Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Playing In The Dirt~

Been a bit MIA lately.  We've been busy playing in the dirt!  We recently had my brother resod our backyard, moved our garden and established a new one (that meant moving over 100 of those brick concrete stones used for landscape walls), regraded the side where the stone path was (that meant removing the steppings stones, grading, then moving them all back), moved a few perennials around to make room for more grass (rather than pinestraw beds), sprucing up our planters with new spring/summer annuals, and oh...we had to rebuild our entire arbor over our hot tub due to the feast some carpenter ants had! 

All while under a time crunch...our daughter's graduation party is this Saturday!!

Okay, I won't bore you with words any longer...take a look around.

The new herb/vegetable garden.  We used Greene's raised garden kits from Home Depot.  Super easy!!

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme!

Pizza anyone?  Fresh Oregano and Basil, YUM!!

I purchased plant markers from my local nursery, and using my handy dandy label maker I printed out labels for each herb/veggie and applied it to the marker.

One of my all time favorite herbs to cook with!

Our hydrangeas are in full bloom!

The new lawn!

Landscaping around the pond.  Our hostas are huge this year!!

A view of the pond.

The waterfall feature.

These guys will eat you out of house and home!  They swim to the edge the minute they see us and expect to be fed.

The bar we built a couple years ago. We have plans to paint the concrete posts in the near future.

Our hibiscus.  It is beautiful when it blooms.  However, the darn caterpillars LOVE it!!

Lilies we added this year for Mother's Day.

More hydrangeas.  This picture doesn't do the color justice.  They are the deepest purple.  Funny because the plant right next to them has blue blooms!

Outdoor candelabra.

This year I planted several of our containers with foliage only and LOVE them!

Hope you enjoyed the backyard update!  We are in the midst of getting ready for our daughter's graduation party on Saturday, and it is crazy around here.


16 comments:

Barbara Matson said...

What a gorgeous back yard. I have serious yard envy now!

Maillardville Manor said...

Truly amazing!!! I'm in love with your pond and your vegetable garden is awesome! I have some serious yard envy!!!
Lots of love
Ashli

Anne said...

It all looks amazing Lauren! I love herbs and your bar area is gorgeous:) I would never want to go inside and do the housework if mine were like that!
~Anne

Leslie said...

Fabulous garden and good luck with your daughters graduation party!

Katie said...

your back yard is beautiful!! I need to plant some more herbs this year in our little garden! Good luck with the next two days before the party - i'm excited to see pictures!!

Nothing But Blue Skies... said...

You have such a GORGEOUS backyard, Lauren! I love everything that you've done! I am super jealous of the garden! How fabulous is that?!!!

Enjoy your stunning surroundings! You are so right about how good it feels to be out in the dirt!

Hope you are having a nice week!
xo-Lisa

p.s. love the coleus and sweet potato vine combo! ;-)

Isaiah 55:8-9 said...

WOW! It looks amazing, Lauren! It's so inviting!! Makes me want to sit outside with some iced tea and a book! :)

Ryoma Sakamoto.Japan said...

It is a very nice garden. It is very similar to the garden in Japan? Why is climate conditions are similar.

Anna @ IHOD said...

Thanks for sharing the results of your yard work! BEAUTIFUL!!!
My husband dreams of an herb and vegetable garden. Love the foliage!!
:) Anna

Surrounded-By-Boys said...

absolutely gorgeous! I LOVE IT!!! Hydrangeas are my FAVORITE and I'm loving that bar you built!!!

Allison said...

Your backyard is beautiful! What a wonderful spot to sit out and relax. Wonderful herb garden, too! Have fun with your party tomorrow. A special day for your daughter and you. You have a beautiful family....loved the photos.

Unknown said...

Wow! What a beautiful backyard. I don't think I've seen pictures of it before. I'm inspired to go get dirty in mine. It's been neglected for many months because of coaching. Have a wonderful party! You have the perfect venue.

Brittany said...

I am SOOO jealous ;) Your backyard is PERFECT! Just beautiful! We're still in the process of landscaping ours, and we don't have a clue what we're doing ;) LOVE those hydrangeas - beautiful!!

Beautifully Seaside // Formerly Chic Coastal Living said...

What a lovely backyard! It's a beautiful haven! I'm really impressed and I can see you have been very busy! Hope your daughter has a great graduation!

Nuha said...

you have a gorgeous backyard!! love all of the flowers and herbs :-) It's the best feeling to use fresh food from your own garden when you cook :-)

emily said...

Everything looks absolutely beautiful! Hope the party went well and a big congrats to your daughter!