I’ve been chipping away at gardening projects this week and have most of the front garden bed planted. After looking at black plastic for a year, it’s nice to see plants and mulch out there. As a reminder, I laid down black plastic to smother some weeds and get a fresh start with this bed. A couple of weeks ago, I started lifting up the plastic to plant a boxwood hedge along the house. I received several comments from experienced gardeners, encouraging me to move the hedge away from the house and porch…
As I started spacing out the rest of the plants, I decided it would be best to listen to seasoned advice and move the hedge.
I removed the plastic section-by-section, planting, laying down cardboard as a weed barrier, and mulched. I planted a small square boxwood hedge around the birdbath and surrounded that with English lavender. I’m planning to let the boxwoods grow together and keep them trimmed. Now that I’ve scooted the hedge along the house and porch in and closer together (I used a measuring tape and everything), I am going to add a couple more bushes to the ends to extend the hedge a bit.
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I’ll continue to liriope border along the walkway and will work on that this week. I left the rest of the bed empty for this year. I’ll eventually fill the open areas with some perennials or annuals, but I feel like I’ve done enough for this year, and it’s time to step back and see how everything grows.
The spot with bags of soil and cardboard hanging around was the last spot of grass that was left uncovered during the past year. I’m keeping it covered for a few weeks so it’s easier to dig up. I’ll work on that, planting the liriope along the walk, and planting under the birdhouse.
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I was very indecisive about how to plant this area, but I finally decided to go with what I envisioned – boxwood hedges and lavender. It’s simple and pretty. The gutter extension will eventually be obscured by the plants, but we are planning to replace it with a brown gutter so it blends in with the mulch.
I bought ten of the English Lavender plants from Home Depot for $7/each, but then I found these pots at Walmart for $10. Each pot contains three plants, so I was able to buy three plants for $3.30/each.
I cleaned and edged the sidewalk after I took these pictures, and Marshall is going to power wash the sidewalk for me this week. It was on my list to do last year, and we just never got around to it. Once we get the power washer out and hooked up, we’ll knock out a lot of the house, walk, and patio cleaning.
Everything is coming along, and I’m thoroughly enjoying watching the things I planted last year thrive.
I put ferns by the front door last year, but I decided to try these shade-loving plants with little white flowers this year. I think it’s a Tahitian Bridal Veil plant, but it didn’t have a tag. I’ve admired these for a few years, but didn’t have a shady hanging spot for one. One of my neighbors has them in concrete urns, and they look beautiful, so I decided to try that.
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Because it’s fun to look at how far this house has come in almost three years, here is a before picture of the front door…
…and now…
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I still love my little concrete kitty I bought at Lucketts last Spring. I’m looking for a dog, so we have a “Sebastian” to put on the back patio.
And a wider angle shortly after we moved in…
…and now…
This one was taken two years ago after the new roof was installed, new lighting, and overgrown bushes were removed…
…and now…
I hope to finish planting the front this week…
21 Responses
Looking homey and charming!
And as a side note on the concrete cat, my daughter has a big concrete cat by her garage door and every time I see it, I think it is a REAL cat out of the corner of my eye! Some of these statues are so lifelike!
Well, I must say all the hard work has paid off because the before and after pics are like night and day. Have you given any thought to adding a brass kick plate to the bottom of your front door to match the hardware? Also, wanted to say that I love the trellis’ on the side of your house. They add so much beauty and interest to what would be a bare, blank space.
Yes, I have! I love the look of them and would like to add one. I just have had bigger fish to fry. 🙂
Sugar, you haven’t chipped away, you have taken a big shovel full. It is amazing, and you are, how you stay with it, and do a myriad of other things in your day. I love it all.
It all looks so beautiful. Boxwoods can be such lovely foundation plants,, but If you start to notice a litter box (urine) odor around the front garden, it’s the boxwoods. A realtor told me to remove mine when a potential buyer remarked that there must be feral cats around my house. Turns out, it was the boxwoods. I removed them and have never smelled it again.
English and American boxwood have the “cat urine” smell, so the Korean boxwood will be fine.
Like any Mediterranian native, lavender needs well-drained soil (especially during the winter- cold soggy soil will kill them) and they don’t like a thick layer of mulch under their foliage, so the plants in front of the downspout may not be very happy living there. I’ve killed many plants through improper siting!
I agree about the boxwoods… they are so adorable though. but i think a japanese holly?? looks similar… i think I have a japanese holly that looks like a boxwood – no smell. also, i have discovered the joy of the sky pencil holly. I think it will grow up north. I am in the panhandle of FL. i am working on building an English type garden… working is the operative word:)
Things are truly looking lovely. The only thing I don’t i]understand is tha white gutter coming down into the bed. I think another reader commented about it previously. It doesn’t look professional. It would not be that hard to have French drains installed. Then you would have to worry about a thunderstorm gutting your bed.
What a beautiful transformation!
Marian,
The fruits of your labor have been well rewarded!
Loving all the charm you have added….fruits of your labor.
Wow! Your hard work and eye for design is stunning. I love the front yard and porch. You are the best. Providing great inspiration.
Karen B.
I love the dovecote/birdhouse attached to the side of the garage. Did you make it?
I love boxwood! I live 30 miles northwest of Detroit. This year boxwoods in southeast Michigan are being decimated by boxtree moths, an invasive species from Asia. You will see browning of leaves, defoliation, webs, small green caterpillars, yellow eggs on the underside of leaves and adult moths that have white wings with brown borders. Caterpillars should be removed, damaged areas pruned and sealed in plastic bags to be disposed of. Do not compost. Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) can be applied every 7-10 days during the active feeding season. Many homes in my neighborhood have lost their boxwoods. I have two on either side of my front porch that have been affected but hopefully we have caught it in the early stages and out boxwoods will be saved. We have only applied the BT once so far. I don’t know if this moth is in your area but hope you and your readers will be on the lookout.
What a beautiful transformation. I know it has been hard work but doesn’t it feel amazing when you look back at the before pictures?
I hope that liriope doesn’t spread there like it does here. I planted it around my flower garden and I have it in places far away from where it was planted. It is hard to get rid of too.
Looking Good!! Making great progress.. and love Loripe running along the
walk. Great choice there.
Beautiful landscape transformation!!! Two chairs with a small table, cushions and pillows will add to the ambiance of curb appeal!!! Thank you for sharing your talents.
An amazing transformation!!! Your home is growing more lovely at warp speed. I’ll be interested to see how the lavender does. We keep trying with it and it’s always an epic fail. I love boxwoods and the deer don’t!!!
I agree with a previous comment. Lavender likes it hot and dry. The rain water will not make them happy. They need water when starting out as most plants do, but one established go easy on the water unless it’s really hot and dry for long periods. They like well draining soil ( almost sandy) and dry feet. They actually do better without mulch and rich soil. Also, your lavender are too close. They will get much larger than they are now and need space. About 2-3 feet between them. I have a small lavender farm and had the blessing of a friend help me plant it. She has a huge lavender farm so helped me avoid many mistakes. I want you ( and everyone) to have beautiful lavender plants in your garden that you can enjoy for a long time. Hope these tips help you out.
As a side note, years ago before I learned about lavender I planted them next to my roses as I thought it would be so pretty. Well, they all died as I was watering the roses often. I just thought I wasn’t good at lavender, but learned I am when I give them what they need. Nothing better than cutting fresh lavender and bringing it into your home. Best thing ever.
All your hard work looks gorgeous so far! Adding to the comments re: 🌳🌳🌳boxwoods. I’m in south eastern Ontario and my boxwoods are dying 😭 I have a long border hedge. Boxwood blight does not have a cure. Driving around you can see all these beautiful shrubs dying!!! Better keep close eye on them.
I live in Wisconsin, and I also had a difficult time keeping lavender alive over the winter months. After years of failure, I finally succeeded. Lavender likes it dry and needs very good drainage. I learned to mix gravel stones in with the soil when planting lavender. You need to go half and half soil and gravel. My lavender now comes back each spring, and I have some plants that are at least five years old. Recommend mixing in some gravel stones to keep your lavender happy. Also, keep it away from wet areas.