it's really shaping up...

Before:

That big empty space in front of the house - the long rock-hard, clay strip between the foundation and the concrete of the driveway. That inhospitable space where nothing had grown in thirty years in looking good.
I wish I was smart enough to put photos here, because I WAS smart enough to take photos of the 'before' part, and when I find the camera, and get another lesson in how to use it, will take some 'after' pix. to demo. the remarkable change that has occurred in about a year's time.

I sprayed the sparse little sprigs of weeds and grass with deadly chemicals, and had a couple of big piles of semi-decent dirt brought in to add some variety to the strip - about 6 feet wide, by maybe 20 feet long - where I wanted to plant stuff. The plan was to put in perennials that would sort of take care of their-self, and not need a lot of attention. During the driest summer in memory. So they actually did need a great deal of attention in the form of frequent watering - but it looks like most everything survived. Some were so hardy they bloomed all winter: the fact that we hardly had any noticeable winter needs to be mentioned here. The really interesting part is about 80% of what I put there I already had, and just moved from one place to another - so don't have a huge amount of funds invested in the space that is really starting to look good: you should see my daisies, blooming their little heads off.

I've accidentally planted a few more little things out there in recent days: some foxglove I started from seed last summer that seems to be much more tolerant than I expected - it might be a perennial if protected from too much cold. And some interesting 'native' plants I didn't mean to buy in Chattanooga over the weekend. Plus some sort of little happy daisy-like thing called 'bellis' that followed me home from the garden center at Wallyworld. With a little supervision, my most excellent hole-digging accomplice relocated some azaleas, and laid lots of brick edging, scattering pine straw to make it all look neat and tidy.

It's really shaping up... now: if I can just keep out of the nurseries, garden shops, plant sales...

After:

And: oh, by the way: I am volunteering this weekend at the annual fund-raiser spring plant sale at the Columbus Botanical Gardens, 10:00 to 5:00, April 12 and 13. Can I get someone to hold my cash stash, and promise to not to give it to me when I grovel, whine and beg?