Today we had a mission. We were going to spruce up our front yard.
Here's what we were working with:
See that bunch of branches next to the staircase and under the window? They're holly bushes and were the first to go. We thought a shovel and a pick axe would do the trick...we were wrong. Then Mike tied a rope around them, attached it to his truck and hit the gas. The rope promptly broke.
No joke, we spent close to 2 hours digging them up. My husband is a gardening machine--he attacked those things with a vengeance that scared me. I made sure to stay away from the swinging axe, but I was given electric gardening shears. Happy to say no injuries occurred.
We finally got those darn things out-- I mean really, who plants holly bushes? The stump and roots were like concrete in the ground. It's making me angry again just writing about them.
We discussed pulling those two large bushes under the window out but after looking around the neighborhood we realized it would look silly to try and fill that large of a space with tiny plants. Plus we found this little bird's nest and I couldn't bear to ruin their home -
Off we went to the dump, which was very exciting for me because I have never been and it was just fascinating. I can't explain it.
Our next stop was Home Depot, where we spent a pretty penny. Shocker. Thank God for gift cards.
We got back to work and planted all our new flowers and laid the new mulch. It was tough work but we are loving the results!
Black mulch is my new favorite thing. It makes everything look crisper! It doesn't look like much now but we can't wait to see our little plants start blooming. And some of them are perennials so we get to enjoy them year after year!
We also planted some herbs and other plants in the back yard --basil, cilantro, jalapeno peppers and cherry tomatoes--which I don't have much hope for since we've tried herbs before without much luck. I'm also nervous the squirrels will get them. Mike says one bite of the jalapenos and the squirrels will never come back.
We are completely exhausted and very sore but the hard work was definitely worth it. Now off to Sticky Rice...hey; we earned it.
Here's what we were working with:
See that bunch of branches next to the staircase and under the window? They're holly bushes and were the first to go. We thought a shovel and a pick axe would do the trick...we were wrong. Then Mike tied a rope around them, attached it to his truck and hit the gas. The rope promptly broke.
No joke, we spent close to 2 hours digging them up. My husband is a gardening machine--he attacked those things with a vengeance that scared me. I made sure to stay away from the swinging axe, but I was given electric gardening shears. Happy to say no injuries occurred.
We finally got those darn things out-- I mean really, who plants holly bushes? The stump and roots were like concrete in the ground. It's making me angry again just writing about them.
We discussed pulling those two large bushes under the window out but after looking around the neighborhood we realized it would look silly to try and fill that large of a space with tiny plants. Plus we found this little bird's nest and I couldn't bear to ruin their home -
Off we went to the dump, which was very exciting for me because I have never been and it was just fascinating. I can't explain it.
Our next stop was Home Depot, where we spent a pretty penny. Shocker. Thank God for gift cards.
We got back to work and planted all our new flowers and laid the new mulch. It was tough work but we are loving the results!
Black mulch is my new favorite thing. It makes everything look crisper! It doesn't look like much now but we can't wait to see our little plants start blooming. And some of them are perennials so we get to enjoy them year after year!
We also planted some herbs and other plants in the back yard --basil, cilantro, jalapeno peppers and cherry tomatoes--which I don't have much hope for since we've tried herbs before without much luck. I'm also nervous the squirrels will get them. Mike says one bite of the jalapenos and the squirrels will never come back.
We are completely exhausted and very sore but the hard work was definitely worth it. Now off to Sticky Rice...hey; we earned it.
Looks great! Can't wait for you two to get up here and get to work. ;)
ReplyDeleteAren't the remaining bushes also holly bushes?
ReplyDeletep.s. I had to post as anonymous cuz I'm too stupid to figure out how to do it any other way. I have a bunch of holly bushes out front.. they're really pretty and hearty and I'm trying to figure out if they should be trimmed ROUNDED or just straight like a hedge. They are actually irking me a bit...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure who this is but if you go to your internet options and allow third party cookies you should be able to post!
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't think they are holly trees out front. I haven't seen any berries!