the front garden

April 13, 2023

Today, I thought I’d share some photos of my front garden, the work I’ve done and continue to do.

It all started when my dad decided we needed to do something with the bell post. It was starting to rot. The hardest part of the whole process was getting the bell down. He tried several different ways, including pulling the van up beside the post and climbing up on top to get the bell. I stopped him…if he had been younger, stronger and able to see, I would have let him be. He was 78 at the time and legally blind. I just didn’t feel comfortable with it. We ended up using a pole and pulley system to lift the bell out of the cradle and slide it down to the ground.

~ October 15, 2015 ~

After we got the bell down, my dad broke the post off and dug out the rotten part. I also dug up the peonies and other flowers that were planted around the post.

My dad used two metal stilts to raise what was left of the post. He also made it so the post can be lowered by unbolting a couple of bolts. This way I can easily get to the bell or replace the post if need be. We had to let the concrete set before we could put the bell back up in its cradle.

After all that, I decided to extend the flower bed down the sidewalk, put a path in to the bird feeder, and put a grape arbor in, with a path to it as well. I was getting tired of having to “dig” out the sidewalk, every spring, as the grass was trying to overtake the sidewalk.

The goal was and continues to be to reduce mow time. A few years ago, it took three hours to mow from the house down to the end of the lane. With transplanting trees and putting gardens in, I have gotten it down to about an hour and a half. It will probably take about an hour this year.

There’s no way to really get rid of all the grass, but I can do things like what I’ve been doing. There are areas that have to be left alone, for access if need be.

Flowers /shrubs in the front garden: Bearded Iris, Peony, Tiger Lily, Gladioli, Bee Balm, Black Eyed Susans, Daffodils, Tulips, Windflower’s, Sundrops, Virginia Blue Bells, Asiatic Lilies, Succulents, a variety of Wildflowers, red and black/purple Crepe Myrtles, purple grapes, giant lilies, and other flowers I don’t know the name of.

The garden has grown extensively since 2015.

The photos were made over the years, since 2015, except for the one with the small azalea bush. That one was made way back in 1990’s sometime. Sometimes it looks like a jungle…but that’s okay! The birds and critters love it.

I am now working on putting another path in and making room for a small veggie garden. In the left photo, above, the area between the bell post and the pile of rocks is where I am putting a small veggie garden. More than likely, there will be veggie plants scattered throughout the property. Wherever it’s appropriate to plant them.

We’ll see how that works…I’ve read and seen where farmers/homesteaders will plant a small garden to try and keep the critters out of the main garden.

I have sand to lift some of the smaller rocks for the pathway, to lift them up to make it more even. I also have small river rocks to use as fill in.

hope you have a great day!
thanks for stopping by!!