Peter and I are having a love affair with Golf Green fertilizer. How could we not fall in love with something that took our “lawn” from this…

to this…

…in just three short months! That was last summer, our first summer in our new-to-us old house. We’ve worked on the planting beds and made some great progress.

Last spring (2013)…one ugly upright juniper and a couple of starving evergreen shrubs made up the entire landscaping picture.

Today (August 2014)…a lush, well-fed planting bed that receives daily TLC. The flowering shrub is a Hydrangea tree–so pretty!

The photo below shows the planting bed under the living room window and in front of the fireplace chimney. It’s a bit of a challenge due to sun conditions, but still much better than it was when we first laid eyes on it last spring.

I’ve converted the space along the side of the garage from a rock bed to a perennial bed. It’s brand new, so it will be next summer before it becomes the dazzling showpiece I’m hoping for…I’m an eternal optimist and I do have high hopes!!

The lamp post is slowly becoming a focal point,too. The Forsythia bush is new this year, but is making great strides. I think next spring I will add something with more colour. I’m still trying to find a way to keep the weeds from growing between the  edging stones–it’s a never-ending job. Any ideas?

I turned the stone bed that runs along the side of the garage into a perennial bed. It’s all new this year, but I know by next summer it will be photo-worthy. To ensure a pretty garden from spring to fall, I was careful to choose plants of different heights and blooming times.

On the other side of the walk is a five-foot chain link fence that doesn’t offer any privacy. But, we’re addressing that issue with very fast growing vines. In another year or two, this will be a wall of beautiful green leaves.

We feel very blessed to have a home in a quiet suburban neighbourhood. We may not be changing the world, but we are making our little piece of heaven prettier and prettier. I hope you enjoy following our progress. There’s so much more to come!!