A Bit More Progress on the Yard

My daughter had bought blue hydrangeas to decorate for the wedding (which wound up being inside since it was raining and cold) and she blessed me with them afterwards. So I dug out shrubs and other unwanted things from a little area that is in view of my scrapbook table. Then Ed got out the tiller and worked it up good, added a bit of good soil and I planted the hydrangeas along with some orange impatiens. Here is how it looks after planting but before mulching. It should grow into a really pretty little spot of color before the summer is ended.

Now this little bit of work is really nothing when compared to what Ed is doing in the front yard. He's recuperated enough from his hip replacement to get down to some really hard work. When we bought the house last August this is how this spot in the yard looked with all the overgrown thicket around these three beautiful big pine trees.

Last fall he pulled his truck up to the area and hooked onto the big stuff with a cable and hook and got it all cleared out. All along we planned to have this be a real spot of beauty. Ed decided to build a retaining wall around the trees for a bed. We'll be adding some spots of annual color with some permanent somethings in the center. I'm thinking of probably having a snowball tree and perhaps some smaller azaleas. Not sure yet about that part. But here's his start on it. He's actually 2/3 through with the wall but this picture was taken a few days ago. I'll make another post when it's finished.

So that's a bit of the progress we've made with this renovation of an abandoned, overgrown yard. The neighbors tell us that the former owners kept it beautifully until declining health preventing their doing so.

I'm thinking my next post will be about my other beloved hobby - scrapbooking.

Backyard Progress

Ed  worked so hard and got the backyard ready for the top soil. Then he got it all piled around back there. Our grandson and son-in-law showed up this morning to help get the soil smoothed and the sod laid. But first PaPa did his famous waffles and added some good Down Home sausage this time. Larry was unable to get here for breakfast so PaPa and Zach enjoyed it. They both can put down some food, I'm telling you.

Gotta get a guy fortified for a hard day of work. Larry showed up and I got him the remnant of a waffle they left along with a glass of orange juice. Now they're ready and the work begins.

Some unnamed person had to put on a great show of hard work when he saw me step out back with the camera!!  I left at this point to go do some shopping and my parting words were, "I expect to see a transformation when I get home!" Not really expecting them to get all that dirt leveled out and the sod all in place. Not in just one day. I got home about 2 PM and here's what I found.

Beautiful sod covering all the backyard except for right around that big live oak. Ed will work on that later. He'll have to cut some pieces and work in there. I think that was some mighty fine work from these three guys. Oh, yes, Ed was right out there working along with them. I. AM. SO. THANKFUL! I owe you, Zach and Larry!

Backyard Redo

Our granddaughter is getting married soon and wants to have her wedding in our backyard. Which has a lot of potential. Which requires a lot of work. Which is starting to get done. Ed grabbed a rule, ran out in the back and began measuring. Pulled out some paper and a pencil and began figuring. Picked up the phone and began ordering top soil and sod. Hooked up the yard mower with his little trailer, threw in a pitchfork and began work. You see, we had these two big water oaks removed last fall shortly after we moved here because it's a small yard and had three huge trees. Those two water oaks along with a very large live oak. We let the tree people leave the little wood chips spread over the yard thinking they would be good for it. But now we have learned that they will build up too much heat in the soil and make it hard on the grass. So the chips must go. We're just piling them in another place to let them rot and make some good mulch eventually. I'm gonna stop here and show you the before pictures. In a couple of weeks I hope to show you some after pictures that will show a dramatic change.

That's it for now. Gotta get out and get some shrubs and pretty plants because it's not just the lawn that's getting redone. All for you, Sarah our firstborn grandchild who we love so very much.