Tuesday, August 24, 2010

FRONT Yard Views where SOMEBODY Needs to Do Some WORK

 


When I got back from my morning walk, I glanced over at my front yard...and thought, " Great , SOMEBODY needs to mow these weeds out here. " Then I kept walking down the drive , turned down my headphones a bit, I was listening to a sermon by a preacher on Sluggard Christians...and thought wonderful...I guess that somebody is me who needs to mow.
I went inside, pulled my headphones off my head, got some more water, looked at Maxine on the floor,  lounging in air-conditioned comfort.. and went out to the garage to get the mower.  I usually mow, but it has been so atrociously hot and humid this Summer, and my body has decided after many decades of being OK with heat...to rebel...and put it's foot down. I cannot take the heat like I used to be able to , of course being in the high 90's and 100's this Summer with humidity added in makes it dangerous for most people to be out full throttle doing anything outside. 
But makes me feel pretty gimpy after being able to ' take it ' for some many years.
Alright, enough of me being wimpy about the heat...let me show you a few things in the front yard.

Here is Ms. Maxine checking out the yard to see if any intruders have left their scent overnight.
This front yard , by the way, used to be a normal front yard, with only yard and some azalea bushes to the base of the house. I went to work in the front yard first, about 9 1/2 years ago , I would bring my little son out in his playpen, work planting monkey grass ( lirope ), all down the side walk, down the front of the house, and bordering the beds.

Here it borders a bed I created by digging up my yard, planting privets on the surround , a rose bush is tucked in that mess somewhere, and you see the very large lantana that comes back every year to the far right.
Oh, I also planted that pink crape myrtle.
Gee, SOMEBODY needs to take better pictures and weed this bed.

I  have a gardening friend who hates lantana, I love it..it comes back every year...and this one is located outside my computer-office-waste time area so I can look out and see butterflies and hummingbirds.



I have very poor soil, these privets ( below ) should be huge, but the soil is so poor they don't grow but maybe a few inches , instead of feet a year. I like the  wispiness of a privet. Plus they have fragrant , pretty white flowers in the Spring.

Wispy. Planted them and down below you see the lirope in bloom . Planted it all with ' found ' or borrowed plants.  I'm boring you with privets, so I'll show you something else. 
 
I made this walkway last Summer, somebody needs to weed around it.  I  love to use pebble pavers, they are impossible to find anymore around here, and then some vintage clay bricks in between , almost always found on my walks.
The bare spot to the front is Maxine's spinning spot-take-off pad where she spins in circles before I take her for her walk. This little path leads to a sitting area that I made about 7 years ago, that is not used very much because of MOSQUITOES that are rampant in the city this year.
Every year, the mosquito- mafia invades the Deep South . Ignore the weeds please.


This is the little ' sitting room ' out front.
We painted the big urns black, I painted the lattice accent in the back black, the flowers on the little stand I made with an old birdbath base from the 1940's, and then my husband caulked a round paver on top. Flowers are pitiful on top as someone forgets they are there. Birdbath or fountain bases can still be useful.








Then I put two of my black iron chairs here. Tried to create a little privacy , as we are on a busier street during the morning and evening commutes.


I just dug up this part of the yard, back when I did this little sitting area my older son helped with the digging , since he's into lifting weights bigtime...I deduced he could work faster than me anyway.




To the left of this area is a iron trellis with Carolina Jessamine vine that will take over next Spring, and I made the little border beds in front with hollies ( boxwoods )and , lirope, and bricks.



On this side of the front is the lovely pink crape myrtle ...

I'm just such a fan of these blossom-generous trees. Fluffy pink .

And to the back of the sitting area is a giant white crape myrtle that the squirrels love to scamper up on top of our house from everyday.




Here is the side statue of Spring , tucked in the bushes.
I enjoy finding statues tucked into secret places in yards and gardens.




The picture above was when the hydrangea was in bloom a few months ago.
Lastly I will show you the side to this area I made a few years ago, and then have been blending them together.




I love my front entry fountain, and the Mexican petunias are coming back veeerrryyyy slowly in the front blue container. I have not weeded here or done much in about two months.
Slack gardener/yard-lady.


I will stop here, this is too long, but will show you the other side tomorrow.


I hope you have a peaceful day, evening...wherever you are,
Gina

11 comments:

  1. So glad you don't have a "normal" front yard. It looks great. I'm hoping to start adding a few statues in my garden too. Isn't it great what a little patience and effort can accomplish. You did good with your found plants. I wish I could grow lantana in the garden. I can only have it as an annual. I put it in a container when I grow it to hopefully get it to over winter in the house but so far, none have made it to the next growing season.

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  2. Beautiful your garden..................so nice everything.....i love your statues...........so nice !!...................and Maxime is so nice doggie !!...wishing you a happy week darling..............full of joy..........blessings Ria

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  3. I love everything in your garden. I love the Mrytles and I wish I could have Lantana as a Perennial. Love the sitting area, oh heck it's all very inviting. Great Post and look forward to seeing more. That fountain is awesome. I've been looking for a fish and boy statue fountain to start a new water feature. I saw one when I went on a tour in Charleston and thanks for the old birdbath bottom idea. I have one,yeah....

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  4. Dear Sweet Gina ~ I love your front yard. I like your private seating area and your entry. We've always liked our privacy, and living on a busy 4 lane highway, it is necessary and priceless.

    I've not done much outside this summer either, the heat and humidity have been horrible and it bothers me more the older I get.

    I too mowed today, also did some hedge trimming and about wore myself out. I'm just about ready for bed now and it's only 8:22 p.m.

    Pretty soon we'll have cooler weather and will feel revived and ready to get out into our gardens once again.

    I think your front gardens look wonderful in spite of the heat and the gardener taking a little vacation.

    Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  5. thanks for the lovely tour...a wonderful garden to toil in and love. the heat has been oppressive to say the least. i too used to be able to take it, but alas, heat waves and hot flashes don't mix! ha ha

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  6. Hi Gina...I completely agree with you on the heat. I have not dealt with it well this summer...even though I much prefer it over cold weather. But, this summer has seemed hotter and stickier than ever. My garden, too, is suffering from neglect. I like your sitting area and see some cast irons growing there. The privets are one of my favorite plants because they look so delicate and airy...plus they light up a dark area. I'll have to borrow your idea about caulking a paver on top of an old birdbath stand. I have one where the top fell off and broke but the base is still good. You've got lots of pretty summer color in your garden.

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  7. This may be a small comfort indeed, but your mosquito mafia has a large and healthy syndicate going up here in the north. They are in competition with the biting flies/no-see-um's and sometimes it's not even worth going outside.

    Your garden looks lovely. If there were no weeds, you'd have astroturf or live on the moon. That's my two cents.

    Christine in Alaska

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  8. The heat has kept me from doing too much myself. I love your yard, maybe I should borrow your private sitting room idea as we are quite open to the neighbors here. I need some statues as well. Nice post Gina.

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  9. Gina, I'd like to just sit in one of those black iron chairs and chat...never leave...just looking at all the interesting features in your front yard! This private little area and the stone pavers are a couple of my favorites. The privets don't bore me at all! They reach out and embrace me - like welcoming arms...

    I've only ventured outside the last couple of days. I don't handle heat and humidity well at all. My husband is the mower since the uneven levels in our yard mess up my knees worse than they are normally.

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  10. Hello,
    I love your front yard, It's a nice place to sit and to look the beautiful flowers.

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  11. Gina, the garden looks so lovely despite the high heat, plants are amazing, aren't they? The crepe myrtle is such a beautiful flower, I have never seen one before. The statuary adds such a nice touch, I'm always on the lookout for special garden art. Thank you for this post.

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I love comments , please leave one if you like. I try to respond to comments,but if I'm running behind, please know that I read each one before they are published. Thanks much, Gina