"Melissa's Garden"

Page 2

We are now heading around to the front of the house.  Once again, this is a before picture.  Ugly siding, shutters, ugly bush, sad looking window boxes, and a few hostas.  Time for a major face lift.

Here it is, my redone entryway.  The ugly bush is gone, replaced by a Variegated Weigela.  I plan on planting some bulbs  for spring color, and some perenials for the summer.  You can also see my Queen Fern, my Mother's Day gift from my family.  I still can't believe how much brighter my entry is with the new siding and the bush gone.  I am looking forward to next spring and summer when I have my water  element going and all the plants in and blooming.

This is my front flower bed viewed from the north end of the house.  You see  a yucca plant, one of two given to me by my neighbor, Laura.  I also have a new Cisterna Plum, which was another birthday present from my hubby.  I thought the color of it complimented the color of the Japenese Maple that was growing there.  .

We are now at the north end of the house.  The Hosta's were already here, the Black-eyed Susan's were a gift from yet another neighbor.  What you can't see from this view is a huge Lilac bush on the corner, one of two I have in the yard.  In the spring they are full of blooms and  the smell is heavenly.  My plan is to plant bulbs in this bed for spring color, and to add some more perenials next spring to fill it out.  Any suggestions?  The area gets partial sun.

This area had an overgrown, half dead bush when we moved in.  It was a mess.  I cut and dug out the bush, and trimmed the limbs on the tree.  There is a Peony bush that grows in the corner, but it is way past its time now.  The flowers you see are Spider flowers.  Once again, they were  starts from my friend Debbie's gardens.  Would you believe they were only 2 inches tall when I got them?  These are about eye level for me, and the ones in Debbie's garden are a lot taller than I am.

This is my deck off the back of the house.  The large bush you barely see  behind the lounge chair is my other  Lilac  bush.  When its in bloom I love to open my sliding glass doors so the fragrence of them comes into the house.  Who needs air freshner when nature can provide the best there is??

The deck itsef needs work.  Another project next summer is to re-do the deck.  New railing and some other cosmetic work will really improve its look.   I am hoping to get my husband to put in built-in flower boxes....the ones sitting on the railing have been blown off three times this summer when unexpected storms blew in while I was at work.  I was also thinking of adding a flower bed across the front of it.