Landscaping
So… this is what I’ve been up to lately. Crazy amounts of labor by me. Total cost: $50.
I had a vision. I had a really hard time explaining it to Xtian every time he asked.
“What are you doing?”, he’d say, when he see 2 foot high piles of dirt around the whole patio.
“I don’t understand yet, What are you doing?”, he’d say, when he saw piles of live (dug-up) plants on the lawn and patches of moved sod in spots around the lawn.
I honestly didn’t know how to answer him (which frustrated him to no end). Like I said, I had a vision. I couldn’t articulate how I was going to get there because there were so many steps! Here’s what I did, and the pictures:
Front yard (last year we cut down two trees and removed all the landscaping stones surrounding the trees and one circular planter. So there were 3 partially empty dirt circles in the yard.)
Stage one:
*Move flowers still in the circular beds and level the dirt.
*Mark where walkway will go and dig up sod in those areas.
*Replant the sod in the circular dirt beds.
Stage two:
* cut out TONS of roots that would get in the way of the new planter/walkway.
* buy landscape border divider and put in two rows for the planter/walkway.
Stage three:
* Move stones from around one of the trees to make stepping stones.
* Make 2 trips to get free rock from someone from Craig’s List.
* Put together the walkway.
Stage four:
* Dig up and divide hostas/mums/day lillies and plant in the planters.
* mulch.
(click on the pics to see full views)
Other front yard stuff:
* The Black Eyed Susans surprised me this year when they came back with babies next to the mailbox!
* The sunflower seeds we planted with my mom in early Spring are now much taller than me!

Back Yard:
Stage one:
* Remove all grass (sod) from where I want walkway and planters.
* Replant in the front bare circular sections.
Stage two:
* Dig 18″ hole around the WHOLE patio!!! My nickname (from our neighbors) is Eerie Canal Girl. There were three two foot by 5 foot piles of dirt around and on the patio.
Stage three:
* Put the dirt back, mixing with Sphagnum
Stage four:
* Put in the landscape border divider.
Stage five:
* Move plants from the front planter (Christian wants to put shrubs up there) and plant the “babies”. We planted tons of seeds into little pots when my mom was out last Spring.