Utah Home, Then and Now

 As we're getting ready to move to Oregon (by the way, we're moving to Oregon!), I thought it would be fun to do the same Before and After series that I did for our Pullman home. 

When we moved in, everything was brown, dead, and dry. There were very few flowers, and a lot more fruit trees. Our outbuildings have changed quite a bit. Are you ready? Here we go!

Front of House

THEN

NOW

Not a huge difference, except the lawn and the little maple tree are both alive and green.

For those with very sharp eyes, you may notice that the swamp cooler is also no longer on the roof--we switched to central air!

Front Flowerbeds

NOW

Admittedly, this bed is chock full of bindweed.

I should have taken a picture after the last time we weeded it!

It has a couple of rose bushes, a peony, some irises, and lots of spring bulbs.

                                        

I do enjoy this front corner bed. It's got all kinds of things in it these days: sedum, daylilies, asters, roses, peonies, irises, scabiosa. It makes me happy all summer long.

We also added these front flowerbeds all the way down the fence on either side.

I still feel like I was just getting started with those, but what's in there is pretty.

Front Shade Beds

THEN

NOW

A little more greenery in there. 

I meant to put matching hydrangeas on each side, but ended up only getting the left side planted with those. I also added lady's mantle, feverfew, heuchera, and hostas.

Back Yard

THEN

Garden spot, orchard, and the woodshed there on the right.

Woodshed, fire pit, garden shed

Looking back towards the house.

Far back corner

NOW

Garden with greenhouse

A much more sparse orchard, unfortunately.

Chicken Palace in the background.

Our fruit trees have died off like crazy!

Our new fire pit area, and the shed we put in.

Woodshed and garden tool storage add-ons to the shed.

The inside essentially became my husband's workshop.

Garden area, from the back deck.

Looking back at the house. New deck.

Toward the far corner.

Back Flowerbeds

THEN

NOW

This bed doesn't look all that different than before, but the surroundings are much nicer! :) 

We did finally get this corner flowerbed put in.

This is another flowerbed full of good stuff, and also full of bindweed.

It has been a losing fight on my end with the bindweed here.

This bed also holds 5 peonies, coreopsis, yarrow, daisies, a couple of sickly rosebushes, and several spring bulbs.

Oval Flowerbed

THEN

NOW

Well, this is not the glamour shot by any means!

Also, I had this bed completely weeded a month ago and now it's full of grass and bindweed again.

Sigh. 

So from 6 lonely rose bushes, it now has a pie cherry tree, several roses, a peony, lots of spring bulbs, 2 ninebark bushes, bachelor's buttons, asters, phlox, and coreopsis.

Here was this bed back in May:

A little better representation of the goodness!

I am proud of what we accomplished in the 3 years we've been here. 

Now we're headed off to a rental home, with a tiny little yard, and no landscaping duties at all.

I wonder what we're going to do with our time? 

A Little Spice

When I first designed my oval flower bed on the west-side of our house, I really loved purples and yellows. That's all I wanted in there, really. Deep dark purples and vibrant yellows--like a pansy, but with different textures from the various plants.

I have achieved that look in the spring.

Purple and yellow tulips, the brilliant yellow-green of 'Dart's Gold' ninebark, and perennial bachelor's buttons in--what else?--purple.

However, lately I have been feeling a bit of the old gardener's discontent.

Things are fine, but they're not quite where I want them to be yet.

I have decided the color palette needs a little shot of something warm and spicy.

Perhaps a splash of deep orange-red.

I might even go for deep pink--if I could get those doggone agastaches to come back every year.

Just--more. You know? 

Remember these? I was loving this color last year.

The other thing I have noticed this spring is that my flowerbed is already looking a bit crowded.

The alliums are doing fantastically well. 

In fact, I have tiny baby alliums all throughout the bed. They look like very fine grass, or green hair even, but when you pull them up there's a mini onion-like bulb attached.

They have managed to crowd out the Dutch irises so badly that they have never bloomed.

I am actually thrilled with the idea of transplanting a bunch of them to the back side of the greenhouse, where currently my hyacinths have finished blooming and look quite bedraggled.

Since alliums are related to onions, the deer don't bother them--a must for the orchard.

So that project is going on the Never-Ending Chore List.

The perennial bachelor's buttons that were maybe 12" tall last year and about as big around have also shot up this spring. They're a good 2' each direction now! Great for cutting, but considerably bigger than I had planned on when I put 6 of them spaced out around the bed. 

So I may dig up 2-3 of those as well, and move them on to a new place. 

Haven't decided precisely where that would be yet.

Finally, the tulips have been gorgeous. 

I am thinking about even moving some of them, though, to give more breathing space to some of the rose bushes and summer bloomers in there.

Always some changes to make, right?

That's the whole fun of gardening for some of us weirdos.

Now, if it would just stop raining long enough for me to get some of these things done!

April Bloom Day: Daffodils and Hyacinths

 

For those of you wondering what “Bloom Day” is, there’s a garden blogger who writes at May Dreams Gardens, who hosts a monthly roundup called Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, anyone who wishes can link up their blog and show off what they have blooming in their yard and garden right then. I have done it for years on my other blog, and would like to get back into the habit with this one. If nothing else, it’s nice to look back and compare from year to year. However, since I am 5 days late this month, I’m not planning to actually link up. Next month!

Get ready for picture overload!

Without further adieu, here’s what I’ve got blooming in my garden right now:

Front Flowerbeds

Front flowerbeds, on the right.

I am finding I especially love the white daffodils with pink cups. 

The mini yellows are pretty darn cheerful, though!

Front side of the front beds, hyacinths, tulips coming, columbine that came back!

Far front corner.

This little cutie is a checkered fritillary, under the plum tree out front.

Side Yard: Oval Bed

Oval bed—a few daffodils, with plenty of tulips, alliums, and perennial bachelor’s buttons coming.

I love all the different daffodils in this picture! This is the oval bed in the side yard.

Front Porch Beds and East Side

Hello to the pansies!—(and the weeds. Sigh)

A few hydrangeas, plus tulips and more pansies!

Almost blooming—east side tulips!

Yay! These lilies are coming back!

Back Corner Bed

Look at the bushy yarrow in front! Woohoo!

Tulips growing in the back corner bed, with way too much grass!

Back Yard

These daffodils are the ones I planted last fall; a mix of doubles. 
They are along the fenced side of the garden.

Lovely mix of hyacinths behind the greenhouse. Next year I need to add some other colors!

My crate tulips are coming up! I’m going to move them into the greenhouse this week, now that we’ve got the one side rolled up, so that I can take off the wire without fear of DEER.

These are around the base of the peach tree. Can’t wait to see them fully open!

One last patch of daffodils in back.

 I didn’t think these would come back this year, so this is a pleasant surprise!

Phew! Did you make it all the way through? I did warn you!

What’s blooming in your neck of the woods right now?