Taking shape

April 2009

After nearly four years of living here, I feel our scary front yard is finally taking shape. There's still a lot to do, but I don't feel nearly as overwhelmed (where to start?) and discouraged as I once did. A few huge projects, with a million smaller efforts, are starting to pay off.

The spring bulbs have thrilled me. I planted just a handful, really, compared to the rest of the still blank page, but what beautiful punctuation marks they turned out to be. I only wish they could last longer.

For the benefit of family who've gone the whole nine yards to help our yard, but who don't often make it to our home, here's a look at the then and now.

First, a funny story. Jeff and I recently went to a local garden center and picked the brain of a very helpful, very eager clerk. We sought suggestions on what plants might do well in our front yard. Our requirements were these: something that could withstand the intense west sun, help anchor and retain the slope, and thrive in the heat without a lot of water.

The clerk mulled this over for a minute then said, "How about junipers?"

Oh, you mean like these?

October 2007

Jeff and I laughed dismissively. Can you just imagine? We'd be the laughing stock of the neighborhood for sure if we replanted what so many of them helped us yank out in the first place.

October 2007 -- A huge crew of neighbors and family members helps pull out our expansive mess of 40-year-old overgrown pfitzers, using big chains and powerful trucks.


October 2007. James and Emma sit in the newly bushless yard, now a visible landmine of huge lava rocks. I worried I'd traded one eyesore for another!


The clerk was certainly right: the bushes meet all those needs -- ours were virtually carefree. (Kind of in the sense of the elephant in the room no one wants to notice.) But for us they were also gnarled and ugly and crowded and garbage traps and critter refuges and spider nests. I think the only watering I ever did was to try to spray those constant webs off. When I told the kids we were simply starting our Halloween decorating early, no one bought it.

Jeff has done the bulk of the muscle jobs in this yard. He pulled all the big lava rocks out -- three truckloads worth. He installed a new sprinkler system, because the old one got ripped up with bush roots. This involved digging trenches all the way into the backyard to access the water lines there. He also built the retaining wall and laid the sod (which we hope lives up to its water-wise label). His newest project is the cedar garden box next to the house, where we will plant tomatoes and other veggies. Getting Jeff on board for a front yard garden display was a tough sell, but the success of the garden I sneaked there last year did the trick. Now that it's his idea this year, we get a fancy box!


April 2009. In front of James, strawberries meander down the slope. Daylilies are in front of the retaining wall, and just off the right edge of the frame is a peach tree we planted in my brother's memory. I hope to fill the slope and the parking strip with perennials I started indoors.

Like I said, there still is a lot to do, but I'm starting to enjoy this front yard now. Which is more than I can say for housework! Thank you again to all who have helped us.