Who watches Jersey Shore? Remember when they went camping and Deena stood on that picnic bench and said “the wilderness!”? For some reason it made me laugh. I’m from Jersey though, so it might be a you-had-to-be-there you-have-to-be-from-there thing. Anyway, we mentioned that we had lots of outdoor upgrades on the agenda this spring, so let’s get into it, shall we? Remember how our yard looked like this when we bought the house?
And then we limbed up the magnolia and transplanted/removed a lot of the bushes and painted the front door, to get it looking more like this?
Well, it has definitely come a long way, but it’s still a far (far!) cry from where we’d like it to be (to the point that we apologize to our neighbors way too often for weedy patches of dirt in the middle of the yard and dead flowers by the mailbox, etc). So when a deal came up on Living Social for a one hour consultation with a certified landscape designer named Katherine Brooks for $60 (instead of $125) we went for it.
It might sound weird for two people who are crazy about doing things themselves to pay sixty beans to a landscape expert, but we’re black thumbs. So someone who knows all about what to plant (or transplant) where, and can plant ideas (see what I did there? it’s a landscaping pun) that we’d never come to on our own accord definitely has value to us. For example, about five minutes into our consultation with Katherine (who was very nice by the way), she mentioned that we’ll never get any grass to grow under the giant circle beneath our limbed up magnolia because the roots are so shallow they crowd out grass. We had actually planned to seed that area in the spring and the fall and hope for the best, so she easily saved us sixty bucks worth of grass seed and water and a whole lot of time and frustration while offering up a nice alternative solution (more on that in a sec).
She also tossed out a list of plants that she thought would do best in certain areas of our yard, and a bunch of suggestions about what we could transplant (you know we love working with what we have), general sustainable landscaping tips for our area, how we could reconfigure our garden beds (she even brought one of those sprayer things to mark off the grass), and identified lots of existing greenery for us (knowing what something’s called means we could google how to care for it or transplant it). So we’d say it was money well spent – and you know we’re cheap, haha. When she backed out of the driveway we already had a four page plan scribbled down in a notebook. Here are just some of her suggestions:
- seed the yard asap in many of the bare spots that remain from digging up bushes last fall
- plant a few american holly trees and sweet bay magnolia tress in the back to add privacy
- hosta, coleus, kimberly fern, or small boxwoods would do well in the empty planters on our porch
- get the ivy off all of the large oak trees in the back yard (slowly over time it can hurt them and we don’t want that)
- transplant the periwinkle (a lush green groundcover that we have growing everywhere)…
…. around the base of the magnolia since it’s one of the only things that can grow there and hide that circle of dirt…
- transplant/remove the ailing boxwoods and azaleas crowding the path to the front door and replace them with more appropriately sized perennials that won’t encroach as much
- plant a bunch of things around the house’s foundation (there’s waaaay too much bare dirt and brick on either side of the porch) – she gave us a list of specific plants that would do well in those lighting conditions and that amount of space
- dig up the odd rectangle of brick that was laid right next to the driveway in the planting bed under the window, so the landscaping can look more balanced
- plant ground cover around the mailbox (we did our best with flowers there and it always eventually grew to look unkempt, so groundcover is a more realistic option for not-always-on-it-landscapers like us)
- plant trees on the side of our lot so it looks less like a weird gully full of nothing (she gave us a list of trees that would love that area, like dogwoods, redbuds, river birches, and even a few weeping willows)
- transplant a few bushes on one side of the patio to the other side of the patio so they no longer crowd the path
- plant more hydrangeas in our patio garden (we have three very happy ones there, so adding more to the completely bare side of the garden will bring balance and color)
- cut down two diseased trees and one completely dead rhododendron bush next to the patio
- remove the giant euonymus vines on the oak tree next to our patio (we originally heard from an arborist who said it was ok, but they have gotten even bigger and heavier and after hurricane Irene we realized it could have been trouble, so when she said they should be removed we took note)
- sell all the cobblestones we already removed (and plan to remove around the plantings in the back) – apparently you can get a few bucks a pop and they make it so hard to mow around plant beds
- cut back the ornamental grasses on the side yard and the butterfly bushes in the back yard (March is apparently the time to do that every year)
- plant aucuba on the left side of our house (there are no plants next to the house on that entire side – just a dirt planting bed with nothing but weeds)
- and at least ten other things that are too complicated to mention until we tackle them
So yeah… it’s quite a list. But we knew from our first house‘s slooooow curb appeal makeover (we worked on that baby for 4.5 years) that these things take time. And to keep them from feeling too overwhelmed, it’s best to take it one day (and one project) at a time. So one of the first things on our list was to get some plants for around the house’s foundation. Because garden beds full of nothing but dirt (and the occasional weed) isn’t a good look. We actually purchased a Living Social deal for a local nursery last fall, so we had $80 to spend before it expired in three days (we spent $40 for the deal). So we ran over with a list of plants-that-will-hopefully-live from Katherine, and picked our favorites.
We had a hilarious conversation in the car. Well, it wasn’t funny until the drive home. But on the way there we were saying “I hope we have room for all the plants we’ll get with our $80! We had taken the stroller out of the trunk and everything, just to make room. Then we got there and realized that nearly all the bushes were $25-50 a pop. So yeah… we left with two bushes. And they easily fit in the car. And we snickered because we envisioned the car full of lush plants as far as the eye could see… but plants are expensive. Haha. Here’s what we came home with. It’s hard to tell the scale from this picture, but they’re each around two feet wide, which is nice. They’ll still grow a few feet larger over time, but sometimes when you buy the cheap tiny things it takes years for them to even get two feet wide.
They’re otto luyken laurels, which came highly recommended by Katherine as a few of the bigger foundation shrubs we could add (she gave us info about how to space them and how far away from each other to plant them, etc). Thankfully these guys are guaranteed for a year, so if they give up the ghost we can get a credit towards something else. But we have no intention of letting them die (its been raining like crazy lately, which is hopefully helping them to settle in nicely).
As for where we planted them, we’re just starting on the garden beds to the left and the right of the porch (which clearly have a long way to go). So one got a nice roomy spot on the left…
… and the other scored some prime real estate on the right.
So when those garden beds come along a bit more (they each need at least five more plants) we’ll share all the before and after pics. We have a lot to clear out, including a big rectangle of bricks laid to create some sort of hose platform to the right of the bush above. Sounds like a sledgehammer job for Super $herdog. What are you guys doing outside these days? Any new plants or flowers going on?
Oh, Jersey Shore. Joe hates when I watch it so I have to be real sneaky and watch it online!
This seems like money well spent! We don’t have to worry about any landscaping yet (perks of renting I suppose) but we do need to figure out the garden in the back-backyard. The soil needs to be replaced and I feel like we should till. I’ve called in my aunt (she loves gardening) so I’m hoping to get things started in the near future!
We’ve been going crazy in our yard. We lost a 70+ year old oak a few years ago, and a lot of the fire wood has been sitting on either side of our shed. We decided (ok, Pinterest decided) that our shed wanted to become a garden cottage, so we’re moving all the wood and putting in cottage gardens on either side. Hard work, but looks so much prettier already!
That sounds so charming!
xo,
s
My middle name is black thumb. Every year I say the garden is going to look great, and then I just “never get around to it.” Now, I am feeling awfully lazy based on that list of yours!!
Mulch, mulch, mulch! I am going crazy with the mulch. And the lilacs are just popping out – so I’m thrilled! Just got rain for the first time today in a month so things should green up fast.
What a great idea, getting some landscaping advice from a pro. I bet that will save you guys a ton of time and money in the future!
As for gardening, unfortunately none of that is happening here just yet (Alberta, Canada). Snow is still melting and everything is brown. Although, I did see a couple green blades of grass poking out of my otherwise sad, brown lawn ;) Fingers crossed that spring is actually here! Happy landscaping!
My own “dude get on that already” challenge begins outside this Friday. I will be weeding, planting, and cleaning up! :) Plus Sunday we started outdoor demo 2012 — there is a new porch in our future!
Exciting! Good luck with everything!
xo,
s
Our house is very similar in age and landscaping as yours, including a PLETHORA of bricks and a big magnolia with dirt under it. So this was very helpful. What to do with all the bricks? We would like to use them, because they are old (i.e. character), and well, free. But we are afraid of it looking too run down later on.
BTW, my husband gets up on our roof and blows off the leaves and pollen tassels with our blower. The kids think it’s hilarious because it comes down like snow!
You could make pretty brick paths by laying a sand bed under them (I think you can google around for a how-to) or even a small patio! Or sell them on craigslist! People love weathered bricks!
xo,
s
HA I watch Jersey Shore and Dina and “the wilderness” comment made me laugh too. Maybe it’s because I’m also from Jersey and the you-have-to-be-from-there thing holds true. Who knows!
Anyway I’m happy it’s Spring and I love that you guys take us outside as well a inside. Love the progress.
Fun! I’ve been attending to my neglected yard as well. I live in Maryland and my biggest nemisis is the deer. They eat almost everything that flowers – including my hostas every year. I will try deer spray this year. Good luck with your yard makeover! Are you going to mulch those front beds?
Oh yes, after we have them all planted!
xo,
s
we live in northeast tennessee and we’ve had a lot of problems with deer too. we’ve tried everything to deter them… sprays, home made repellants, ammonia, bars of soap and human hair in the flower beds, etc. none of it worked… including the expensive deer sprays. you have to completely cover the plants you don’t want them to eat with the spray. if we missed even the corner of a leaf when we sprayed, they would find it and still eat it. plus, you have to reapply the sprays each time it rains, which we had a hard time keeping up with.
so, after many years of failed attempts we decided to embrace nature instead of fighting it. we’ve started planting shrubs and flowers that are known to be deer resistant (there are so many beautiful varieties of resistant plants out there). and i even plant a few extra vegetable plants each year so that if the deer do decide to nibble them i still have plenty of veggies for myself.
you can find all kinds of lists for deer resistant plants online. here’s a list specific to your state (http://gardening.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=gardening&cdn=homegarden&tm=23&gps=108_430_1020_552&f=10&su=p284.13.342.ip_p504.6.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//extension.umd.edu/publications/pdfs/fs655.pdf) you might want to give it a try… sometimes it’s easier just to go with it than to fight it!
I know this sounds reeeealy gross, but my friend had a similar problem with deer and the thing that worked best for her was human urine. They lived in a very rural area, so it was as simple as her husband ‘going’ outside a few times. I know – gross – but whatever works, right?
My boss says buying mulch is one of the true signs of adulthood. Good luck with the garden!
Haha, that’s too funny.
xo,
s
@Alanna – thanks for the tip! @ Kristi – I don’t think that’s gross. With the deer, all is fair in love & war. Too bad our area is too suburban for that trick :)
That is such a nice start. Can’t wait to see the finished garden. We are also clueless on landscaping so we are planning to go for the hrly consultation, found a great deal $50 for 2 hrs at our local nursery (for anyone in No Va, it is at the Meadowfarms Garden Center). By the way, want to let all the YHL fans know about the Home Goods gift card giveaway at my blog today.
http://whatsurhomestory.com/3-month-blog-anniversary-giveaway/
Love it! Such a fun giveaway!
xo,
s
Sounds like an awesome investment. Something that my best friend (works as in a tree and shrub department at a local nursery up in Northern VA) told me is if you have something that’s not deer resistant, plant it near boxwoods or something stronger in smell if possible. The deer will stay away. Because their sense of smell is so much stronger than ours, they can’t smell predators near stronger smelling plants!
We are planning on a larger landscaping remodel this spring and summer too! Can’t wait to see what you guys do!
Great tip!
xo,
s
Why are plants so expensive?! One of the best plant purchases we’ve ever made were a couple of $15 bushes from Ikea of all places – they’ve been alive for 2+ years looking great and we almost never water them. We always say, that had we known they were going to be this great, we would have bought a ton of them instead of just two! Sadly they don’t seem to sell them anymore.
It stinks they don’t sell them anymore, but you’re so lucky you got two of them! They sound like magic. Haha.
xo,
s
Why is landscaping so daunting? Give me an interior and I’m fine, but when it comes to plants and exteriors, not so much. Glad you got your $60 worth!
I know! Me too! I keep trying to look at garden beds like rooms, but it’s just so different!
xo,
s
Looking good yall! Way to rock those living social deals. :)
I know what you mean about small plants taking forever to get bigger. I planted a rose bush 4 years ago (it was literally just 3 sticks when I got it) and this year is the first year it gotten big and I have tons of roses blooming.
Wahoo! Sounds so pretty!
xo,
s
Landscaping and anything related to plants = impossible in my mind. We have 3 huge evergreens in our yard that have been gradually taking over all of it, so we decided to pay to cut the bottom branches. We’ll see how she looks after that “makeover”. It’s pathetic :(
I had no idea there was such a person that could come help with landscaping ideas. I don’t have the cash to pay someone to do it but I could pay for some ideas. I have great vision for my yard, but have a hard time putting it into action because I’m not sure if my ideas would work, or if the plants are right for the space. I’d love to have someone come walk around my yard with me and help figure out what to plant! Great idea!
Thanks for sharing the periwinkle tip! We’ve got four oaks in our front yard, which are beautiful except for the whole no grass thing. Now I’ve just got to figure out if periwinkle will work in the south. Everything outside is so complicated. I wish I could just pick out an area rug and plop it down.
Haha, amen! Wouldn’t an area rug be easy?
xo,
s
Depending on how far south you are they should be fine. There are more southern tolerant ones too – bigger leaves and flowers. Good luck!
Perennial Periwinkle (vinca minor) works great in the South. Our vinca has been in the yard at my mother’s house since my grandparents bought the house in the 30’s, and is tough as iron. It sends out runners to propagate itself and loves the shade. We keep it in check by mowing it back to the borders of its bed. I’m in Texas BTW, and it has come back from our record drought with a vengeance. We were only allotted 2 hours of watering time every-other-day and we elected to save Mom’s 80 year old pecan trees, so the periwinkle got NO WATER for around 6 months in both hideous hot/scorching and cold/dry desiccating weather.
Thanks, EDR!
This might be a dumb suggestion, but why not just mulch under the trees? It kind of reminds me of crown molding, the way it really finishes off a space.
It definitely can look great but it’s just such a giant expanse of dirt under a magnolia (maybe 40 feet wide?!) so getting that much mulch would be pricey and I wish there wasn’t such a large dark hole in the middle of the grass – would much prefer something green and lush like the grass!
xo,
s
Periwinkle works even better in the south!!!
Also, Sherry, I am an avid gardner and love it even more than I enjoy my indoor decorating. But you are right, think of each area as a room and you are just adding basic furniture and accessories.
I think I would go ahead and mulch the gardens you are working on at the time…they help the soil retain water and control your weeds. Also, they make an instant statement and give you more visibility as to what and where you plant. Enjoy it, so rewarding, and it is something you two can enjoy together for many years!!
Thanks Kim!
xo,
s
Sherry, the Henrico county dump has FREE mulch if you have a trailer and/or way to haul it. it’s not wonderful or very pretty, but it’s a great way to cover a large space and then have a thin layer of pretty mulch on top. just an FYI if you are ever in need of mulch. happy planting!
Who knew? Thanks for the tip Betsy!
xo,
s
Wow…a consultation sounds like a wonderful idea. Sure, you can implement her suggestions on your own, but to have a pro tell you what’s-what is a big help. I’m going to keep a Groupon/Living Social/Refer Local eye out for something like that.
We’ve pretty much been working on our yard NON-STOP. I’m guessing we probably got just as much rain in Baltimore as you’ve had there, so you can see why it has been difficult. I did just plant my first vegetable garden, and I’m growing herbs for the first time, while the hubs is working on growing grass in our deficient yard & filling in any holes where water seems to pool from the (torrential) rain.
…and now I see that I’ve written you a novel. Oops.
Wow, just a couple of weeks ago I didn’t even know that two shrubs we had were called aucubas. They are really beautiful, and keep their color year round.
Ours were just not in a good location on either side of our house and we didn’t want to dig them up and transplant them. Fortunately, we were able to find them a new home and someone who really wanted them came and got them, so it all worked out.
Man, oh man. I am jealous of your landscaper deal find! I always always ALWAYS tell friends who ask me for advice about where to put this or that in their yard, that landscape design is way different than home design. For me, at least. Which could be why our yard is looking rather untouched after a year of being here. We painted the front door last year….and that’s it.
http://www.chrislovesjulia.com/2011/06/what-can-i-say-im-sucker-for-red.html
And that’s also paint aka familiar territory. Maybe this weekend is THE weekend to get started.
That red door is so great Julia!
xo,
s
Sounds like $60 well spent. I can’t wait to see the transformation! On a different note, I never knew perewinkle was a plant. The bloom makes perfect sense why Crayola named their color periwinkle.
Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh. This just gave me a reason to be scared of owning a house, haha. That is one long list you have there. No wonder my mother always spent all summer outside in the yard – we had a two-acre lot with two houses and four sheds – I’m pretty sure she planted flowers along the sides of all of them.
We are in the same boat, lawn-wise, and I am so jealous of your landscaping consultation!
In the future, we have plans to do a full lawn renovation (where you kill the existing grass/weeds and start from scratch), but in the meantime, we’ve been busy cleaning and mulching beds and trying to come up with a coherent flower plan that won’t require huge amounts of maintenance.
We are also having a landscaper come out this summer to re-grade our backyard – we lost a huge tree in Hurricane Irene and it left a pretty nasty crater and lots of little holes from the root structure in the lawn. Can’t wait!
Future plans include some extra drainage and some raised beds for a veggie garden :)
Yup, we have been doing yardwork like crazy around here! Do you guys have a farmer’s co-op around, by chance? We get out veggies, grass seed, and plants from there. It always seems to be cheaper than going to a nursery, and better quality than Home Depot.
Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Great tip! We’ll have to check that out!
xo,
s
My little one turns 2 on Friday, and since she’s obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake, we are having a “Strawberry” themed party for her this weekend…..which means I have about 15 adorable baby strawberry plants that need to be transported to the freshly spray painted (red & green) pots for centerpieces. (They will also be party favors for the kiddos to take home and hopefully take care of!) That’s about all the “gardening” I will be doing anytime soon….busy, busy…lol
So cute!! Good luck!
xo
s
we just hired a landscaper (black thumb here) to plant a “wall” of cypress trees/bushes along the back of our (small) property to block out the in-ground swimming pool that the people behind us are in the process of putting in (grrrr). Our yard is so small that it will feel like the pool is in OUR yard if we don’t plant something! They have to have the pool at least 10 feet from the property line, so they made it exactly 10 feet from the property line. Gotta love new neighbors!
We just planted a new sod lawn on Sunday. This was after three years in a row of planting grass seed only to have to peter out in the winter. Our hope is that we can take advantage of Portland’s rainy spring to really establish the grass.
I am very excited to have my backyard be instantly ready for entertaining and hanging out in. Of course, we’ll stay off the sod as much as possible for a bit, but we do have a brick patio that we built using reclaimed bricks anyway.
Here’s a link to a post that I published yesterday about the backyard:
http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2012/04/yes-we-are-sod-people/
I think it’s great that you knew your limitations enough to consult with a landscape designer. It’s great to have a shopping list in hand for your specific lard.
And BTW, 4-1/2 years is not that long to complete an entire house project. We’re 15-1/2 years into ours and still not done!
Katy
“Your specific LARD?” Umm . . . that was a typo, it was supposed to read “YARD.” However, I kind of like it. Maybe it will start a new foodie trend, where people meet with their own bacon-consultants to create their own personal lard.
Give it a year and it will be all the rage in Portland and Brooklyn.
Katy
Haha, too funny about lard. The sod looks great!
xo,
s
I’m really into gardening this year (no idea why, I don’t even have a yard), so this post excites me! Can’t wait to see all of the outdoor work that you two tackle. :)
What a great investment for the landscape designer! Our yard is much smaller than yours but I’d love to know what plants would work well in our yard. I’m planning on doing a veggie garden with the kids this year, but there’s really only one area that would work well and I’m not sure if it gets enough sun. Guess we’ll find out in a few months! Outdoor spaces are definitely more challenging than indoors…
Building 3 more raised beds– making 7 in total. Building a fence around the vegetable garden, planted 3 blueberry bushes last night, added a rock filled trench around my outdoor (yet attached to house) shed to improve drainage in that area.. Several rose bushes to go in, a few butterfly bushes, gardenias, 24 tomato plants, 20 strawberry plants.. and eventually laying down some sod and walkways.. Busy outside days ahead for me!
Wow! That sounds awesome. Good luck!
xo,
s
Next time you’re shopping for plants, check to see when the big plant auction in your area is. They’re dominated by bigger landscape companies who buy large lots of plants – but you can get some really incredible deals by making friends.
Great tip Matt! Thanks!
xo,
s
You might hit Craigslist and Freecycle for folks dividing cannas, bearded iris, day lilies, nandina shrubs, holly, etc. I’ve gotten some really nice plants from simply watching the ads and posting wanted posts. Also watch for houses being demolished. We rescued a beautiful old pink rosebush (with permission) from a lot that was having the old house demolished to make way for a new construction. They were just gonna bulldoze everything flat. I wish we had had time to take up all the lilies and bulbs that house had in its gardens.
Aw, that’s a great story!
xo,
s
I would think that tackling the yard work would be a little easier for you to find time for. Clara can play outside while you work on the less labor intensive projects.
Yes, we have already noticed that! And the girl loves worms!
xo,
s
We have a garden expert. I call him Dad. Every time he comes in town I drag him around our yard, and then I feed him. It works out pretty well for everyone.
Here’s our garden update!
http://lollingabout.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/garden-grows-chapter-2/
So lucky!
xo,
s
Seems like the money for the consult was well spent for all of those ideas! We had our dead bush removed last year and put in a small japanese maple in the Fall. Thankfully our finger crossing paid off because it’s budding now! YAY!! I know you guys will feel the same way with all of your landscaping work coming up!
Yay! Japanese maples are the best!
xo,
s
Oh, I so need to do something like this! I like in a small house in the woods and have a ton of ground cover and ivy and hostas, but would love some color and an actual plan to the madness :) Great that you guys did that and you’ll have the place transformed in no time, just like the last one!!!
OH and dont forget to check out our GIVEAWAY today!!
Bethany
http://www.PowellBrowerHome.com
I love the periwinkle idea! I have a giant tree in my front yard with a HUGE mulch circle around it because of the roots near the surface. I am going to look into putting periwinkle there instead to make it pretty. It can’t hurt to try!
Did she give you any advice about the ailing boxwoods? One of the things I loved about my house when I bought it was the boxwoods out front. I’ve got a duplex in the city and love the privacy/barrier that they provide yet they seem more inviting than a fence. But I’ve noticed a few dead spots that I’ve tried to get rid of, but want to see if there is anyway to stave off needing to replace them.
She said a lot of ours are too far gone (something about a bug or fungus that’s attacking the sides and tops of them to make them yellow or completely bare on one side) but she said there was something you could put on them if they were a more mild case of it (something you spray over them?) – maybe ask at a local nursery?
xo,
s
Oh man! Plants are expensive! Thankfully I like to refer to my mother in law as my personal gardener, she is always bringing over trunk loads of some new plant that she dug up from her garden to bring over and transplant in mine and on some days she even comes over to water everything! So I have spent a total of $1.49 for one pack of pansies :) yay for transplanting plants!
That’s so sweet of her!
xo,
s
This has nothing to do with your post today – but I had to share! I dreamed last night that I had come over to your house to buy some bedroom furniture from you. John was selling it so he was walking me through the house showing it. Then, Sherry, you came in the room, and I freaked out about meeting you – a famous person! :) I started rambling and then was like, oh god, you’re probably thinking who is this crazy woman who won’t get out of my house! Either way, I bought the furniture off you along with a life size mannequin (?!). Funny dream :)
Haha, I love that there was a life sized mannequin in there. Hilarious!
xo,
s
Our whole property needs landscaping, but with an acre of blank canvas, it is pretty overwhelming to think about. Plus, I have no idea where to start. I have been getting some ideas from bhg.com. It’s a good source for garden layouts.
Well you guys have already made a lot of progress on the exterior. It’s hard work and in the North East you only have so many months to get out there. Can’t wait to see what else you do, I need ideas!!
I don’t have any pictures to share but my lanscaping consist of flower beds filled with mulch and weeds. I actually think a couple of the “weeds” are plants but they’re really ugly so they have to go. I got an estimate for a mulch job to the tune of almost $400 and that doesn’t include any plants or planting… therefore I’m going to have to learn this summer (and pray the dogs don’t destroy my hard work)!
Haha, good luck Ashley! You can do it!
xo,
s
UGH, is all that I have to say about landscaping and working outside!!! Here in CO, it is IMPOSSIBLE to even keep grass alive (because we rarely get rain)!!! And I’ve always had a Black Thumb, and now its even worse! Plants actually wilt when I get within 5 feet of them!! LOL!
Finding a great deal like that for a consultation is a really great idea — I’ll have to keep an eye out for something like that — cause we just have no idea what we can plant that will survive here!!
Hi –
Thanks for all your posts –
In MN, two good inexpensive sources for plants are local farmers markets – shrubs and perennials, especially in spring; and yard sales later in the summer (hostas and other divideable perennials). And anywhere, if your friends have more established growth and are dividing, they’re usually glad to pass on the extras.
Just a thought. Happy gardening!
Great tips!
xo,
s
I frigging <3 plants! I always go 'discount' plant hunting! Just last week I scored 10 Salvia perennials for 10$ at lowes, that's 70$ saved!! Check it out… http://wp.me/p1MmG7-bC
But for serious, joint the Home Depot Garden Club, I get coupons in my e-mail all the time for like 'Buy 2 perennials, get one free!' Thats how I got my black elephant ears seen here.. http://wp.me/P1MmG7-4w 3 little plants that filled in the back of the garden bed, 10$.
Also buy perennials, and shrubs at the end of the blooming season. They will spend more of their energy rooting in, and next bloom periods will be all set and purdy in your yard!
Hit up Craigslist in the 'farm and garden' lots of people wanting shrubs removed=free mature landscape plants!
Also great sites to research any plants you may be looking at
Daves Garden – Reviews on plants from real people
Garden Webs Fourms, Smart people there, give great advice!
It looks nice, If I could I would do all the work for free, but I love digging in the mud ;)
Oh lawwwwwwdy, look at them typos. see, plants make me all hurpydurpy, or was it all the coffee?
Haha, thanks for all the tips Brandy!
xo,
s
Money spent on a landscape consult is alway a good idea! You will save a lot in the long run! Here’s a money saving tip for you. If you are planning on mulching, check out the difference in price when you purchase mulch in bulk from a soil/sand/mulch company v. by the bag at your big box store. I can get an entire pickup truck load for under $30! Lucky that I can borrow a truck, if you can …it’s a money saver!
Wow- that’s awesome!
xo,
s
I had to laugh at your expectation that the car would be loaded with plants. We are slooooowly landscaping too, and we used a Groupon this weekend with the same expectation. Our groupons totalled $100, and we walked away with two hydrangeas and three small heather plants. My dad donated a number of forsythia shrubs, a couple of yuccas, and an ailing azalea to our cause, so fingers crossed. Keep these posts coming! You inspire us to keep going too!
Home Depot sells really reasonably priced shrubs, and if you time it well (early in the season, Thursday/Friday when they are stocking for the weekend sales, there are great, healthy bargains to be had. They have a warranty – I believe it is one year, but could be longer.
Oh yes, we get stuff from there too!
xo,
s
We got knock out rose bushes there for $1 (originally $30!) because we bought the scraggly looking ones. Those suckers survive anything. All we had to do was ask.
So smart!
xo
s
Oh, I hope you save the azaleas! Over the years they will grow to enormous proportions if they have plenty of room and good growing conditions. I believe they like a little bit of shade. My grandmother has some that have grown almost as tall as me (5’4″!) and wider (wide!)
I think you can also get myrtle to grow under your magnolia and probably vinca vine. There are tons of shade loving ground cover options. Definitely check CL for FREE cuttings. Lots of people thin out their groundcover in the spring, and many of them are VERY easy to get growing. I have pulled out handfuls from my front yard and scraped away some dirt in the back with my hands and still had it grow and spread.
Another option, if you have a bare spot that you don’t care about being TOTALLY taken over fast, is sedum. There are tons of varieties. The stuff I have tried to get out of my yard grows so easily that it grows and spreads in ANY dirt it happens to fall into. This includes the cracks of the driveway and even piles of weeds that have been pulled and not yet tossed.
(Sorry for all the nosy input! I love playing in my yard!)
Haha, thanks for all the tips!
xo,
s