Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Backyard Landscape Progress

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Daisy was a little champ in the car for WAY too long while we picked up plants from the nursery which is a good drive from our house especially coming home with 450 pounds of plants loading the truck down.
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Since we bought a new home in a new development they cut ALL trees down.  So sad.  So, we had nothing but a dirt lot when we moved in.  The first year Joey and I (mostly Joey) built our own fence (saves a lot of money but, dear goodness I NEVER want to do it again....so much work!!!).  The second fall we put in our own sod and now in our third year we are working on the plants.  We brought in (by ourselves) two 20 foot tall maples (400 pounds each) don't even ask how hard it was to get them from Joey's truck out front to the backyard....ridiculously heavy trees!!, two 400 pound holly trees that broke our $130 brand new wheelbarrow instantly...not fun and over 30 other plants to go around the trees. Here I was experimenting with the layout possibilities.  Daisy loved hanging out with the plants.  Seriously, loved it.  So cute to see her sitting so small amongst all the bushes.
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one hour to dig a massive hole, 45 minutes to get the monster maple tree into the backyard and whalah...tree is in!
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just 3 weeks later the tree has a bunch of leaves, the hubby tore out our sod, dug a million holes for the bushes and then we put 11 bags of mulch down on both the back left side of our yard and the back right.
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Again, this is our BIG first step towards improving our backyard but, please know that we are not done (clearly by the looks of plants still in containers).  I want to plant flowers everywhere to add punches of color but, I am also going to plant a few hydrangea bushes in our backyard when we get around to it  The nursery that we go to is SO cheap (like 75% cheaper than a Lowe's or Home Depot!!) so we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labor a little this year in spite of all the set backs.  Stay tuned for phase 3 in the future;0.  OH and our grass is seasonal so it is brown late fall to late spring.  Almost green and boy am I ready to see it move on from the dead brown color!!  I have to give ALL credit to my hubby for 99% of the work that went into our backyard.  He worked his hiney off for hours and hours on end without complaining.  I could never have accomplished this without him.  I design and he does it all.  So thankful for him!
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23 comments:

  1. It's looking really good - I'd love for us to have a better looking back yard, but we don't spend much time out there.

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  2. Casey...that looks Amazing!!! Please come do my yard!!! Where is the nursery you go to...is it toward Charlotte by any chance??

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  3. Oh wow, that looks great! I love the way your fence curves!! That first picture of you and Daisy is SO pretty!! :)

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  4. The yard looks great! Nice job with the landscaping. Can you come to our house? LOL.
    The first photo is so cute.
    And the photo of Daisy holding her foot is so classic baby! She has such a great smile. Makes me smile.
    Happy Wednesday, Casey!

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  5. wow, what a team effort, way to go! And it looks like you have the cutest cheer leader in the whole world that baby girl of yours.

    Great design and it looks so nice!

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  6. oh your daughter is adorable!!

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  7. It looks SO SO wonderful!! Y'all have really done an amazing job!!

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  8. absolutely beautiful!! so fun to see the before and after!! its gorgeous!! i can't wait to work on our house when we move in in 14 days!! :)
    looking forward to pictures of your flowers!!

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  9. Love that picture of you and her and Daisey sitting by herself with the plants. Looks like an excellent landscape plan.

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  10. It looks wonderful!! I love the pic of Daisy sitting out by all the plants - so cute!! And I love your fence - love those arches!!

    We were in the same situation & had to actually use a pick axe to dig the holes for our trees (we have willow trees) b/c the ground was so hard. They removed all the good topsoil when they cleared to build, so we're stuck with clay. And my hubby does it all too - I don't have the green thumb AT ALL like he does!

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  11. wow. it looks really great. super exciting.

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  12. That first picture is adorable! I love all the pictures! It came out great! The picture with Daisy next to the plants is so cute! have a great day!

    Mama Hen

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  13. What a beautiful backyard! What a blessing to be able to own your own home with a beautiful backyard for the kiddos, family, and friends!

    Beautiful pictures

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  14. It looks so pretty! I know that was a ton of work! Our backyard was completely empty when we moved in too, but we have TOO many trees to let grass grow. So we've had to try other forms of beautifying the space. I still want to try to put in flower beds along the fence like yours, but I'm afraid there isn't enough sun. You've inspired me to keep researching if it's possible though.

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  15. The yard is looking great--I love the symmetry of the design! (And that first picture of the two of you is simply adorable!)

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  16. LOVE it!!! I'm so so so soooo jealous!! ;)!

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  17. Wow! It looks so inviting! I'm so inspired! We're about to start our own landscaping project in our backyard now that we finally have a fence! In fact, a great girlfriend who is a landscaping expert is helping us to plan it and we're going to pick out stuff today!

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  18. How come they didn't put sod in? All new construction homes here in Florida finish the sod and landscaping.
    Either way, you did a great job with your yard. I definitely love the design.

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  19. Wow! It looks so inviting! it's really wonderful. Staying on your backyard with a cup of coffee is really relaxing. The picture's inspired a lot.

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  20. Your yard is truly amazing and you did well designing this place. You also have a cute baby so I'm sure that you are really happy now.

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  21. Your backyard looks really nice, Casey! You and your husband make a good team! You designed it well and he did a really great job in placing everything! It looks like Daisy loves your new backyard too! She is such an adorable girl!

    Johnson Rondeau

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