Landscaping Leisures

Perhaps the most exciting thing about becoming a homeowner last year was FINALLY getting the opportunity to landscape. Unfortunately, my excitement was not able to be instantly gratified as we moved into our new home during one of the hottest summers SW Missouri has ever seen.

But alas... after months of waiting, this Spring has allowed me the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and bury my hands in dirt. Below are a list of BEFORE and AFTER pictures accompanied by descriptions and other, more detailed photos.

FRONT YARD

BEFORE (June 2011)

AFTER (April 2012)

Maybe not a lot to notice right off the bat, but luck a little closer... The two Cleveland Select Pear Trees are probably the first thing you'll notice. Our yard had ZERO trees prior to us moving in. We also "re-did" the landscaping directly in front of the house. We kept some of the bushes, but we eliminated the four evergreens that were there and removed more than half of the landscaping stones. In addition, we replaced all the rock with a more Eco-friendly cedar mulch. (See pictures below.)

Out with the old...

...in with the new.

My wife created this. We have two of them flanking our garage.

MAILBOX

BEFORE (June 2011)

AFTER (April 2012)

Some of you may be thinking that the mailbox on the left actually doesn't look that bad. Let's just say the picture doesn't do it justice. It was way too big plus it stuck out like a sore thumb on our block. So I completely destroyed it with a sledgehammer one weekend and replaced it with some something much more modern and sleek. We are much more happy with it.

BACK YARD

BEFORE (June 2011)

AFTER (April 2012)

Again, you will notice another tree that I planted. This is an Autumn Blaze Maple that I planted in October. There is also a 2nd backyard tree (Red Sunset Maple) to the right that is not shown. The remainder of the work behind our house has been focused on our porch. A table, chairs, a grill, and two hanging plants makes it a very nice place to be this time of year. (See picture below.)

The Back Porch

ADDIS CREEK

One final question you might be asking... "What happened to all those rocks you replaced with mulch?" Well, I spent some time clearing out the drainage ditch behind our property. When we get a hard rain, a lot of water gushes through there. So I made a creek!