Sprucing up the front
May 11, 2011
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We have a list a mile long of projects we want to accomplish outside, but we haven’t be able to get to much. But between the heat and the rain, I’ve finally finished one project that was high on our list.
The summer after we moved into our house, I did a TON of work out front. The first project was to pull out the low lying junipers the builder planted across the front of the house. They were way too low and not enough of an impact for our house.
In their place I planted azaleas…beautiful azaleas! I’m kind of half and half with my plant success – roses and hydrangeas hate. me. Lilies and azaleas and I get along fabulously.
Last month (on a rare decent day), I started sprucing up the front of the house again:
As you can tell, it needed it. ;) Our shutters were looking a hot mess. We haven’t touched them in seven years and they desperately needed to be repainted.
I started by removing the broken slat --
And then I power washed the shutters, installed a new piece of cedar and then repainted both sets of shutters.
I used a brown paint from our little deck revamp last summer, and it’s SO close to the original brown of the shutters, but not exact. So I went ahead and painted the window boxes again too:
I usually plant the wave petunias in the boxes, and I wish I would have done that this year. They always end of spilling out of them so beautifully! These haven't done much. ;)
I wanted to add some potato vine (vinca vine is too skimpy) – but I can’t find it anywhere.
I finished the spruce up by clearing out the dead stuff and weeds:
And then I waited for Mother Nature to do her part:
She done good. ;)
I mentioned a couple of summers ago that a little varmint had been digging into my azaleas and eating the roots. I lost my middle bush to this little booger, and it’s taken me two years, but I finally found the same type of azalea in a decent size to replace it:
It’s actually two plants, but whatever. ;) I’m hoping with some Miracle Grow and some lovin’, they’ll catch up to the others.
But for now, I’m thrilled, because projects one through five of 485 are DONE!
Doesn’t it look SO much better?:
I tried spraying the little birdie artwork off and it won’t budge. ;)
Perfect timing bird.
Now…I just need to find a brave soul to get up there and paint the shutters on the second level:
Can you tell they are just a tad darker? Hubby swears you can’t even notice it but then again…he KNOWS ME. :)
I can’t wait to start the rest of the outside projects – but it will have to be next week because it’s supposed to rain for the next FIVE days. At least the grass will stay green!
Have you tackled any landscaping projects yet? What is your favorite perennial? One I won’t kill? :)
It looks great! I haven't worked in my own yard in a month. Thanks for inspiring me to get my booty outside and pull some weeds.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you about this crazy weather!! We live in Chicago and I can't believe the extreme difference a week can make!! LOVE your azaleas!! I love boxwoods . . .very hardy and they grow quickly. Have you ever planted coreopsis? It has little yellow flowers that bloom all summer. I've had really good look with it. The front of your house looks great. :)
ReplyDelete~cheryl
It looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteWe just moved into a new home and Mother Nature is finally letting us get outside. We've been doing a lot of yard work. You can see what we've been up to on my blog. :-) (livingtheroadlesstraveled.blogspot.com)
I love your azaleas- I'm a black thumb.
ReplyDeleteWe just moved into a little farming cottage and I've got a project list a mile long to work on. I've already started painting the basement floor in step one of converting it into a classroom but then I'm hopping to get a raised garden in the back yard this summer. A new compost bin, putting in pavers on the front path- so much to do and only five months until the snows come back!
Lookin good! I too am baffled by this crazy weather! I want SEASONS and I remember that last year there was essentially no spring...it was cold and then HOT! no in-between, and that messes with me :) Plus...I'm a farmers wife, and all this rain is messin' with my spring/summer plans! If I have one complaint about Indiana, it's the inconsistent weather! I do finally have some motivation to work outside, but of course that motivation arrives on the day it hits 90 degrees...go figure!
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting those projects completed~ I have a list a mile long as well :)
Ok, I'm officially jealous. Your house is gorgeous. I just picked up the same color petunias at The Depot for 99cents for a box of 4. They're so pretty!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are beautiful. They show the colors and details so well.
ReplyDeleteWow, That looks amazing. Sigh... I can only hope my yard looks that nice someday.
ReplyDeleteYour azaleas look great! I love hostas- we've planted them in Oklahoma, NC and GA- they always seem to do well. They do prefer shade, though.
ReplyDeleteI love this project!
ReplyDeleteBefore you paint the top shutters:
That little birdie did you a FAVOR and is trying to tell you something...
You MUST use glossy paint on shutters! Then you could spray them off and it would work! Do you really want to repaint them anytime soon? No? HIGH gloss would be lowest maintenance, semi-gloss would fare well, but the paint you chose looks like flat? Bird poop msgnet! Kiss that birdie for speaking his peace NOW instead of later, there's still time to save this!
Ronda, it's actually an eggshell, not flat. The original paint was eggshell, and that held up pretty great for seven years, so I'm not worried. They've been (re)painted for over a month and we haven't had any problems.
ReplyDeleteI just found you today by way of a mention in Crafterminds. I love your blog so far. You write as if you're speaking directly to me and so far about the same kind of interest. YEA! I'm a transplanted Texan now in the Pacific Northwest so my favorite plantings are shifting just a little. I'd suggest doing some bulbs in an area as an experiment for next year. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYour window boxes and petunias are so beautiful and add so much character to your house. I also love your azaleas. They are so gorgeous! Your pretty pictures are so inspiring and makes me want to go buy some azaleas this weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteJessie
www.mixandchic.com
For the longest time I thought you lived in Utah (where I live) because we always had the same weather! It has been raining like crazy here, but no 90 degree weather yet:( i think 78 was the highest we've gotten this year and that was last weekend.
ReplyDeleteThe update looks beautiful
Looks great!
ReplyDeleteLooking good. We've had the same issue with the weather. But I think this is the weekend we are tackling all outside projects since we are having a bday party on Saturday night at the house.
ReplyDeleteI have a special place in my heart for hostas. When my grandma moved from her house we transplanted them here. Some are crazy rainforest big. When I look at them I always think of her.
Beautiful job!
ReplyDeleteYou need a semi gloss paint. It works well in contrast to the dullness of brick. You will just love the look. I highly recommend it considering you are using the color brown. A dark color will look crappy very quickly and the semi gloss will preserve better considering the high temps you get.
ReplyDeleteThe flowers look great and some Holytone for the new pmj azeala and you will be pleasantly surprised.
I just love pink peonies around a mailbox. It grows like a bush and multiplies every year. Easy and $5 at Wally world.
looks great! we're in the process of painting all of our shutters too.....from a "country blue" that the previous owners carried through the house to black.
ReplyDeletei have had good luck with hostas, bleeding heart, and sedum....but i think a lot of it depends on how much sunlight you get!
I have tried to plant every thing imaginable in my front gardens. My neighbors cat comes and digs E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. up before it can root. It is sooo discouraging! I hope someday to have flowers and plants again!
ReplyDeleteI may make window boxes. At least that booger can't (shouldn't) be able to get into that....I hope!
All we have done is pull out two evergreen bushes at the front of the house that were totally crowding out the other bushes... they can be so aggressive, were planted by previous owner of our house... Bad choice on there part, but the problem is now gone.
ReplyDeleteDi
Beautiful! We have a small landscaping business as a side job here in Ohio. Whatever weather you get we know it's coming our way. One thing I've learned about plants, and I don't know much, is when they find a happy place they grow, grow, grow. If they're not happy you'll know it. So don't blame yourself for plants not doing well. Baby them for a couple of weeks when you first plant them and tell them to live. Yes, I talk to plants. lol Reblooming Daylillies, Rose of Sharon, Palace Purple and Switch grass are a few of my easy favorites. Is that much rain really in our forcast? YUK!!!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks beautiful. Hugs and wishes for a day filled with Happy!
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks so great! I just planted impatiens in our front yard bed, but those sissies are definitely high maintenance as in "please water me daily." I can't help it, they are so gorgeous I am willing to expand my lazy self to water them :) I am very interested in the wave petunias for pots by my front steps, I'm going off in search of them this weekend. Thanks for sharing your beauty!
ReplyDeleteMary @ Redo 101
You have the same problem I do - hydrangeas and roses won't grow for me, but lilies and azaleas do beautifully. Must be the soil type. Anyway, I can grow phlox (the tall kind) and bleeding hearts to the point that I have to pull up the buggers lest they take over everything. Can't kill them. I'm thinking that your soil and possibly sun exposure would take kindly to them. The phlox would have the same height effect that hydrangeas do, except they're not a bush. Oh, and everything you've done outside looks great! (Ick on the low junipers, too...I had them and HATED them.)
ReplyDeleteLooks beautiful! My favorite perenials are simple Shasta Daisies. They grow like crazy and look beautiful, plus give you lots & lots of flowers to cut. I've also had great luck with all kinds of sedums (I live in OK, so the hot summers wreak havoc on anything that can't stand the heat!). I call myself "The Accidental Gardener" since I pick what I like and what I think will fit our gardens and if it grows - great! If it doesn't, I rip it out and try something new next year. Totally trial & error.
ReplyDeleteI love all kinds of flowers, but some of my faves are peonies (the blush ones especially), irises, lambs ear, and dahlias. And for pots/planters, lantana.
ReplyDeleteWe just moved into our house a couple of months ago, and it has neglected boxwood/holly type shrubs (which I hate). I'll be ripping them out this fall so I can plant pretty flowers and nice shrubs, but for this summer I'll be doing more planters/hanging baskets to get some easy color.
Everything looks sooo pretty! I wish our azaleas were still blooming. I've done a ton of landscaping so far this year. I'm in Louisiana so we've been in the 80's & 90's for over a month. I've had good luck with Begonias & Petunias. Except for the Petunia the armadillo dug up. UGH!! Hate those little ugly creatures.
ReplyDeleteI am trying my hand at planting this spring. I bought some Knock Out Roses for the side of our house, and they are already blooming just 2 weeks after I planted them! (Qualifies as a minor miracle for me!) They are disease-resistant, and they don't need pruning!! Pretty flowers are so welcoming when you drive up, and I am really enjoying seeing the front of our house. My dad keeps saying, "If we could just freeze it like it looks right now." This is Texas, and it will be hot and tired and shrively looking before we know it!
ReplyDeleteAnd I used BHG's website to design my own garden design. It's super helpful when you feel overwhelmed with landscaping.
ReplyDeleteSpirea in the sun and Hosta in the shade. love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI live in northern MN and I just purchased my first flowers of the season last evening (a couple of hanging baskets, filled with purple petunias and bright orange daisies). Because of the cooler climate I live in, it's usually safe to start planting flowers and veggies around Memorial Day. Some of my favorite, hearty perennials include day lilies (and any kind of lily), as well as reblooming irises, purple coneflowers (there are some other pretty colors in coneflowers, too) and blackeyed susans.
ReplyDeleteIt does look so pretty. I feel your pain on the weather issue. Our here in Oregon it has been rainy (no surprise there) but also so, so cold. We have not been able to plant much. I also got shortstopped on a porch revamp project because it is too wet to paint. Your's is the first blog I followed and I continue to love it the best.
ReplyDeleteIt always is satisfying to see some hard work have such a big impact. Winter can be tough on our yards but you sure spruced things up. It is a bit too early here for anything other than spring bulbs, so I really enjoyed seeing your flowers.
ReplyDeleteYour time outside made a big difference! Just that new smooth coat of paint on the shutters changes it all! Don't worry, the wave petunias will come in. It's still early in the season no matter what the thermometer says!
ReplyDeleteI love my iris, hydrangea, knock out roses and giant hosta. I keep my sedum in pots so it's not squeezing out other plants and will do a couple pots for the front steps. I'm enlarging a huge portion of my garden and creating two new ones. Want to intersperse(sp?) veggies with flowers. Ahhhhhhhhhh...what have I got myself into!
It looks sooo good! Love the azaleas!
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite no-hassle plants are Knock-out roses. REDICULOUSLY hardy and they dont get bugs, mildew, spots, or require pruning. I dont do anything to mine but trim them away from the sidewalk if it ever needs it. They bloom for me early spring and once or twice more into early fall.
Lantana is another of my favorites. It is drought resistant, hardy, and comes in a perennial variety.
I have difficult growing conditions and not a very green thumb. Knockout roses have done well for me in full sun - but the hydrangea had to be moved to morning sun and afternoon shade. Once I moved it it did great. Try again - they are so pretty! I like azalea's too!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you have time now but you can grow your own sweet potato vine from a sweet potato. There are different methods to starting them so do a search - it's pretty easy.
ReplyDeleteI usually take cuttings from one plant to have a lot of them all over my yard. If you can find a friend willing to share, take some cuttings, dip them in rooting hormone & plant in the container. Keep them moist so they can root well. It's a little slower than planting already rooted plants but still much faster than growing your own.
I love azaleas. Such a fantastic pop of color. I have been considering planting some in the raised foundation beds in front of my house but was not sure how they would look with a white house, black shutters and a "red" door. Do you think the red and pink would clash? Anyway, just a question. After seeing yours I will probably do go ahead and use azaleas. Hmmm maybe I could paint the door fuscha. Anyway, love what you've done and yes, if you can find some, the bright green "chartreuse" sweet potato vine would look fabulous in the window boxes. What other plants do you have with the azaleas? I see another type of foliage along the front edge "kind of like Iris leaves" The different textures look great.
ReplyDeleteHi there!! Your work in your front yard has really paid off....it looks wonderful!! Have you tried the Proven Winners Bubblegum Petunias?? They get HUGE !! And they are the prettiest color of pink. They also have a new hybrid of what we call Allysum, which can't take hot dry weather, but this new one sure can!! It's bigger and has larger blooms and smells heavenly. Unfortunately both of those are annuals. For perennials I have quite a few knockout roses and I'm one of those that can't grow roses!! They require no care to speak of and mine bloom from early spring until late fall. Sometimes we get blooms in December. But we live in southern Alabama.....not much winter here. Please send some of that rain our way....we are soooo dry here. Take care, VBg
ReplyDeleteI think the shutters and window boxes look great. Nothing like a nice, fresh coat of paint.
ReplyDeleteYour varmint must be related to mine. It looks like half of one of my azaleas is dead (just plain branches), and the other half of the bush bloomed. Do you think that's the reason??
Great job on the front of the home! The Azaleas look great...good choice!
ReplyDeleteFabulous job!!! Azaleas are so amazing!
ReplyDeleteI do love a nice Boxwood hedge!
I love a boost in curb appeal! If you're looking for a nice pop of red somewhere that's welcoming and eye-catching, read my latest post on the Perfect Red!
ReplyDeletewww.fullplateliving.blogspot.com
Looks beautiful! I love how plush the azaleas are in your planter!!
ReplyDeleteAside from planting a few bulbs on a (rare) beautiful evening, I haven't had the chance to get outside to do much. The weather has been schizophrenic the past few weeks...we've been on the gorgeous sun/stormy rain roller coaster, too.
One good thing is that thank to the rain, my grass IS green and our perennial gardens are progressing more and more every time I look out the window it seems. ;)
We've got the same problem here in Minnesota - too cold, rain, and our first warm day was 87 degrees and humid. Yuck! So between the weather and juggling our three kiddos, 4-years and under, we haven't gotten much done outside. This is our first spring in our new home so we have a project list a mile long. I have been scrambling to get our garden in so i can get the spring vegetables in. But then again, by the time that weather cooperates it will probably be too hot for spring veggies :( This has been a weird winter and spring for us!
ReplyDeleteNot sure where you are, but I am jealous of your weather. It's 2C here (what, 35F?) and raining. Would much rather have warm/hot than cold. Plants I find I don't kill easy are bleeding hearts, hostas (both nice shade plants), bee balm, and black eyed susans. Oh and perennial corn flowers. Yup I have a rainbow in my yard - I love it! I have bunch more that I'll be trying out this year too. I can't wait for some warm weather!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite in vinca, the white, made for heat hybrid. It's one of the few things that can stand our Texas sun and it comes back every year. After a freeze, I just cut it all back and next year it's bigger than ever.
ReplyDeletein full sun spirea and in shade hosta. i love your home and that you blog about it.
ReplyDeleteI love your window boxes. I am planning on adding some to our house now that the weather is warming up. Did you buy these or make them?
ReplyDeleteMy perennials are poppies. They are so carefree! I don't know how they'd do in IN, however. They're pretty much a dry climate flower. Not desert, but Rockie Mountains. Also, I love Peonies. Also (mostly) carefree and ones I think would be fine for IN. I have Gaillardias coming back this year, which I'm happy about. Again, they're more of a Rocky Mountain flower.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much it!
Love your window boxes. I just looking at my windows thinking I needed to do something similar to them!
I'm in Central IL and I had a very hard time finding potato vines too! I wonder what happened this year with the potato vines?
ReplyDeleteOne of your followers and you're one of my favorite bloggers! We've just purchased a second home and although the lush greenery out front is beautiful, I cannot wait to add azealas and colorful annuals!
ReplyDeleteTry Whirling Butterflies. Mine do well in partial shade, and bloom from April to October.
ReplyDeleteSo Pretty!!
ReplyDeleteYour house has lots of curb appeal!! Love the gorgeous blooms filling those boxes. We are barely hitting 20 degress celsius here on the prairies...hopefully some warmer days are instore for us :)
ReplyDeleteYour landscaping is so beautiful!love the color of your boxes and shutters! Beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteI love the window boxes! Fertilize your petunias every week and they should spill some.
ReplyDeleteI know you and hydrangeas don't get along, but have you tried Annabelles? They are so hardy! Cut them back or not, they'll still bloom!
I love Moonbeam coreopsis-they're so delicate looking and bloom for so long, yet are super hardy too. Peopnies are gorgeous for early spring. Creeping phlox is a gorgeous bodrer plant, especially with rocks. I also love Jackamanii clematis because it blooms like crazy! I could go on and on-I need a farm!
My favs...
ReplyDeletehosta
mums
lantana
HA! Those are my hubby's favorite words when he doesn't want to do something... "honey, you can't even notice that the shutters are a darker color" translates to "I really don't want to climb up the ladder and paint"... LOL!!
ReplyDeleteHey Sara...couldn't leave a comment the other day.
ReplyDeleteIf you want me to send you some potato vine... let me know and I will. I would love to. There are lots to be found around where I live!
That is sooooo funny that hubby says it is not noticeable. I know my husband always tries to use that line on me when he is trying to get out of something.:) I have a tree that we planted last year that I just NEED him to move three feet over...he too thinks no one will notice. UGH! Gotta love them
ReplyDeleteGreat job..beautiful flowers!!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your azaleas! I just purchased my first one last night and am SO excited to plant it. Then I looked online and got scared that they might be hard to work with. Your post gave me hope I can do it!! :)
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying hydrangeas. Landscaping is a new thing for me (other than putting plants in pots) and so far these have done really well! It's excited when everything starts budding and bloooming! We are in IL, so I hear you on the cold and rain this year!
The colors look so great together! I posted a little decorating/organizing tip today you and your readers might appreciate: http://agoodlifewelllived.blogspot.com/2011/05/frosting.html
ReplyDeleteI usually do the sweet potato vine with some coleus in the middle on my deck pots. Tt gets fabulously full and spills over the pots beautiful, and can handle full sun which is great for my deck! As for perennials, I have some sort of geranium that comes back every year and multiplies. It gets full with lots of little blooms and it blooms all summer...wish I could remember the name! I'll look it up and get back to you. I even put it in some pots and they have come back this year in the pots! I never water them and they don't die! I promise I'll get back to you or send you a picture of them if I can't figure it out.
ReplyDeleteThe outside of your home looks lovely. My plant suggestion would be a sedum. An upright variety. They do well in my current zone 3a garden as well as my previous zone 8. They require no care and once established rarely require watering. Almost impossible to kill. Come in a variety of flower and foliage colours. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteYour house looks beautiful. I love gardening and I'm learning bit by bit what looks great and how to actually plan a garden so it's balanced etc. For some reason my gardens look great but I kill houseplants regularly!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite perennials are:
Full Sun: rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susans), Coneflowers, Coreopsis, Sedum, Chocolate Boneset, Mums
Shade: Lungwort, hostas, Japanese Painted Fern, Astilbe
Your front looks fabulous! I love the color pink.
ReplyDeleteLooks great! I love spring clean-up...I also LOVE gardening, so I really enjoyed this post! I have never had much luck with azaleas (I'm in Cincinnati), but I sure do enjoy them when they are in bloom in others' yards. I would also like window boxes!
ReplyDeleteI love Cranesbill which is a perennial geranium. It has cute little blue/purple flowers and is very drought tolerant. In the fall, the leaves often turn bright red or orange.
ReplyDeleteRoses and Hydrangeas don't like me, either, but azaleas and lilies grow fabulously. We must have similar soil. Has to do (so I hear) with acidity or nutrients or something science-y. Phlox grows wonderfully (read: takes over) for me - the tall kind that has big pink, white, or purple 'balls' of blooms, similar to Cleomes. It is a perennial, and we're in northwest Wisconsin, so it's hardy. Bellflower is another that becomes sort of a bush, with delicate lavender-colored flowers. Can't kill it, either...or else mine would be dead due to my black thumb. Just a couple of ideas.
ReplyDeleteHi TDC, Can't open a comment form from your "Sprucing Up The Front" post so I'll tell you here my perennial recommendations: two that I love and don't see in every single garden are #1 (for foliage) lamb's ear "Stachys Byzantia"...charming furry gray-green leaves come back in bigger and bigger spreading clumps every year...in my opinion, flowers can be ugly so I look for the "Silver Carpet" variety and #2 (for flowers) Red Valerian "Centranthus Ruber" - more rosy pink in color than real red, they are carefree, long-blooming, medium height plants with an upright habit, clusters of small flowers and - if you trim them every now and then - a nice filler in the garden all season long.
ReplyDeleteOld Farm Market in Avon on the westside of Indy on U.S. 36 (Rockville Rd.) has sweet potato vine and other BEAUTIFUL flowers and plants.
ReplyDeleteIt will be worth the drive . . . :)
I am really enjoying the Knock Out Roses I planted about 3 weeks ago. They are already blooming like crazy! No pruning needed! Hopefully they will keep blooming during the upcoming Texas summer.
ReplyDeleteKnock out roses, astilbe, columbine and bleeding heart are some of my favorite perennials! All together you will get texture and different shapes and foliage plus some vivd colors.
ReplyDeleteI love all kinds of flowers (think jumbly English cottage garden), but some of my favorites are blush peonies, lambs ear, irises, columbine, blanket flower, and dahlias. And I always have to get some lantana for a pot even though it's an annual here in Virginia.
ReplyDeleteWe finally hit our frost-free date here, so this week I can finally go buy some plants! We just moved this winter, so this is the first of many seasons of landscaping updates.
I think it is really pretty with the pink and you can't go wrong with petunias and azaleas.
ReplyDeleteI love perennials, especially hardy ones. I've had really good luck with daylillies, irises, hosta, black eyed susans, and purple or white coneflowers. They are all so hardy and come back bigger and better each year. Hostas are for shade but the others are for full to part sun. And there are all different colors and hybrids of each one, so you aren't stuck with one color.
Good luck! ;)
Katie at Cayenne Paper
http://www.cayenne-paper.blogspot.com