Mud & Beauty

We had a heavy downpour Wednesday night, so I was not expecting the landscapers to come yesterday (Thursday). About the time I was expecting them to call, checking on the status of our mud situation, several trucks rolled in the driveway and guys started piling out. The mud didn't slow them down- they got right to work.

Later in the day the sun came out and it got quite warm. Still, I would not have wanted to work in that sticky clay. Some wives/moms have some dirty laundry to do today!

Here are the beautiful results of their labor...

For the sake of our out-of-state readers, L-R that's an Arborvitae shrub, 3 Weigela, Mock Orange, 3 large Hosta, Silver Grass (at corner of deck), 6 Boxwood (along front of deck), Weeping Cherry, 3 Hydrangea, 3 roses.

After all these years, we now have a proper front entrance.

South End. We have a fence (partially) hiding the back door to discourage guests from entering therein. The large planter (far right) is intended to further discourage without blocking off our access. Before remodeling, we had a concrete walk to the back door but no walkway to the front door thus everyone entered at the back. With our revamped layout, we want people to use the front entrance.

Starting at the deck (see photo above) and coming around to this side, we have a white peony, Black-eyed Susans, yellow & purple Iris, Stargazer lily, feather reed Grass (at corner), day lilies, 3 boxwood, cannas (grow quickly please -to hide gas line), and red peonies (in front of lighthouse).

North end. All my leftover plants & bulbs got thrown in here for this year- peony, dahlia, Obedience plant, Gerber daisy, bleeding heart and lily-of-the-valley. This is my only 'shade bed' so next spring I want to fill it with lovely shade-loving plants.

East (Back) Side. Clockwise, that's 3 each: hosta, rhododendrons, azaleas. The white stone stops abruptly at the left azalea because they ran out- to be finished next time they get out this way. We chose stone for that portion of the bed because of the a/c unit and because white stone & red azaleas look stunning together.

Besides boxwoods, I have mostly flowering plants/shrubs. Few of them are blooming right now. Except the hydrangeas along the front walk. 2 Endless Summer in full bloom and 1 Blushing Bride about to burst into bloom. Such delicate beauty. Don't tell me there isn't a Creator.

The largest lighthouse in my collection- a gift from my husband a couple years ago- is once again in use.

We think our landscaping is worth every penny.