Courtyard make over

 BEFORE! As you can see this planter near the table was an over-grown jungle!

AFTER !!  We removed a few of the "ugly" and snail infested shrubs, pruned the two trees and purchased 3 shade loving shrubs, including my favorite flower, hydrangea.

This sweet angel statue used to be in my parents yard in the house I grew up in up in Atascadero. I think it looks so good here.

hydrangea....my favorite flower

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The shrub/tree you see to the left is usually covered in bright pink flowers and attracts humming birds. They are flying around out here drinking the nectar from the flowers constantly. I thought it would be fun to hang a bird house here and see if just maybe a humming bird will make a nest in there!

This plant was here when we moved in. We hung up the little wall mounted fountain that was my 30th birthday gift from Kevin. This is right outside my kitchen window so now I can hear the water flowing in the fountain all day and I love it.

      BEFORE!
 Notice the brick planter that runs along the front of the house underneath our bedroom window? It was filled with this overgrown white/silver, dusty shrub. Also TOTALLY infested with snails....and hiding landscape lighting!

Here is another shot of it to the left of the picture. An overgrown, unsightly mess.

I woke up yesterday morning and decided to tear out all of the white/silver shrubs and plant flowers. It was a HUGE job and I was quite grossed out by all of the snails I encountered...but the results are completely and totally rewarding and Kevin LOVED it! I surprised him with it when he got home from work yesterday. 

I chose three kinds of bedding flowers to transform this planter area. Can you believe these beautiful landscape lights were just buried underneath overgrown shrubs? 

I also adorned the area with the other angel statue that was given to us by my parents. This angel used to be in there yard in Atascadero.

 One thing we were sure to do was to put down some snail bait around all of the new shrubs and flowers we planted. Both the front and back yards have a snail issue and we are just doing are best to get rid of them.

Bloom and grow

The wisteria plant in our backyard is in full bloom. Isn't it spectacular? I think it is just phenominal....and the frangrance?...sweet, sultry and intoxicating.

I love the way the flowers cascade and fall into perfect tail like blooms. I also love the pale shade of lavendar that darkens at the tips of each bloom. BEAUTIFUL.

It was this divine wisteria that inspired me to go to the nursery last week and fill my wagon with flowers and potting soil. (thanks to Kevin for letting me use his Christmas gift card to Home Depot) Here's a look at what I planted.

I love to garden. To me it's another creative outlet. I love to pick out the plants and flowers, and then arrange them in pots or in flower beds so they are pleasing to the eye. I love to put on my orange gardening gloves, grab my small shovel and get my hands into the soil. Someday...SOMEDAY I plan on planting an organic vegetable garden. To me, that will be the ultimate gardening experience. For now though, it's pots and flower beds...I especially love how this pot on my front porch turned out. These big urn/pots were here when we moved in. I put one on either side of the front door. The feeling of warmth and "home" starts before you enter someone's home. Is your porch clean and tidy and welcoming? If not, it is so easy to make it more appealing just by planting a pot with some flowers and puting out a nice mat in front of the door. I also like to hang a wreath on the front door.

"Won't you come in?"