Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Then and now, looking out across the front yard

Sept 2005 above. My big accomplishments that first summer were planting Yucca in the parking strip and tearing out the thick mat of Vinca vine next to the house sidewalk. That area is in the shadows in this picture so it is nearly impossible to see, but after the backbreaking job of removing intertwined old vines up to 10” deep I planted a Fatsia Japonica, several Yucca and transplanted a Peony into a triangle between the sidewalk, the driveway and the house. The Yuccas in the parking strip came from my garden in Spokane.


April 2006, bye bye lawn!June 2006, the plants are in and growing.
August 2007, you might notice the row of Blue Fescue has been replaced with Black Mondo Grass. A neighborhood cat killed most of the Fescue by using it as a toilet. Nice kitty.
And September of 2009…looking like fall.
If you are interested in a more pictures and a little more info on our “get rid of the lawn” project here is an earlier post on the topic.

7 comments:

  1. DG~~ FABULOUS !! I love your low-maintenance yet stunning plant choices and the gravel top dressing is like saying "I mean business, lawn begone." [I don't know where that came from...]

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  2. I love what you have done with the front yard. The difference is amazing. I like many of the ornamental grasses that you planted.

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  3. Wow, it is looking fabulous! Sorry to hear about the kitty problem. We had a cat that haunted our yard when we lived in California. I felt really bad when a friend's little girl stepped in a pile of its poo while running barefoot through our yard.
    I'm all for the cats that stay inside!

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  4. Thanks for including the link to your earlier post. Your garden is really taking shape in my mind's eye. So...no barrier between earth and gravel? Where I have gravel, it seems to act as an open invitation to every passing weed seed.

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  5. That cat just wanted you to plant the black mondo grass, letting you know the only way he could. He has pretty good design sense, that cat.

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  6. Grace, Oh very nice! I do mean business...I just didn't know it was so obvious!

    azplantlady, would you believe that we hear that it "looks like Arizona" from passers by?

    how it grows, uhm...thanks!

    VW, yuck! I remember doing that as a little girl running around our neighbors yard (in the Spokane Valley!)...too gross!

    ricki, no barrier, and the only real "weed" problem is my Euphorbia seedlings...thank goodness, I was worried.

    Megan, I know where the cat lives, if he has good design sense he needs to explain a few things to his owners! And sooner rather than later would be appreciated.

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