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This is our riding mower we got free of charge from a kind stranger by the name of Donna. A little gas, a new battery and a spark plug and it fired right up! Here, the mower sits properly adorned with a fitting Washington State license plate. :)
With all the work I did in the front yard this summer, I was wondering how long it would take to see deer on it. My answer came today - as I was canning zucchini inside, Linda called out and we watched the deer move across the yard - a mama and her spotted fawn.
Okay, I'll stop posting pictures of my front yard already! But here, Linda mows. It's SOOOOOO beautiful. :)
Today, Linda capped off the new yard project by giving it its first haircut.
Jim's favorite azalea, planted when the yard was seeded last month, is now in full bloom!
With the addition of cherry tones and bark mulch (see "Landscaping - Rear"), the front landscaping is now complete! Now, just need to mow the yard, fertilize it, let it grow tall again, mow it and then the kids can play on it! The yard has not been mowed since it was seeded early in May. And let me tell you, that grass is getting TALL! I would have mowed it this weekend but it was too dark and cloudy. Usually in the summer, you can lay out in the sun and burn your naughty bits. Not THIS summer. All in all, it was a pretty dark and dismal weekend. And a back-breaking one, at that.
Doesn't this just make you want to peel off your clothes and roll around on the yard like a kid? Go ahead. But you will likely end up on the photoblog...
Here is our front yard, two weeks to the day after planting grass on the bare, tilled dirt.
If you are one who has been paying attention to the work we are doing at the Lariat Drive house, you'll be as pleased as I was to see new grass growing! The lawn was seeded about a week ago (Saturday/Sunday) and today is Monday, a week later. I've been involved in controversial discussions about using peat moss this early in the growing season. Some say that it will trap in the cold and inhibit germination. So I peat mossed half of the yard very heavily and barely on other parts. I'm here to tell you that the ONLY place grass is growing is where I peat mossed very heavily. Just makes me want to take off my sandals (among other things) and run through the grass!
Jim's decorate "Stump Island" in full bloom on a cloudy May day, as photographed by Linda.
Problem solved: the damage caused by floodwaters shortly after reseeding the lawn has been repaired. For how to seed a lawn, click on the "Landscaping" link in the right-hand column (you may have to visit the main page of this site in order to do so).
In any venture, things can go wrong. After seeding the yard, 3/4 inches of rain fell, flooding part of the yard that typically floods. One reason for the reseeding is to prevent further erosion of the yard. Here, lots of hard work was undone in an hour, not to mention all the money that floated away. Tomorrow, I will rebuild the yard, raising the level several inches and figuring out a way to stem the flow of floodwaters from the steep driveway. (Sigh).
Here, a beautiful pink flower is captured on film (well, digital). This flower is planted in "Shrub Island" in Jim and Linda's front yard.
People often ask me why I document my projects in the photo blog. It's because others can learn from it. I'd never seeded a new lawn before and by documenting it, I can learn from my successes or my failures. So can others. In about a month, we'll see how it turns out. Here, the final touch - putting the peat moss over the compacted soil and seed. It's a vital step you don't want to skip.
Here, Jim W. Coleman, carefully disperses his seed over the yard - but this time, in a wholly non-offensive way.
Here, a set of happy handprints is pressed into the first of five tubs of seed needed to sow the front yard.
When putting in a yard, be sure to spend the $8 to $12 to rent a lawn roller. This cylinder, when filled with water, weighs 240 pounds and helps level the soil and also compacts the seed into the soil so it doesn't wash away.
After a month of tilling, the front yard is FINALLY ready to seed! Here is a photo of part of the yard as the seeding project begins.
Linda's photo of the new yard after tilling, ready for planting. Spring!
Here is a shot of the yard almost ready for seeding - tilled three times over, rocks and clumps removed, limed ... and just awaiting the seed and the roller ... if you've ever planted a yard, you'll know what I mean. :)
No...Shrub Island is not a Survivor episode...it's something in our front yard. Here, it is defined...
Close up of the cottage stones defining the central island in the front yard. Takes a lot of whiskey to get those perfectly level...
Normally, Jim W. Coleman maintains a huge garden over the summer. This year, his project is the front yard. And maybe the back. Now that the trees have been removed and the soil tilled, it's time to start laying down the cottage stones and putting in shrubs. Next, seeding the lawn ... Stay tuned ...
On Easter Sunday, Jim and Linda planted this pink Dogwood tree out by the street in front of the house. Check back next year for a picture of how much it grew!
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