Yard Projects

This spring Natalie and I decided it was going to be one for yard projects around our house. If you're going to plant things to grow, you really have to focus on doing it in the spring and fall. The summer is good for building things but is not when you want to put green things in the ground. So, we set out working on this stuff pretty much as soon as we got back from New Zealand in mid-March.

We started by tearing up sod in the front of the house and shaping it so there is depth and more interest up there. This also involved moving buckets of small rocks that had been embedded in the earth. Tedious and decidedly un-fun labor. After tearing up the grass, we ordered some dirt from a local source and set about filling in spots and making some mounds in the front a back. Then came planting and mulching. The pictures will really help illustrate our efforts but we've now got lilac, hostas, lillies, hydrangeas and a service berry, among other things. It looks good now and will get better next year.

We had assistance from both sets of parents in this effort too. The Brunia side came up the first weekend of May and then the Ritz side came up the following. They were wonderfully helpful in picking out plants, coming up with ideas and planting different items. Thanks Moms and Dads!

Additionally, I made a small woodshed to stack up much of the sticks and logs that had been just laying around the backyard. A little organization sure helped to clean up the look. I also made a nice flower box to adorn the window of the shed I built last summer / fall. Of course I had it painted orange to match the lovely door and I must say it looks pretty sharp!

We also created a rain garden to capture water runoff that flows down the side of the yard from our house and the neighbor's house. This required even more digging and earth moving but we created a nice, long rain garden along the fence. We put down weed block fabric and then pour the aforementioned river rock over top of it. Fortunately, my coworker had some unwanted rocks so I loaded up the car and hauled them back home. There aren't any plants around it yet but we'll get some grasses, sedges and other native flowers to make it look nice.

Last, I've endured a quixotic battle with a stump this spring and summer. We cut down a cedar tree early in the spring and I set about killing the stump. I drilled holes and dumped in a bunch of Epsom salt and lawn fertilizer. That effectively killed the stump and root systems but the thing wasn't dried out or rotten yet. I gave it a couple months and then burned it by making fires directly on top of it. This was moderately successful but I've still put in a good deal of chopping. The stump has resisted admirably but I'm determined to get the thing out by the Fall.

I must admit that Natalie has done much of the labor herself as I am often away with soccer something on the weekends. She has definitely been a worker ant this spring and the yard is looking great!