Before:
The front of the house. I love our Japanese Maple and the Birch, but they were getting out of control. That was one of the things we really couldn't have even done if we wanted to do it. It helped sway us to just getting the landscaper. The Burning Bushes had gotten insane. We tried trimming them back before, but those poor guys just couldn't keep their cool. And it's hard to tell, but our mulch was almost non-existent. The front of the house was pretty close to embarrassing.
This is the back of the yard. Just ignore the guys. I couldn't remember if I had a decent back yard shot and wanted to snag one at the last minute. They were already bringing in some of the materials. We planted the Evergreen and Fir in 2009 and they've done great! But we always knew we wanted more privacy back there. We really enjoy spending time out in the yard in the warmer months, and while our side privacy is pretty good due to other landscaping, the back was still pretty open.
AFTER:Trees trimmed up, bushes hacked and TONS of mulch was brought into the front bed. They also cleaned up the edging. I should have got some better shots, it makes a huge difference. And you might be wondering what in the heck we're doing with those bushes. It was either this or pull them out. I chose this. I love those bushes and wasn't ready to get rid of them. It'll take a couple years for them to really bounce back, but they will look so much better when they do! They will start to bud up in the spring, so I'm anxious to see what happens with them!
And here's the back yard. We still have more filler plans, but for now, we're pretty stoked about our wall, or soon to be wall, of Arborvitaes.
And while we're outside, you might have noticed in the photos up there that the porch looks a little different than when I posted it the other week. I changed up the exterior a bit. This is one case where more is better. It gets me all excited for cool weather and Trick or Treaters!
So that's that. I'm still being a tease on my other photo, but that won't last long. I'm excited to share that with you too!
The living fence you've put in the backyard is very similar to what DH and I are wanting to do along our side yard. Would you mind sharing more of the details about it, like approximate cost of having it installed, length of yard covered, etc? We'd like to DIY it, but that much work is very intimidating to me.
ReplyDelete@silvercamaro77- The arborvitaes are about 5 feet tall. Cost will really depend on your area, but for us to go pick them up, we would have had to take about 4 trips, and the cost of gas and time spent would have made that ridiculous. It was certainly worth it to pay to have it done. Delivered, and put in the ground, each tree was $65. My parents used the same company and were lucky. They ended up with 8 foot trees at $80 a piece. Each Arborvitae needs about 3 feet to get to it's maximum. So basically, our 14 trees will end up giving us about a 42 foot wall. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to have a house with a front porch. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThat looks wonderful! The front of our house has some really overgrown shrubs and I've been begging the hubs to cut them out. I've almost done it myself a few times, but I know I'd get in trouble for using the chainsaw. :) My parents have arborvitaes in front of their house and my mother seems determined to let them get larger than their house. It's terrible.
ReplyDeleteLove the porch (and the arbs). I never know how many mums and pumpkins to use.. you really have a way with styling!
ReplyDeleteLooks great!! One of our goals for the spring is to give our yard some much needed TLC. Definitely needed!
ReplyDeleteThe landscaping looks great!
ReplyDelete