front yard garden: year two

last summer, one of my big goals was to expand our front yard garden. (i wrote about our plans, with some before photos, here. and then a first look here.) specifically to dig up the grass on one side of the small hill in front of our house and plant a perennial herb and flower garden (the other side of the hill already had a garden planted when we moved in). and so, dig and plant we did last memorial day weekend. i thought i'd post a few photos of how the garden is doing in it's second year.

most of the perennials i planted last year came back this year, with the exception of anise hyssop, poppies, and lavender. i was a little bummed about those, but i've added a few more in their places so far this year, and i'll be filling in the rest of the empty spaces with annuals (i have a lot of marigolds!) and maybe some late season sale perennials. even though perennials can be expensive, i always buy them when they're smallest and just know that it'll take a few years for them to grow to a fuller size. they are so worth the investment!

this garden is definitely part shade (which is probably why those perennials didn't come back...they needed a sunnier spot?). it's right under a big tree but gets really nice morning light since we are right across the street from a park and there's nothing blocking the light coming from the east. here are some of the plants that are doing well there: borage, french sorrel, columbine, and chives and garlic chives. so far this year, i've added some tickseed and cushion spurge bonfire. i also planted some rogue strawberries that popped up in my backyard vegetable bed...we'll see how those guys do!

so how about you all? how are any new garden spaces that you planted last year doing? any plans for new gardens this year? we'd love to hear.

front yard garden update

people, we did it!

there is definitely a long way to go with our front yard garden, but the big project, the one that was my biggest garden goal of all for this season, has been accomplished! last weekend, on our extra day off for memorial day, jared and i spent the better part of the day digging up the grass on this hill in front of our house (this is what it looked like just a few short weeks ago!). i used some bricks that we had inherited with our garage to create a makeshift terrace, and then spent the rest of last week and this past weekend putting in some of the plants that i'd bought at that plant sale about a month ago (boy were they happy to get in the ground and out of their little tiny pots!). the plants from the sale that i used here were: poppies, anise hyssop, violas/johnny jump ups, french sorrel, various columbines, and a lavender. i also transplanted a bunch of plants from elsewhere in our yard, including borage, yarrow, chives and garlic chives, and phlox. i filled in the rest of the empty spaces with kale, chard, amaranth, and the small bare patch at the bottom has some assorted wildflower seeds planted there (i'll put mulch over it once the seeds have sprouted). i used 7" gutter spikes to secure some of the bricks in place (hey, i am married to someone with a degree in physics afterall!). some of the plants that i put in this garden say they need full sun and this is definitely a part sun spot. i put the ones i was worried about (poppies, lavender, anise hyssop, and phlox) in the sunnier spot, along the steps, and everything else might just be a bit smaller than it would in full sun. but i think they'll all do fine. i'm a  bit worried about how this will all hold up when we get a big rain...will all my mulch and dirt wash away? but i know that once the plants get rooted in over the next few months, it will hold the soil in place much better.

i know everything looks a bit bare now, but most of what i planted here are perennials and they'll fill out over the next few years. and this is something i keep trying to remind myself. i have time. we don't plan to move from this house for a very long time, if ever, and i take comfort in knowing that i don't have to overhaul the entire yard and garden space this year. i try to set realistic goals for myself (notice that we also got those rain barrels installed too? garden goal #1...check!) each year and make progress little by little, while still working towards making our outdoor home a beautiful, productive, healthy, and delicious space for us to enjoy. i try to remind myself of the time i have when i get overwhelmed about all of the garden spaces around our house that i'd like to improve or change. little by little. i have already made so many adjustments and changes over the past two and half years and i know that each season will bring more projects.

while the big hurdle of the front yard is completed (for now) i do want to keep working on the other beds up front here. mostly, i'd like to remove many of the hostas. i pretty much pawn them off on anyone who will accept them, and i think later in the summer, when perennials start to go on big sale, i'll find some more plants to replace them with and send an email to the citywide gardening list-serv that i'm part of for people to come take the hostas off my hands. i know i'll get a good response.

so, what do you think? i'd love to hear your thoughts

another front yard project

like amy, i have a semi-neglected front yard. in my case, it's because our back yard gets much more sun, so i've focused more of our efforts there. when we moved into our house two and a half years ago, there were already some decent garden spaces carved out, but it's clear that the previous owners and i have different gardening styles! in our front yard, there are two beds just in front of the house that are mostly a variety of hostas, and some red-colored landscaping rock that i cannot stand. i vow that this year will be the year i finally clear it out! i'm not a big fan of the hostas either and am slowly replacing them with other plants. i've planted a lot of tulip bulbs there as well, so it's really pretty in the early spring.

closer to the sidewalk, our house is on a very small hill, so there is one garden bed on one side of the steps up from the street. i've spent the past two summers slowly replacing the hostas in this space and adding some perennial flowers and herbs (st. john's wort, chives, feverfew, and echinacea). i also seem to be in a losing battle with an aggressive spreading weed that is trying to take over the garden (any ideas what that is? or suggestions on how to fight it? i've tried ripping it up by the roots, but it just keeps coming back!)

my big project for this year is to dig up the other side of this small hill. it's partial shade, so that limits my planting options, but i'm confident that i can fill it up without too much trouble. because it's on a hill, i'll need to do some kind of minor terracing to prevent erosion (there were some attempts at this on the other side, but it's not done very well. i'm working on improving that as well). i'll probably just use some bricks that we have in our garage.

i have some plants in my overgrown backyard that i plan to move to this space: rhubarb (we have a rogue one growing in our raspberry patch!), borage, comfrey, bleeding hearts, yarrow, and a few grasses. any other suggestions for a partially shady hilly spot? bonus points if they're medicinal or can be used for dyes :)

i'm really excited to add this new space and spruce up the front of our house. and i love that amy is working on a similar project and we can check up on each other's progress as the summer moves forward.

front yard gardening

my husband & i are firm believers in growing food wherever you are.
we moved into our little red house a little under a year ago. one of the first things we noticed about our home was the shady backyard. after much thought, we knew our only option was the front yard.

once we heard the approval from our landlord, we began transforming our space into an edible landscape & small garden for personal use.we have a large bed along the front of our house & a south-facing bed on the side. we also made a cold frame from windows found on the side of the road in order to harden off our starts from seed.

in making the transition from this home to elsewhere, i am finding the value in container gardening. it is definitely possible to grow an abundance of food in pots while moving from one state to another. i have already planted a variety of edible flowers, herbs & strawberries. i also plan to grow tomatoes, peppers & a variety of greens in containers for the summer.

until our big move, i am enjoying the fresh lettuce mix from our beds & the over-wintered spinach & kale from last season's bounty.

it is truly satisfying to be so closely connected to your food, watch it grow, harvest it & enjoy it with others.