Well, they are done, except for planting! But hey, that's the fun part! So at the risk of boring you, here are some before and after pictures. It was a lot of work but I enjoy sharing the fruits of that hard work.
This is the water faucet area. It was a mess. First, I cleaned it all out and then put down (missed the picture) the same weedblock fabric that we have in the garden.
After I did that, I filled it up with gravel. Actually, after this photo was taken, I added four more bags of gravel. It's the medium size gravel, in between pea-size and large. We wanted it to be easy to step on as we hook up hoses and such but not so small that it washes out easily. This was the perfect in-between size gravel (and it's SO pretty when it's wet).
Notice, the faucet is not centered in the flowerbed. We could have started the next section with an even space on each side of the pipe but we needed space for the hose. We ordered one of those hose reel things that let you put the hose inside and then roll it up via a crank on the side. Will have that next weekend and get it all nice and neat with the hose.
You can see the edge of the water faucet area with the gravel in this picture. Once I placed the end piece for that area, it was time to move onto the next section. So above is before...
...here it is with the cardboard down...
...and finally filled with soil. Ready to plant! I snapped this pic after I was finished with all of it, you can see a sneak preview of the last section already finished in this photo. But before that, here it is...
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| Flowerbed before |
...the last section before I started working on it. Oh, that hose there? I ran over it with the mower last season and thanks to all of you, I saved it so that I can use it for the fruit trees to prevent bark/trunk damage when they get a bit bigger.
I put down more cardboard (lather/rinse/repeat, LOL), cut the timbers and put them down and in place. All that was left to do was to fill it up with soil.
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| Flowerbed after |
Pretty! Since the timbers are in 8' lengths, I just worked in 8' sections. Instead of having one long, never-ending flowerbed from one end to the other (which could get unwieldy), we opted for smaller 4' cross sections dividing up each flowerbed. That will let us have different things in different sections.
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| Front flowerbeds |
Here is a photo taken while standing on the porch stairs looking toward the end. The part in the foreground is also 8', it's the one I blogged about HERE a couple of weeks ago, so lots of space there too. Total length from edge of stairs to the other end is 32 feet (four 8' sections).
Oh how I love clean, freshly filled flowerbeds. They have so much potential! We'll start with smaller plants so they can grow and get established. I did have a few salvia I put in the first flowerbed, we'll see how they do. We'd like drought tolerant plants and flowers, maybe a mix of perennials and annuals.
Time to go back and look at some "Inspiration Thursday" pictures from the past!
You did a LOT of hard work! It looks so neat and tidy and ready for lots of beautiful plants.
ReplyDeleteSome heat-tolerant plants that work for me are:
Lantana, marigolds, blue daze, butterfly weed, Dianthus, salvia, zinnias, verbena, daylilies, black-eyed Susan, periwinkles, Ruella ("Mexican Petunia"), African blue basil, and Plumbago.
Wishing you bunches of beautiful blooms!
Thank you! And great suggestions! That's what I need, some ideas for more hands off (i.e. make it through the week) type flowers. Marigolds do wonderful for us at the farm, I also planted some salvia and it went a whole week with no water and it's half again as tall as last week. Definitely getting more of those, ha. Forgot about lantana, need that too. Will look at the rest too, thanks!
DeleteBefore and after photos are NEVER boring. Especially with the care and attention to detail you always seem to work with (running over hose with the mover notwithstanding :) ). And it's true, freshly finished flower beds waiting to be planted are very pretty.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that. An empty bed can indeed be pretty, ha.
DeleteI agree about before and after photos. They are never boring. I love seeing your progress!
ReplyDeleteThanks much!!!!
DeleteVery nice. Do you have to wrap your water pipe in winter?
ReplyDeleteWe have a couple of times but generally not. I'm trying to come up with something more permanent just in case there is a hard freeze.
DeleteOMG man, That Is Awesome. That will be so pretty once things are planted and starting to bloom and fill in. Hard decision is what all to plant in them wonderful looking beds.
ReplyDeleteYou could even set a couple potted plants in the hose area for some color, adding solar lights in the beds will really make the front of your house stand out. Add some hanging baskets on your porch along with just a few potted plants; it would be gorgeous.
Fun thinking up all these ideas when it wouldn't be my money I would be spending. :} :}
For a really pop of color, you could even paint your front door red. :}
By the way; I also enjoy seeing the before and after pictures. Thanks.
Enjoy your week.
Thank you as always!!! Never thought about some potted plants, thanks for that idea too. A clay pot or two would work as well. I like the idea of solar lights as well. The front door will someday be painted when we redo the outside. I really need to clean off the porch, it's full of plants and "stuff", ha.
DeleteOh, yes; one more thing.
ReplyDeleteNeed trellis on each side of steps in one of the beds down the line for climber vine of some sort to grow up on; something easy; Morning Glories, Cardinal vine, etc. Both need sun but probably won't be much of a problem in front of the porch as I'm sure it would receive enough sunlight. Hummingbird like the cardinal / cypress vine (both pretty much about the same but different foliage)
Ooh good idea too! Thanks!!!
DeleteI love before and after pictures! Never stop showing us those. One thing, don't plant in middle of bed. I found that ants use plants that touch the house and a freeway to indoors. Plus, you don't want to give mice ideas, either.
ReplyDeleteBuy a yellow hose...lol. They make things to repair hoses that have leaks or cuts. You can even use that hose to make smaller hoses by just buying the fittings. I have a 100 ft hose hooked up to my outdoor faucet that sits 10 ft from my chicken pen. One of these days, I am going to use part of the other 100 ft hose to make a smaller one instead of buying a hose. These were the most expensive hoses made 35 years ago, and I intend to get my money's worth from all 200 ft.
Good suggestion about ants, never thought about that. Thanks! A yellow hose would be easier to see of sure, ha. Thanks for the idea about repairing. I will have to remember that should it ever happen again, ha. And good on you for getting your $$ worth. That's the way it should be!!
DeleteIt looks great,there is so much potential in those flower beds! Don't forget to to tuck some herb plants amongst the flowers. Not only will they be readily accessible when cooking but they can provide additional fragrance, attract beneficial insects, deter pests (depending on what you use) and many have attractive flowers.
ReplyDeleteLavender, bee balm, chamomile, lemon thyme, anise hyssop, pineapple sage, borage, thai basil and rosemary are all great choices. Never mint though because it takes over. Keep it confined to containers.
Hey there! Herbs will definitely pop in there. In fact, the corner bed has a spearmint and a peppernint growing. I know it takes over and since it's a corner bed, we're totally ok with it taking over if it does. The bed stands alone between two sets of stairs so it won't be spreading beyond that bed. But in the other beds I love the suggestions you have, rosemary is a great idea. I need to see what deters mice, ha.
DeleteYears ago when I was still new to gardening, we planted lambs ears. Which I (used to) love! They are so pretty with soft, fuzzy silvery green foliage and purple flowers. Unbeknownst to me at the time, lambs ears are part of the mint family. And boy oh boy, they took over (within 2 seasons). I had a 3 ft x 15 ft bed that was packed. They choked out everything else I had planted. Then they soon began spreading through the yard. It took us 2 years to dig up all the lambs ears. It was another 2 or 3 years to eradicate them from the lawn. Wow was the hubbs not happy with me, haha.
DeleteNeedless to say, I am super careful with my mint plants. I keep them planted in a heavy duty planter box or barrel planter on my patio.
And to answer you mouse deterrent--sage, basil, rosemary and lavender all seem to work for deterring rodents. You can also plant some citronella to deter mosquitoes.
Thanks Tonya for the great info here. I will have to remember that. We'll see what happens. I do love the idea of the citronella too, didn't think about that. Thanks!
DeleteWell done you. Lots and lots of exciting potential.
ReplyDeleteThanks, we are stepping back and enjoying the clean beds for now but flowers will be coming soon!
DeleteI love before and after pictures. It shows how much work has been done! Gosh, but will it look beautiful when it's filled with blooming flowers. The color will be fantastic in those nice neat beds.
ReplyDeleteYou always have awesome before and after pictures because y'all work so hard, and it's amazing. We can't wait to have flowers growing. Annual and perennial will be a nice mixture....thanks!!
DeleteI have a splitter for themy faucet, too, a brass one. The welded seam in one of the splits froze and a leak developed. Maybe mine was a fluke. I did get my money back. If I ever buy another splitter, I will take it off in the winter. What is that turquoise thing that looks like a flying saucer?
ReplyDeleteBefore pictures allow us to say, "Oh, mine looks bad too, but I see it can be made better." You give us hope...lol.
I take the splitter off in the winter but I will have to remember that in case I forget. The turquoise thing is a pipe, that you can stick your hand down inside of and about a foot down is the master value to shut off water to the house. I need to get a cap for it so for now I put a glass vase over it, ha. It's the only thing I could find that would fit, LOL.
DeleteThanks for the comments about the pics, I will always post before if I have it because I do want to show that we're all human and things can get out of control but we can also get it back under control. Thanks for that!! :-)
wow...another great job!i can't wait to see it planted!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. It's not much but it's a start. I can't wait to see what I plant either, ha.
DeleteGreat job. If you plan on getting one of those round things for the hose, be aware that sometimes snakes like those kind of places. Just a heads up!
ReplyDeleteWhat?!?!? Great, thanks. ha. No seriously, we DO need to understand those things. Will keep an eye out.
Delete