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On creating island beds in the front yard

Been working on the front yard off and on when I can. My mom gave me the okay to go ahead and landscape the front yard. Since it's her house/yard, I won't do something like that unless she's okay with it because the front yard is a big deal for her. She cares what people see when they first approach.

I can't stand being in the sun too long, and it's been really hot so I don’t get too much done all at once (I’m one of those people who like to take their time anyway, so it works for me). That whole . . . part Irish thing gets to me when the sun comes out. I may burn fast, but more often than not, it’s the heat sickness. Staying hydrated and eating something sweet has been my method of staving it off, but still, being outside in the sun can’t be long-term.

Because of that, it’s a bit slow-going because where I’m working, is right in the sunny area most of the day. By the time the shadows fall, it’s around dinner time and I am too tired to do more than the dishes, and cook dinner.

We have a fairly large front yard, and as I've mentioned before, I'm getting tired of having to mow the grass, and then deal with the moss that wants to grow. It's never ending. Since my mom's getting to the point where she can't help out with too much, I'm more interesting in having gardens out front than grass. So I'm working on some islands here and there to give it an updated look.

This is the smaller area (I may make it bigger, depending on the other alterations I do) that is in the front. My mom bought a red crape myrtle tree, that may replace the cherry tree you see taking over the images.





How do I turn a grassy area into a garden? Turn it over. That's it. Not kidding. Some rich dirt can be found under our grass, so that's all I do. Dig down beneath the root system, flip it over, then break it up. New garden!


As a sidenote here: make sure you know where you're digging. I know there are no pipes where I'm working. Call the city and have someone come out to mark where things are to make sure, unless you know 100% that you won't encounter a sewer line or something else that you should not be destroying. You'll save yourself the hassle (read: lots of money in damages). Our particular city will mark it for free. I think they'd rather help you with that, than have to come repair.

Anyhoosles, we will sometimes throw on some rich compost to help the plants out, but if you saw my post about the back garden, more than half of it? Nothing but overturned grass and the plants are thriving. I like working in the garden in a more natural fashion. I don't add a ton of other items to the soil, I don't drive myself crazy with working on it so if something doesn’t grow, I find something else that does. Luckily we have that luxury. I take my time, work slowly, then gorgeous beds can be cultivated. I'm also building a small step area so we can walk up and down that side near the driveway, so it's not just a garden between driveway and grassy area.





What plants I plan to put in each place, I’m not entirely sure. They will be things from around the yard, or seeds that I already have and haven’t used.

Ariana

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