Landscaping 101---Part 1

We started our landscaping project during the last week of February and it's still in progress. We have gotten SO much done (and by WE, I really mean my delicious hunk of a yard man Jeff!) I've been meaning to get this post done for a while and just update it, but since I haven't, it's going to be one or two long posts! (Dont' ask about the spacing issue....I tried fixing it and it's just not happening!)

February 26-27, 2011

Cleaned up the yard--mainly the back due to all the leaves. This was our prep weekend.

March 5-6, 2011

Weekend 'O (Not So Much) Fun!---I have no problem dropping $100 on clothes to update my wardrobe, but tell me I have to drop a load of cash to buy pavers for a patio and I'm not a happy camper. This weekend event also coincided with my first pregnancy outburst/outbreak/freakout/etc. just due to nervousness about cost of landscaping in addition to all the costs we'll incur with the baby this year.

We had dirt delivered on Friday afternoon to help fill up the gaps the old owners left around our front pine trees. We also had sand delivered in order to start the patio in the backyard. Here's our first visit (of about 4) with Landscape Depot!

We unloaded 3 pallets of grass that weekend (2 in the front yard to cover up our "mullet-cut" trees, and one in the back to help the damage that winter, dogs, and not enough watering had done to our back).

Jeff unloaded 4 pallets of pavers/edgers all by himself. WHAT a man! He did try to rent a digger-type thing, but when we went to pick it up on Friday evening, they told him my Sequoia wasn't strong enough to tow it. Yep--they're the ones who got our weekend started off right because then half of the time Jeff was trying to find another digger/loader to rent so he wouldn't just have to "wheelbarrow it" (which is what he ended up doing).

Here is the prepped area after this weekend:

March 12-13, 2011 This was not a full work weekend because we had some other plans, but Jeff did get the front bed prepped and ready for planting, which motivated us a lot because the weekend before pretty much took it out of us! We had some extra grass from the weekend before and moved it up here to keep it alive and make it look decent until we were ready to put our sidewalk in. In between last weekend and this weekend Jeff fertilized A LOT, and with the amount of watering we did that week, the yard took on an entirely new look.

These pictures have nothing to really do with our hard work, but with God's hard work. Growing up, I never paid any attention to how fast things bloom in spring. Our old house had one tree in the back and a crepe myrtle we could never revive. However, our new yard is full of great trees and one that the old owners planted is a fig tree behind the diving board. These 2 pictures show the difference one week makes during the spring in Texas. Pic #1--taken the weekend of March 5th. Pic #2--taken the weekend of March 12th. (We're also excited about the blooming trees because it covers up the senior living apartment buildings near our house).

Landscaping 101--Part 2 will be coming soon....