Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Before and After

The garden has gone through a lot of changes in the past year.
It's nice to look back from time to time
to see where you've been.




We added curves to the backyard when we replaced the sod.


 

Then I moved the birdbath to a more covered area
where the saltbush is growing.
You may also notice that two neighbors
have put up a fence.
We enjoy the privacy!




You can see the lemon tree in the left-hand corner here.
A lone jasmine is surrounded by pine straw mulch
Not much else going on.



I've added a few things...







I replanted the saltbush from the front yard.
It keeps popping up.
It adds a nice screen from the neighbors
and the birds love it.




A few lantana and some sunflowers dot the landscape.







It's filled in well.
I am now adding only natives and Florida-friendly plants.
I won't have to scramble this winter to cover things
because they are well-suited to our climate.




The east side yard houses our A/C unit.
This sweet potato vine is used to hide it from the street,
which is required by our HOA.
The rosemary is one hearty plant.
The ligustrum's not doing so well here.



I took out the ligustrum
and let the sweet potato vine go!





Along the pathway, I added cosmos, thryallis,
more sweet potato vine on a teepee
and another ligustrum tree.
I'm still tweaking this side of the house,
as I'm not quite feelin' it,
so I don't have an after shot.






The butterfly garden has been through some changes
over the past few seasons.
It started out as our veggie garden.
We moved it because our neighbors on that side
have their lawn sprayed.
We grow organically.




The rattleboxes now tower over the little raised bed.
They will die back in winter.
I recently added amendments to this bed
to ready it for planting.
One lone native milkweed now rests here.



The west side of the house was pretty barren.
The sod looks terrible.





One of our neighbors had given us these evergreens.




One of our mystery plants and some lantana fills it in now.
It's so nice looking out the bedroom window
and seeing blooms there.

It's all a work in progress.
Wonder what it'll look like next year?
Have a great gardening day y'all!








15 comments:

  1. Love seeing the changes. I believe curves are more forgiving than straight lines, don't you?

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  2. Your garden is very beautiful. You have done a wonderful job.

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  3. This looks like a lot of hard work, but definitely worth it! I like the curves. Excellent landscaping!

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  4. I love how you have such nice, clean, edged borders. Lovely garden beds!

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  5. What a change! The gardens are looking very filled in - great work picking all those plants and fitting them into your landscaping - looks great!
    katy

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  6. I like the nice curves on your backyard garden. It frames your yard very nicely and the fences are nice for privacy.

    It's amazing how quickly a Florida garden fills in.

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  7. What fun to be able to look back and see how much you've accomplished! Beautiful! Jean

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  8. I think curves are very pleasing to the eye.

    I wish my neighbors would put up a nice fence like that!

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  9. Lovely job, Daisy! Just beautiful!

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  10. hundredsofideas-I really like the curves too, less formal.

    Jane-Thanks for your kind words.

    Roan-No work, just my meditation.
    Thank you.

    Beth-Thanks! Big K does the edging.

    katy-I appreciate that. It's gettin' there.

    Susan-Yes, the rain did us good!

    Jean-Thank you for visiting!

    Zoey-I agree with you.

    Kat-Thanks, Kat!

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  11. I love your pretty flowers and your beautiful home! We live in central Florida, too and just got back from spending the summer in Western NC! We can tell it has rained more this summer...everything is so pretty and green! Enjoy your week! ♥

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  12. Daisy-how smart to start putting in "natives". I'm just beginning to realize there are things I just CANNOT grow here, and it's time to stop wasting time (and money) trying. But gosh, those delicates always seem to lure me in. Must resist!!
    :D

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  13. Lavender Dreamer-Welcome home! Yes, we have had quite a bit of rain in the last two weeks. Such a blessing.

    Sue-I learned the hard way...
    I know that temptation!

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  14. Hi Daisy,
    I love seeing what you are planting in your suburban homestead. It's such a thrill to design. plant and care for any growing plot no matter where you are! It's just so good for the soul.. I also love seeing what thrives in other areas of the country. You've done a wonderful job! Happy Weekend... :) Deb

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Deb. I'm planning on doing another Before and After real soon.

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