanted get all cheeseball on you to say I love you guys! I love that when you type ‘tell sherdog all about it’ that you actually mean it, and I love that you guys are just yourselves no matter what. There’s honestly no other bloggers like you. That is all. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw Kristin, you’re so sweet. $herdog loves you, girl.
xo,
$
B Mom says
so did you give the liriope a new home too, or just chuch it? i have a love/hate relationship with that stuff…
B Mom says
oops, that was supposed to say “or did you just chuck it?”
YoungHouseLove says
A little of column A and a little of column B. We’ve got a lot of empty space we’d like to naturalize around the side and back yard, so I’ve been putting it back there in clumps. Not digging it in, just laying it overtop the dirt. I figure that stuff is tenacious enough to come back next year. And if it doesn’t, oh well!
-John
Dwayne says
Looks awesome. How are you keeping weeds out?
YoungHouseLove says
We have found when we clear a bed before planting and then mulch it not many weeds grow and they can be easily plucked out since they don’t root very firmly in that fluffy layer of mulch. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Erica says
Now that’s a dramatic difference. Love it! We’re in the middle of some similar changes, and I have to keep reminding myself that the work is worth it!
Georgia says
This looks so awesome. We’ve been working in the garden today…digging up 3 totally overgrown compost heaps which were on the only flat part of our garden, where we want to put a shed. Fortunately I have 4 teenagers to help me (and I’m really good at bribing!). Makes the work go quickly! Last year we built a path out the front of our house and I just can’t imagine it not being there now.
Erica says
The only thing I have leading up to my front door is WEEDS!
Looking good! Landscaping is a ton of work, but it is so worth it! I started out with absolutely nothing since apparently the previous owners didn’t like flowers. Or grass either, since my yard is overrun with weeds! I put in some pretty tall grasses against the wall of my garage (the back of my backyard since I have an alley garage) along with some pretty roses, lilies, zinnias, etc… and it is so much better looking! The front has mums and azaleas and lilies so far… I’m working on having something blooming year round! :-) I saw where somebody suggested having different flowers that bloom year round as well for your space in front. I am sure you guys will find something perfect that will really compliment your decor!
Sarah D says
Holy cow! at first i was like “omg that path is so tiny!!” then i saw the after picture and im pretty sure my face literally did one of these –> O_O ! Great job, ya’ll, keep up the good work!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Sarah. The giant eyed visual you provided made me laugh out loud.
xo,
s
Jill says
Instead of planting something in that newly-empty long, narrow strip of dirt, have you given any thought to extending the porch a bit? It seems a little narrow now, but foot or two deeper, and it’d be a very generous hang out spot.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’d love to possibly tackle that down the line! We do have a spacious patio on the side of the house where we hang out most times, so the porch is mostly for rocking in the bench and watching pups go by, but maybe further down the road we could tackle something like that!
xo,
s
Erika K says
Holy wow! The change is amazing!
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
LOVE how it looks. You guys did a great job. We moved one bush and some Hosta’s over the past weekend. We still need to move 4 more bushes into another area of our property. I love how it feels when you are finished and you love the outcome. :)
KarenH. says
I’ve been reclaiming flower beds from the yard. While the house stood empty, the yard got mowed but the beds were neglected and the yard began growing into them. I’ve spent the past two weekends reclaiming them and I hope to be fully done with that part before next Sunday (it would be nice to just sit on a weekend for a change.
I did manage to cut down my poor dead baby dogwood–it was on its last legs when I bought the house and didn’t survive the winter.
And I have three burning bush that desparately need pruning as they’re starting to cover the front windows. But all the rest of the front bushes are pruned and trimmed now.
Time to plan a small cemented area in the back yard for a fire pit :)
Megan says
Was that liriope or monkey grass invasive? Did it bloom some pretty purple flowers?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, there’s mounding and spreading liriope and ours is the spreading kind, which basically means a row of it’ll replicate itself in a year to be two rows wide, and then three rows and four rows, etc. It’s pretty intense stuff! Since it’s so crowded we don’t usually get any blooms (read: it’s fighting with its own roots to spread so it doesn’t always look very healthy).
xo,
s
Beth says
Your “new” path looks amazing!!! Thanks for the inspiration – now I want to start working on my yard ASAP! (As soon as the rain stops, anyway) :)
Inês says
Much better!! The house is more realistic!
Tammy says
Hey Guys,
White Ceramic animal statue alert!!!!!!!!
http://www.ezibuy.com.au/clearance/homeware/grey-hound-statue-82567.htm
and its on sale
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- so cute!
xo,
s
Meredith says
Salvia might be a great option for right in front of the porch. It’s a perennial and it’s supposed to be a really hardy plant (a plus for me because I am unintentionally a plant killer!). I actually got some this weekend for my own little garden area based on some recommendations.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/Search?keyword=salvia&selectedCatgry=SEARCH+ALL&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&Ns=None&Ntpr=1&Ntpc=1
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Meredith!
xo,
s
Erin | Holtwood Hipster says
We’re currently working on the exterior of our house as well. Stucco, landscaping, lighting… When we started a year ago, we had very much the same issue up our walkway. Ripping out that overgrown jungle made such a difference- just like it did in your beautiful house. I mean, the view of your house from the street is night and day!
Kim says
wow! It looks so good! Your soil looks really healthy for Virginia. Ours has a lot of clay. Your front is mostly shade right? If so, I think a few Solomon’s Seal would look nice on the right side.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kim! We’ll have to check them out!
xo,
s
Sabrina @ Customized Creations says
It looks fantastic!!!! What a difference pulling up those bushes make! Great job! And I love the comment about the Violets!
Elizabeth says
Landscape lights would look fantastic in the bed next to the house. Everything looks great!! Makes me want to get out there do some spring landscaping!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I’d love to add those someday!
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
Maybe YHL could come out with a trendy/contemporary line of love voltage landscape lights…because, I’ve scoured the earth for cheap trendy lights and they just don’t exist! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that would be fun! Who’s up for letting us play around with lighting? Anyone? Haha.
xo,
s
Katie says
That front yard is looking SO MUCH better. Way to go guys!
harmony says
Now that is improvement! wow. great job.
Jasanna says
The new look is fantastic! I definitely like it much less crowded! Are you going to put anything more under the tree or leave it like it is? Your changes give me confidence to tackle these sorts of big projects too! Where do you put all the bushes and liriope that you get rid of?
http://munchtalk.blogspot.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, on our huge to-do list we have a plan to plant a ground cover under the tree since grass won’t grow there. Someday!
xo,
s
Pia says
Looks soo much cleaner which I love!
If I were you I would like to widen the path and do it towards the porch. And then just put a pot of flowers next to the stairs and just skip the flowers between porch and path. Anyway. I guess that you will find a lovely solution.
Im just looking forward to go to our cabin this weekend and get started on some outdoor work. Thanks for the inspiration!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you’re welcome Pia! Good luck with the cabin stuff! Sounds like so much fun!
xo,
s
Traci says
Oh my gosh – what a difference! It’s like your house decided it wanted to be free and busted out!
Christina says
‘Bush-groped’ – HA, my lord you two make me laugh!!!
Kim says
I’d suggest putting some edgers on the side of the path nearest the house so you don’t have to deal with anything growing over the path ever again!
YoungHouseLove says
That could definitely work too!
xo,
s
Penny Smith says
How fortunate it is pavers and not some crazy uneven paved sidewalk! Pavers are very “now”, and crooked cement the norm-at least around here! :)
Penny Smith says
OK, I feel like a stalker. I think this is my third comment today. :)
So what exactly was the purpose of the siding under the porch? It kinda stands out, but IDK… :)
Maybe if it was the color of the grout or something it wouldn’t look like a house apron or bib?
Ya have to wonder so many times what builders are thinking. (well, they were probably thinking, we can save a few bucks! :) )
YoungHouseLove says
I have no earthly idea about that siding but lots of the ranch houses in our neighborhood had it- must have been a 60’s thing. Haha. We’re definitely planning on painting it (almost the exact color of the grout- so funny you mentioned that!) so here’s that post: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/11/feeling-testy/
xo,
s
Sarah says
Big improvement! But, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that I think you should take down the Magnolia too. It’s better now that you trimmed the lower branches, but it doesn’t save your landscape from the fact that it was planted smack in the middle of the yard. Magnolia’s are beauties, but this one is dominating the view, upsetting balance and will forever distract from whatever vista you decide to try and achieve. It’s a classic homeowner mistake to center a tree (not yours, obviously) and I know how painful it would be do it. I chopped down one of these mis-sited trees and am now glad I did. I felt terrible about it at the time…I planted some of its babies in my neighborhood in tribute and have gone mostly native in my yard to atone for tree-chopping. Maybe you could plant a new sapling off to the side instead? A nice red maple or redbud?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I’m with you on the if-it-weren’t-there-we-wouldn’t-put-it-there thing! The thing we love most about it is that when you look out the dining room window (the big window on the porch) you see a perfectly centered canopy of leaves. It’s amazing from in at the table. But yes, from the curb it’s a lot less than ideal. We just feel terribly murdering it, so maybe we’re waiting for it to decide to die on its own? I guess the odds of that aren’t high, but for now it’s not next on our list, ya know? We do love a red maple or a redbud though…
xo,
s
Laura B says
I can really relate to your latest post. We purchased our house two years ago this June. We have been debating whether or not to take out the boxwood bushes in front of our house. I have a picture posted on my blog (www.housecallsdesign.blogspot.com) I am leaning more to yes after seeing your transformation. I just separated some Liriope we had growing next to the garage; small task copmared to your endeavors. Landscaping is really hard work!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, good luck Laura! I’m sure that would look so nice!
xo,
s
Jackie Toye says
I thought I took a good look before but apparently I didn’t “take in the whole picture” as I should … removing those boxwoods made a world of difference in the view. I live in an older neighborhood where yards have been “boxwood to death” …. they’re everywhere and their in bad shape.
I removed mine too and I’m hoping the others will follow.
Great job