This past weekend Hunter and I spent all day Saturday (seriously, 10am-5pm) working on the yard.   A few weeks ago we dug up the bushes in the front bed, because the water company left a note on our front door.. So we had planned on using Saturday to plant that bed, prepare the lawn, and plant lots of other flowers for spring.

Here’s a before of the front yard for perspective.  Front bed = empty.  Plus we have a fire hydrant and water meter in it… great, right?

Okay, so this is what we accomplished in those 7 hours:

• Aerated the front and back lawn
• Raked the lawn and beds. Bye bye leaves!
• Mowed / edged the lawn
• Transplanted a tea olive plant to the side yard
• Transplanted a camilla bush
• Dug up the last big, ugly bush in the backyard bed

• Returned aerater to True Value
• Trip to Abide a While for consultation & plants
• Planted 3 pineapple guava plants
• Planted 2 sunshine ligustrums

• Trip to Lowe’s for more yard supplies
• Planted 4 lantana in the backyard
• Filled 2 new pots with creeping jenny, bacopa, and orange flowers
• Moved the old planters away from the fire pit.  Put the new pots in their place.

• Pruned plants and bushes in the back yard. Lots of weeding in the beds.
• Planted creeping jenny and pink petunias in the 2 hanging baskets
• Transplanted 3 mexican heather plants.  Dug up 1 dead mexican heather plant.
• Planted 2 more mexican heather in front

• Planted 6 osteospermum in our window box
• Put out grass seed and fertilizer in the front and side yard.
• Watered the back and side yard
• Turned sprinkler on to water the front lawn and beds while enjoying a beer on the front porch!It was an exhausting day, but you can already see the results from all of our hard work!  After a big dinner, we were both passed out pretty early that night.

Next up on the yard list:

1. New patio furniture in the back
2. Water the lawn and hope that the seed does it’s thing
3. Finish planting the front bed – encore azaleas or saucy wine salvia were the suggestions from Abide a While
4. Plant another azalea on the side yard
5. Add some pavers around the driveway / sideway

Hopefully the next time I talk plants, all of these are still alive and kicking and the yard looks fab!