got tired of cuting grass in front, so I planted a nice garden it is about 5 years now. Has anybody done the same thing, send pictures. Etelka
My flowers, city property
Here some more pictures, seams like we can only post two at the time. Etelka
That looks fabulous! How lucky your neighbors are! Mine is a mess, I keep thinking I should do something there, then get caught up in everything else and it gets put off. It looks like you're using a lot of annuals, right? I see coleus at least... Is it a lot of work?
It is a lots of work , but so is the grass cutting. I have a electric lawnmower so I have to string the cord over the fence and then do the cord dance, because it wraps around me. This is nice and I am hoping to encourage the neighbors to do the same, but they say it is to much work, so I look like a oasis . I have planted Crem broulee Coreopsis in front, lots of zinnias some salvias, have some tall orange cosmos and in the shade lots of coleus. Also some blue daze and some Yarrow in the middle, probobly will regret it because they are invasiv most of the time. This is how my house looked like 10 years ago when I moved in. The second picture is from last year, I have changed some of the coloring this year.
It looks so good! Everyone must be so happy to pass by your house! I agree, I'd much rather garden than mow.
Kiseta - you have done a fabulous job transforming your front yard! I did the same thing two years ago.
Kiseta I love it..
John
I told the mail man I will have to build him a bench in the middle of the garden so he can have his break there. He said it was a good idea. My father always said do not build tall fences, let your neighbors enjoy your garden. Daddy would be proud. Out of the four kids, I am the only one following in his footstep with the gardening. It keeps me out of trouble. and it is a good hobby to spend my money on. Etelka
The picture is of my key-lime zinnia, first bloom.
Wow! What a difference! That is beautiful, Etelka. Did you paint the fire hydrant to match the flowers or plant the flowers to match the fire hydrant? LOL I am a picket fence nut too. They just scream "friendly house here!" So, so cute and inviting. Love it, love it, love it!!
Judy, the water dept. painted the fire hydrant, so I just plant the flowers that will look good and also have to pick the sun loving plants, it is sunny the whole day. I have planted that River birch in the corner of the garden, thinking it will stay small for a while. After 5 years that tree is reaching the power lines. But it is a beutiful tree, hate to have to trimm it.
It is so cute! You know all the kids in the neighborhood are telling their parents that you have the prettiest house every time they go by. I know that's waht my girls would be saying anyway.
I am nice to the kids, because if they get mad for something, I can wake up to a destroid garden. I live in a old section of the town. When I bought the house in 2002, lots of houses around me where geting fixed and upgrated, so I tought this was a upper moving neighborhood. Well the other owners rented the houses out to the Section 8 government housing agency. Now I am surrounded by unrully families with lots of kids. Slowly I see the police is cleaning out the drug users and I am hopeful that the neighborhood will shape up and I won't have to think of moving out. I love my house and I can afford to live in it, plus all the work I put in I would not be happy in other house for my old age. Even my good neighbor (I tought he was) just got picked up for cooking meth. It is a crazy world, but life is still good and I hope for the best. I do not give up to eazy.
Etelka, Good for you, girl! You hang in there. Your house is too cute to let go. I have faced much the same situation ... low cost houses that were rented to people who were a bit shady, but things are looking up. I, too, have put a lot into my house (see below) and am determined that the next place I'll go will be a nursing home or the local cemetery. The house payment is retirement-friendly, the mortgage is half finished, and I finally have decent neighbors ... one who is renting to buy and the other who will probably stay here until her kids (five of them ... but all good) are gone.
I noticed you have signed up for the round up at Laurel's this month. Hope to see you there. This is only my second one. The first was at Chris's in Peachtree City.
First photo is right after I bought the house in 1988 ... the second was taken this past April.
Judy , that is great I will be seeing you at the RU. Last year we had a blast, I just got to scared to drive up and down from the hill where the house is. You will see, it is beutiful. We had about 15-18 people, good food, only thing I had to drive home for 4 hours with the full belly. Your house is very nice, you have a brand new house so why think to move. Before I moved in mine I had it fixed inside and out, since then I also put on new roof, AC and a back deck. Something about blue houses, you don't see to many of them. This is my shade garden, lots of coleus and hosta.
I love these before and after images of the houses. You guys give me so much hope. I have the ugliest house on earth, but I love, love, love the location. I hope mine can be as cute some day.
I don't have a picture of when this Triangle garden was grass. It is surrounded by sidewalk and road.
It was the place where the snowplow pushed all the snow and dug up the grass.
The first picture is the first year I started it, May 2006.
The second picture is from June 2011.
I don't do much for this garden ... kids ride their bikes over it, cars park on it (even my husband sometimes, lol), snowplow still pushes the snow there.
I have blood sedum, acre sedum, Neon Pink sedum, Obedient plant, Lollipop lily, daffodils, Stella De Oro Daylily planted. The Rudbeckia was planted the first year and reseeds itself each year even though the area it has to reseed is less and less. Last year I added walker's low salvia.
Letting the wild Milkweed stay was a HUGE mistake, I have about 10 plants now .... I have to kill them or they will take over.
That is so pretty, toofewanimals! Looks really great!
Judy, thanks. I chuckle to myself when the kids in the neighborhood that don't know me pick a flower while eyeing the house to make sure no one is looking.
At the end of the school year a young man picked a flower and gave it to a young woman ... oh how that made me smile.
When I was young there was an old woman who had a garden of just yellow daffodils in the front of her house. If she caught you picking them, she would say 'Just one, leave the rest for others to enjoy.' What a smart woman.
Judy, I love your house, the lighter blue looks great, the porch looks like it was always there .... and oh, the red flowers just set it all off. Looks like it would fit right into New England. What are the red flowers?
Thank you, so much for the compliment on the house. It's still a work in progress. Those red flowers are just plain old Knockout roses that were left to their own devices after I planted them in 2010. I really need to prune them this year. The first flush is always the best. The blooms are bigger. Right now they have just a few. Waiting for the third flush. LOL. I'm going to add more cottage garden plants in front of them eventually.
I LOVE before and after pictures!!! Yours are all great. THANKS for sharing.
I realize this is not a cottage garden, and it's not city property but apartment property. But this is my 'volunteer' gardening for my apartment neighbors. The long wooden fence, concealed by pyracantha, is our property line. Before we bought the area to the right of the fence 8 years ago the entire area was covered with kudzu. This is how I keep it at bay. The area I plant on their side has expanded over the years. I'm taking the picture from our sunroom. So far, no complaints.
PRETTY! good job!
Well, you certainly improved your view. Kudzu is almost impossible to get rid of. Good job!! Looks lovely.
what a great and important change.
Kiseta,
How thoughtful of you. That looks awesome. Maybe your neighbors will follow suit and do the same thing.
I am sure you gets lots of compliments!
JoAnne
Updating this year look, planted some perennials to the garden and got some seedlings from last year. The big improvement are the daisies and Larkspur and lots of diantus that is blooming since Winter. Etelka
Beautiful!! thanks for sharing the pictures.
It is really inspiring!
This year I had to change to lots of zinnias and a few vincas. The ice storm we had got my large oak tree out, so now I have lots of sun and it will be a very hot Summer. Just finished planting, will update pictures in time. Etelka
Thats going to be a big change!
update on the front garden, I can also see some volunteers comming up, last year I had lots of Cleome.
Really pretty Kiseta.
Hi Etelka. I'm really sorry about your oak. I hope at least that the change gives you a chance to try something new. I love your pictures.
Turtle
So pretty!