Landscaping 101

Bob was busy while we were gone. Hauling and shoveling tons of dirt and rocks, he created the beginnings of our landscaped yard. We had started a 6-8 inch border of gravel around the house to deter carpenter ants and termites from our foundation before we had left. He continued that work and much more. As did the house, the whole concept of landscaping and how to do it escapes me. I long to hire someone to do the plan and the work or at least tell me what to do and how to do it! However, that is just not economically feasible and, like the house, Bob has made an auspicious beginning on, what is to me, a daunting task. This beautiful scene awaited me on my return, made even more lovely by the blooming tulip and hyacinth bulbs surrounding our tree trunk. This picture also shows the different gravel sizes and how we worked them all together. Now what to do with the empty space? This is where the "just tell me what to do" would come in handy :)

A different angle of the same scene. I really like how it curves out at the bottom.

Positioned next to it, on the corner, is another blank slate of dirt awaiting creative inspiration.........

I love this red maple and it's twin on the other corner. Just need to know what to plant with it!

A close up of how the multi-sized rocks work together. All of the rocks, save the gravel, come from our property. I jokingly say we grow rocks and thistle at our house!

A front on shot of the house as it greets me when I come home. To the left, we are going to put some parking framed by retaining walls along with a sidewalk. We also need topsoil for grass to fill in around the beds.

A close up shot of my favorite spot so far :) and, see nestled amongst the blooms?  It's a rustic birdhouse made by the son of a good friend. It was such a surprise for my birthday last year and holds a special place in my heart as he made it special just for me. Below is a better view of it.

Things are coming along in the landscaping department and we are learning alot. Bob made an amazing amount of progress while I was gone. I love it and am relieved he made the progress AND the decisions! There is still much to be done, but I am so thankful for the benefit of the fruits of his labors.
Ellie~