Front Yard Landscaping Work Almost Done

Well HELLO!!

I'm back with an update on the work we completed last week in our front yard. This time, all the efforts went towards updating the flower beds. 

We started by sprucing up our entire yard about three weeks ago; we removed some small bushes that lined each side of the entry, applied fertilizers, and added grass seed to the front and back yards. This is the first time we're using an Eco-Lawn in the backyard, it's a drought-tolerant grass that's earth-friendly, sustainable, and perfect for kids, pets, and high foot traffic areas. You can check that post right HERE.

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After removing the two lines of small boxwood bushes, this was the front yard's final look. Still looking bad, but we made progress. 

However, we had to take some time to recoup! Yard work makes you move every. single. muscle in your body, we were sore and super tired and needed lots of strength to fight, taking out those big bushes by the windows. 

1. REMOVING THE BIGGEST BUSHES

We took the bull by the horns, well the mister did. Although, he went the easy route. He used the sawzall to cut off all the branches!

|  Milwaukee Cordless SAWZALL Reciprocating Saw   |  Shovel  |

And my job was to dig those roots out while he kept working that sawzall there on the ground, breaking those roots. 

Many times, I thought that the handle on the shovel was going to break. Luckily, it didn't, but those roots weren't a joke.

We removed all five bushes, and this was the new view...  A bunch of branches, roots, and an ugly wall.  

After cleaning and bringing those branches to the car, we headed to the recycling center for their proper disposal, and then we called it a day.

2. CLEANING AND RE-PAINTING THE FOUNDATION WALL

Taking care of that foundation wall was our next step. That paint was peeling off like crazy.

You can remove the peeling paint with a pressure washer, but guess what? We don't have one. 

Since this is a small area, we used what we had, a drill and a wire brush. It worked perfectly.

|  Ridgid Drill  |  3" Wirecup Brush Drill Attachment  |

After rinsing the wall and letting it dry, I first applied one coat of Behr Masonry, Stucco & Brick Paint - Designed for interior and exterior work, self-priming, alkali, and mildew resistant finish with excellent adhesion, coverage and water repellency, and color retention.

*You can tint your paint to match the color of your wall.

|  Behr Interior/Exterior Masonry Stucco & Brick Paint  |  Paint Roller  |  

I applied the paint with a 9 In. - 3/4 In. High-density roller. It worked great to get the paint into the brick crevices. However, I used a paintbrush on some areas the roller didn't get, such as the corners and edges.

I waited 24 hours to give the wall a second coat.

3. PLANTING NEW BUSHES

The holes for the new bushes were widened some more. Compost, soil, and a bit of fertilizer were added to the ground to give the bushes a helping hand.

When planting the new bushes, have in mind this:

• Plant them high, letting the root ball sit higher than the surrounding soil. Planting them too low might cause the root to rot or disease.
• Break up the roots if they're growing in the shape of the container. Your new bush will thank you for that.
• Compact the soil and eliminate air pockets so all the roots can directly contact the soil.

I also planted three azaleas. The lilies were already there. 

This is the picture that I took at the end of the day. It was starting to take shape.

4. WATERING

I can't emphasize enough the importance of watering. I've been doing it daily and many times twice or more during the day.

• Water the soil abundantly for an easier way to dig those roots out.
• Water while planting to compact the soil.
• Water after planting to settle everything in place.

4. MAKING THE FLOWER EDGE

My task, early the following day, was to make those sharp flower edges. I had one of those landscaping edgers like the one HERE. But it's damaged, so I had to use this flat shovel.

Pushing the edger 90 degrees into the bed is the secret to making a nice edge. All along your marked line.

Complete details on how to edge flower beds are right HERE.

5. ADDING MULCH

My BIL helped us with the mulch delivery. We covered the front and backyard flower beds with this truckload of mulch.

However, before bringing that mulch to the flower beds, my BIL convinced me to use landscape fabric to keep weeds at bay.

There is a lot of controversy about using landscape fabric in your garden.

Some of the pros:

• Of course, weed barrier.
• Helps retain soil moisture and reduces evaporation.
• Erosion control on slopes.

The cons:

• Friendly animals like worms can't reach the soil surface to survive.
• The fabric also acts as a barrier for natural nutrients to get to the soil.
• Weeds can still sprout on the layer of mulch added on top of the fabric.

Anyway, I'm giving it a try. These areas are relatively small; if the fabric does more damage than good, it'll be easy to remove.

We measured how far apart the bushes were planted and brought those measurements to the fabric to make the holes.

Once the fabric was laid, the boys brought the mulch while I spread it around the bushes.

And here is the before and after of this area:

I still need to plant some more flowers. But it's looking way better than the picture before.

You can see how the grass has grown where the small bushes were planted.

And here are the two flower beds in our front yard. The most demanding job is done, but many tasks still need to be done.

Like cleaning those steps and the walkway, painting the handrail, and planting flowers, but hey, I'm super glad about our progress so far!

This weekend, I'll be at it again. Stay tuned!!

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