Wow — you guys are all so very cool. Thank you SO much for all of your wonderful comments on my giveaway. I’ve had a great time reading every one of them — some of you are pretty darn funny too. Those of you who are regulars here know that I try pretty hard to answer all of my comments, but I always call a truce on giveaways. I’d like to figure out how to possibly visit all of the new-to-me blogs that have made such kind comments. Wish me luck! If you haven’t been here in a few days (or ever ;-) ), scroll down to the next post and enter my little giveaway if you’re interested.
In the meantime, after the mulch post, I had a few requests to show you what we could possibly be doing with all that mulch. And several of you suggested that all that mulch must be indicative of some sort of gorgeous garden. Around here though, it’s more the case of lots of trees that block the sunlight that keeps the grass growing. If we had more sunlight, I’d hope to have a ton of flowers like so many of you do (Isabelle, Miss Jean, and Mrs. Staggs, just to name a few. And MyDadLovesMeBestSister — you should seeee her garden this year!) Anyway, we end up mulching to keep the weeds down. This first picture shows two of our larger beds. You can see the struggling grass around them. We’ll probably try to re-seed in the fall (we’ve found that re-seeded grass in the spring just dies in the summer heat.)
Here’s one of two beds by the front door. There used to be a few more hostas and bleeding hearts in this bed, but some obnoxious friendly bunny has had his way with them. Hopefully by the end of summer the impatiens will be big and pretty.
A very hard to decipher bed in the front yard. The big unruly bushes are a variety of hydrangea and towards the front is that wild grass stuff that sends up tassels — it will be almost as tall as me by the fall.
My favorite bed, with a sideview of the wild grass bed in the background. This bed actually gets lots of sunlight during the day. Coneflowers to the left and some lilies that will be pretty and pink in July on the right. I’m hoping they’ll bloom this year — it’s hard to tell from this angle but my buddy the Ugly Tree has grown up over those lilies. It’s almost like he’s protecting them. I wish I had small children around — they’d love to make a little playhouse under the Ugly Tree. (Btw, the last time I called it the Ugly Tree I had several comments saying it wasn’t ugly at all. I think it’s a Weeping Norway Spruce and I think it’s a beautiful tree too, but TheManoftheHouse hates it and so we jokingly call it the Ugly Tree. All his taste is in his mouth.)
There are borders along the house and hedges and other random trees that require lots of mulch.
Our hydrangea bed. The mulch edging here is looking a little ragged — apparently we had a big downpour here today (which explains the leaves and crud all over the mulch under the trees) and that edge becomes a trough where the mulch attempts to float away.
This is about 1/3 of this bed. I just finished planting the begonias tonight which will wrap up the spring planting this year (Yay! — except for a quick planting this weekend of some hollyhock seeds that Jody sent me last fall — I’m really excited to see if I can actually grow them!) When we first moved here, this bed got some good sun but now it only gets about 2 hours each day. The peonies on the left get almost no sun, yet they still manage to bloom (see the big pretty buds?) The daisies have been blooming with very little sun too — we’ve been really lucky.
So, now you know where all that mulch went. And we mustn’t forget Winnie and the herb bed. They’re very happy tonight as we had some good rain today.
We’re escaping on Saturday to collect TheSecondChild and move him back home. We’ve all missed him and we’ll be glad to have him back here for a little bit until he finds gainful employment. Paulkitty is especially excited and has been keeping his bed warm — that mean ol’ EmptyNestChild won’t let Paul on our bed at night. ;-( I hope you all have a great weekend and we’ll see you back here on Monday with a giveaway winner!
XOXO,
Anna
Oh P.S. I almost forgot to tell you I had one of those breath catching moments this morning just before I left for work. I glanced out my back windows just as a beautiful small coyote trotted through the yard — in one side and out the other. At first I thought he was a little fox but as he ran right by me I could see his mottled coat. I think his size and un-scraggly coat meant he was pretty young. My first instinct was to grab my camera, but I realized that if I ran for it, I would miss him, so I just stood there and enjoyed the moment. And I was happy the cats are indoor cats. ;-)
That IS a lot of mulch, but you have a lot of beds to much…and pretty beds they are. Everything looks so neat and tidy and I’m sure by July, all those flowers and shrubs will be thick and full and gorgeous.
A job well done, I say!
Jody
welcome home secondchild!
i LOVE YOUR YARD!!!!!!
i LOVE seeing wildlife… except i might be a little freaked out by a coyote in my yard. at least he was small.
oh, btw, i’m the FIRST COMMENTER!
i think i win a cupcake pendant or something!
:waves madly
JODY!!!
she typed faster than me, but i still win the pendant cuz i was reading the whole post and she just said your yard looked nice. she didn’t comment on second child, the coyote, nothing but the mulch. she clearly just read the title and looked at the pics.
okay, so i’m kidding!
oh your yard looks fantabulous.
and i love the winnie the pooh.
pure cuteness.
how cool about the coyote.
I missed your giveaway but it appears have been a huge success. That’s alot of mulch – WOW!!!
Nice mulching, you have a beautiful yard. I’m a tree and shrub kind of girl not that I don’t like flowers, I do, but different shades of green are pretty in their own right. Have fun bringing TheSecondChild home.
I love those ugly trees! I always wanted one, but never got one in CO. So, it will probably be awhile before I get one.
Oh, what a dear, dear little Pooh! And do I see Eeyore in an earlier photo? Those are just lovely. :o)
And Anna, there are thousands of shade/understory plants. Thousands. You can have something growing under the trees, instead of mulching. Google knows!
You have such a large garden – no wonder you needed so much mulch! I love the Winnie the Pooh statue:)
Your garden looks wonderful!
What a beautiful large garden you have! And to find a coyote in your garden … that is just unbelievable!!! I’m pleased you will have one of the kids back with you for a while at least … maybe he would like to meet our Lisa???? ;)
Wow, you have such a beautiful garden! My whole garden is about the size of your flower beds! We’re lucky if we get sparrows in it , but a coyote…I’m so jealous xx
Your yard looks awesome…the beds are beautiful! Now you can sit back and enjoy!
Your mulching efforts really paid off, the beds look terrific!! Everything looks so green and springlike. Too bad winter is only a week away… oops meant to say two weeks! LOL. No seriously this is my absolute favorite time of the year and you made it look fantastic.
I think your garden is lovely, really lovely. Though I am particularly taken with Winnie the Pooh guarding your herbs. I like hiding little creaturea around my garden – I’m never likely to have a big statement piece, but fairies hidden in the undergrowth appeal to the tiny people who share our house :-)
Thank you for sharing your beautiful yard with us! I especially love Pooh…so cute. Be careful gathering up 2nd child this weekend. I’m sure Paul will be glad to have his Dad back!
your garden is beautiful! we’ve just mulched all our gardens too – this batch of mulch has been ultra-smelly though, so we are holding our breath until the smell clears *lol* toni :O) xxx
You have been busy…It’s looking good. I have yet to see a coyote in our yard but the neighbor has and I’m glad your cats were indoors too. Have a great weekend, we’re off to Door County for the very first time.
Your yard is like mine…lots of trees to mulch around and spotty grass. We keep trying to grow grass, but the moss does much better here! Have fun moving your son home and I hope he finds employment soon. And if he hears of any job leads….ask him to send the extras to my son! :o)
Wow! Huuuuuuuuge garden! No wonder you needed all that mulch! And how lovely that you got to see the coyote (not that I know what one looks like!) Lucy x
Beautiful yard and gardens. Shady or not. I hate mulching. Glad we only have to do it every other year.
Everything looks so much like here! Thanks for sharing. ;o) oxox`jod
Thanks for the garden mention, dear Anne. But your yard looks massive and so manicured – it’s beautiful. You mid-westerners have such nice large yards. Mine is small. Of course if I had a bigger yard, then I would be crippled for sure. I never know when to stop. God bless Motrin!
Anna, your yard looks great! That mulch really sets off your planting beds. I know it was a lot of hard work, but it really does pay off in so many ways.
I hope those hollyhocks sprout for you! I grew some in a flower bed by our front door when we lived in Minnesota, and even though I’m not famed for green thumbs or such, they were gorgeous! Made me feel like I was SO in tune with Mother Earth! If I can grow them, I know you can! They also only got full sun for a few hours in the morning. I’ll be watching for photos!
Oh, that must have been so cool seeing a coyote. I love unexpected glimpses of wildlife.
I just noticed the number of comments you have for your giveaway. Wow! I’d say it’s a huge success :-)
The garden is looking great! The mulching job was fantastic! I don’t envy you that task – but then when you have beautiful trees like weeping spruces and coyotes wandering through your yard I can understand why you are keeping it so tidy! I’m off to tidy up the countryside this weekend and the weather is looking sunny and warm!
Good heavens to Betsy, you live in an estate! A forested estate. Wow. Can I have some of your garden, please? My tiny patch would fit inside one of your beds.
I don’t even know what a coyote looks like. And I’m not going to find out right now because I must go and mark papers…
I’ve just been catching up on your posts! I love the hill with the flags. It is beautiful and poignant. Your yard is amazing!! And lucky you to see that coyote! I only wish my yard looked as nice. I find myself having to make choices- Clean inside? Clean outside? Do laundry? Sew? The outside seems to be the loser quite a bot lately. Maybe it’s time I made that my only choice. :)
You have just the type of yard that I love. Big old trees shading the cool grass. With lots of shade loving plants like hostas. And you have so many hydrangeas! It’s all going to look so beautiful when it’s blooming. I’m jealous that you’re about done with your planting. I’m battling blackberry bushes that are overtaking the whole side of my yard. Those things have sharp thorns that are trying to kill me. If only muscles LeFleur could come and help me cut them down..x xoxo
Your yard looks lovely. There are lots of shade plant you can plant. Here in the south I like the big red leaf cladiums. they give lots of color in the shade. By the way – enjoy moving your SecondChild. I sliced my leg open last wed. moving my FirstChild from onee college apartment to another! Stitches really hurt!
Wow, those beds look pretty weed free…I am impressed. They also look very organized. I use mulch around my big trees because no grass will survive near them.
WOW!!! what a beautiful yard and garden. It looks like the botanical gardens you lucky thing you. I just LOVE it when I get a delivery of mulch. It all looks tucked up and beautiful.
Wiley E. Coyote, huh? Maybe he likes the new mulch.
We have coyotes around here too, but Ive never seen one–but I hear them many nights in the woods behind our house. They’re not native to our area, but they don’t know that apparently. ;)
your garden is HUGE and I love it — we have a concrete yard with a little raised bed , and a s for wildlife all we get are seagulls on the roof — I’m so envious
I was wondering where that hot steaming huge pile of mulch went! The mystery is solved, thank you very much!
Your garden looks very professional and tidy!
I would make a garden house under the ugly tree. I’d have the bunny and the coyote over for tea – maybe not on the same day, and we could make daisy necklaces. You, of course, would be invited to come over any time but especially when you brought some of those lemon cookies along.
Wow, the beds and gardens area beautiful. Lots to mulch but oh-so pretty.
Great photos too.
Looks wonderful Anna! I was babysitting last night for Payton and we saw a Deer in the field behind their house it was really cool, they had not seen any out there before. I thought of you with your wildlife.
You mulch girl, I mean you go girl! Your gardens look wonderful, are those chives I see in your herb garden, mine have finished blooming already. Your Spruce Tree is wonderful, I love evergreens! Have fun moving your son back home.
What a beautiful yard and garden!
What gorgeous garden! I don’t eny you and your DH spreading all that mulch! At least its a sign that summer is on its way!
I love your yard!! Way to mulch!!! Just wonderful and so peaceful. I was just over at Miss Jean’s house today and had a serious drool attack – dern ner chocked it was so serious. Her yard is so pretty with, gosh…I don’t know…over 100 pots of flowers. Talk about flower envy….was I breaking a Commandment? Anywho, miss visiting you and hope you are doing fab-u-lous. Thanks for your friendship.
xo
Becky
Beautiful Anna – that’s lots of back breaking work I’m sure. LOVE the pooh bear tucked in – way cute. Hope the moving went well – won’t it be nice having him home :) – for awhile, lol.
Hugs – Karen
Love your yard!
Love your new banner! Oh, love your mulch and yard too (especially your lawn ornaments). xoxox Junie
Wow, your gardening efforts are really paying off as it all looks so beautiful.
I’m glad you chose to just stay and watch the little coyote instead of running for the camera. Sometimes that’s all we need to do, just relish the moment. Good for you!
Sure looks like all your hard work has paid off. Your flowerbed look wonderful.
Your yard is beautiful Anna. Maybe someday mine will look like that too. Maybe a couple years from now. :-)
Your yard is gorgeous! It looks like a park. I love that Pooh has room in your garden – he looks very happy sitting there.
Hi Anna,
wow, you’ve got a gorgeous garden…shouldn’t show these pictures to my mini balcony…”he” would get green (lol) with envy…
Hugs, Julia