Front Yard Change Up

We knew we wanted to redo our front planting beds this summer, so when our friends were over I asked if we could borrow their truck some time. The truck arrived in our driveway the next day. So, we had to get our butts in gear. :)

When we moved in, there were rocks lining the beds. I liked the rocks, but I didn't like the shape of the beds or how the rocks were lined up like little soldiers.

So first we pulled up the rocks and moved them around until we settled on a tumbled rock wall looking motif.

We were going to make different heights and more curves. The area behind the "walls" was filled in with dirt, but before that we had to dig out some of the grass. And by we, I mean...

Yes, Matt did the digging.

 And the shoveling, and the planting, and the mulching. Where the heck was I?!

Actually, I kind of forget. I think I had stuff to do at school and with the kids, so Matt did all the heavy labor. I just popped in to say where stuff should go and how it should look.

Anyways. The changes in elevation are not huge, and in the pictures it's hard to even tell for sure.

We planted begonias where the rocks and ground sloped down. Those we bought from a fundraiser for Chi's preschool and that was $15. But I'm not really counting that since it was for a good cause. I mean other than my yard.

We bought two hostas and two Autumn Joy sedum from a garden club plant sale for another $15.

Those little guys in front of the rocks are sedum.

The new hostas are on the left and the hostas on the right were just divided to fill out the space.

And finally, a Japanese barberry for $4.

That's the little one in the middle. It has burgundy leaves.

The rest of our plants were pulled from places where they weren't thriving or were able to be divided. 

The azaleas were on the side of the house and they were dying, but they like better here.

So pre-mulch we only spent $34 if you count the begonias. Which we aren't.

We went with black mulch. I love how it makes all the colors pop. Plus it reminds me of the way rich Iowa soil looks. I miss that soil!

We buy mulch in bulk at a local landscape supplier. Hence the need for a truck. You were wondering, weren't you?

We also mulched in our backyard, so we needed 3 cubic yards. That amounted to $100. It would have cost about $50 more to go buy the bagged stuff at a home improvement store. (That's 30% off.) I know you need access to a truck, but it's worth it if you have access to one.

The weigelas in the center look a bit sad. They were transplanted from our neighbor's yard and they did not care much for the move. But they are slowly starting to come back, so we are holding out for awhile longer on those. Keep your fingers crossed!
 

So...That's the yard. Better, right? 

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