~ how we made a shady corner spot...

...in the backyard
...with a tree
...and a hill
...and some rocks
...and flowers

---------------------------------------------------------------------
This is what we started with...

This photo is from June 2008.  Seven year old Sofia is supervising Daddy as he builds a swingset for her :-)  This view is from the back of our garage looking northeast towards the neighbor's garage.  Note:  there is no shade!




---------------------------------------------------------------------
Then we added a little a lot of dirt...

This photo is from June 2009.  This dirt is from the pool excavation.  This view is from the back of our garage looking east towards the neighbor's garage.  It is small, but you can see the "rose of sharon" bush that we planted at the southeast corner of the house:-)  Note:  there is no shade.




----------------------------------------------------------------------
Then we planted some grass seed and waited for it to grow...

This photo is from May 2010.  We leveled out the dirt and planted some grass seed.  You can see that Rick  and little Ozzy are sitting on a hill:-)  This view is from the back of our garage looking east/southeast towards the neighbor's garage (beyond the newly installed fence). Note:  there is still no shade.




----------------------------------------------------------------------
Then...

This photo is also from May 2010.  Nine year old Sofia supervises while Rick and Nicholas install the pavers at the deep end corner of the swimming pool.  Note:  there is now a small tree next to where Rick is standing.  Note:  look at the size of the arbovitae -- we had recently planted them and I thought they were huge!




----------------------------------------------------------------------
Then...

You lay back and wait...



...to be cont'd

~ rocks, phlox and tulips...

rocks...



To add a bit of interest, we lined the front walkway with 1 1/4" river stone.

~*~

phlox and tulips...




I especially love this shady spot in the backyard.  It has been a total labor of love to fulfill this "shady spot" vision.  I will post some photos tomorrow to show how this came to be :-)

~ a perfectly sunny day...

~ our solar production for Saturday :-)

~ the music is BACK!

...YaY!  :-)

I set it up so you have the option to listen, or, maybe not...

~ lovely morning view...

The phlox and kwanzan cherry tree look lovely in the morning light :-)

~ along the lovely path...

The tulips have begun to bloom :-)

~ sunday...

Good morning!  It's 9:23 a.m. and about 35 degrees and windy -- brrrr....!  This is the first part of the project for today.  The hostas will be removed from this area and replanted on the side of the house near the new trees.  Franklins Gems boxwoods will be planted to replace these hosta plants.  Some grass will be removed (see outline with hose on right side of photo).  A large variegated hosta will be moved from the side of the house, split, and planted in the area where the grass is removed.  Mulch will be put down.  We will also add rocks in the area between the walkway and the new boxwoods (but not today).  When the weather finally warms up, annuals will be planted at the front corner areas of the walkway.

10:32. a.m. We have a willing assistant!  YaY, Sofia!

11:12 a.m. Not even an hour has passed and our assistant is already taking a break!

2:29 p.m.  Boxwoods are planted, hostas are planted, mulch is down, sidewalk and walkway have been swept and washed, boxwoods and hostas have been watered.  This area is done for today.

After a short break for lunch, it's back to work by the trees on the side of the house!  Note:  our assistant has conveniently disappeared. 

Approximately 5:00 p.m.  After digging and planting for two consecutive days, Mr. Rick hangs up his shovel and gloves then heads inside for the day.

To be cont'd...

~ we're getting there...

This morning, we had cloudy skies, wind, and someone did lots of digging...



...and playing in the dirt...



This afternoon, the sunshine broke through -- and so did some of the beauty!



...we still have a bit more to go...but I think I can see that beauty shot out there in the distance!

~ waiting for the beauty shot...

So now we all know that mr. groundhog is not as reliable as he promotes himself to be.  It is the second half of April, and I am waiting for lots of things to "spring" in my garden.  In the meantime, the "time management" team here has done some rearranging in the schedules, so, the furniture refinishing project is on the back burner, and, the outdoor projects are building up steam.

I do love to show you the "beauty shot" -- but since the slow-to-springtime transition is delaying that from happening, I will instead give you a little "behind the scenes" peeks.  Take note, this was inspired by a suggestion from a family friend this past weekend.  She simply commented that there has been a lull in myhappybluebird blogging.  While I didn't even know that this person read my blog, it made me realize that even if my readers are "behind the scenes" and don't comment -- they are still there -- waiting -- maybe for the beauty shot -- maybe not... :-)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday, we adopted TWO trees!  The wheelbarrow is holding an upright japanese maple.  Mr. Gnome is standing in a bucket holding a kwanzan cherry.  



My tree planting man (a.k.a. Rick) didn't have time to put them in the ground yesterday, so they are currently sitting here, in the backyard, behind the garage, until this weekend.  That huge shrubbery next to them is peanut butter's lavender (this is not a variety of lavender -- it is named after my sister's puppy).  We brought this plant from our garden in NY -- and the day we planted it, my sister adopted a puppy, named him peanut butter, and brought him to our house right afterward.  She was holding him and when she put him down he happily jumped into this lavendar plant -- so I had to bring it when we moved to NJ because of the cute memory attached to it :-)  I think it's 11 or 12 years old by now?  Not sure, I'll have to ask Old Grandpa Peanut Butter how old he is next time I see him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------  

This is where the trees will live...



The circle of dirt is where our dogwood tree lived before tragedy struck it last year.  The light green hose is outlining where grass will be removed to plant the kwanzan cherry tree.  This is not the proper view of what we are doing in this area -- I am just showing the process of the relandscaping.  For me, landscaping is alot of stepping back and looking at an area from different angles and even in different seasons.  It has taken me a long time to figure out what to do on this side of the house -- because it is a corner property.  Technically, there are two front yards, or focal areas, on a corner property -- so it is ALOT of work -- but I really do enjoy it.  Of course, it helps to have your own -- tree planting, flower planting, lawn mowing, water sprinkler installing -- man!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, I am done with my coffee...so I'm off... I need to dig up some stone crop, pull some weeds, and snip some shrubbery -- getting ready for the beauty shot takes alot of prep work!

~ the case of the missing ajuga...

This is our ajuga plant in the backyard.  A couple of years ago, I took a small piece of the ajuga plant in our front yard and planted it here -- in the backyard -- just to see what would happen.  It grew nicely...  Note:  as I explained in the previous post -- most of the plants have not "greened up" yet -- that is why you are seeing some brown leaves.  During the spring/summer/fall the leaves are green and purple and resemble baby romaine :-)




------------------------------

This is the front yard -- where I took the small piece of ajuga from a couple of years ago.




What?  Do you see the layout of the stones in the photo?  That is where the ajuga was -- for five years.  It was thick and lovely and wonderful to look at on hot summer days.  Rick and I discovered that it was missing a couple of weeks ago.  I thought it might regroup itself and return.  But after a bit of spring cleanup yesterday the area is still bare.  It didn't even say goodbye...me not happy... :-(

---------------------

~ oh, mr. groundhog...

...exactly where is that early spring?  I have nothing to photograph.  I am using a background photo from last spring -- and I am looking at this photo from last spring...



This photo was taken April, 14 (2012).  So, mr. groundhog, you're telling me that in 9 days, my yard will look like this...(again...)?

We shall see...

~ say, cheese...

Sofia made this cute camera from a Sprite soda can!