It’s been a few weeks since we moved to our new house, and although we’re still not completely unpacked I have lots of house-related things on the brain as I dream about all the updates and improvements I’d love to make to our home. I hope you won’t mind if I share some of my thoughts with you from time to time? And since spring has firmly arrived here in DC, I thought I’d start with my plans for our outdoor spaces!
1. Patio; 2. Rain Spout Trellis; 3. Foundation Garden; 4. Foundation Garden; 5. Camellias; 6. Herb Garden
Outdoor space wasn’t a high priority when we first started looking for houses, but somehow ended up with a house with a bit of green space in both the front and back! Our back yard is more of a patio with a large area of paver stones and a smaller space for planting, but it should be more than enough for my limited gardening skills. We’re planning to fill our space with some of our favorite flowers and shrubs, including lilacs, English garden roses, peonies, and hellebores. I’m also hoping to train a few vines (I’m thinking jasmine and clematis) around the yard and perhaps even create some narrow raised beds for herbs and select veggies along the fence. My goal is to create a colorful and fragrant little oasis for eating and grilling outdoors during warm weather months.
TOP ROW: Roses, Peonies, Lilacs
BOTTOM ROW: Phlox, Jasmine, Hellebores
In our front yard, the previous owners left us a mystery rosebush (I can’t wait to see what color blooms emerge soon!) against the foundation and some wonderfully fragrant lavender closer to the sidewalk, but there are some bare patches to fill. The front yard receives lots of direct sunlight in the morning, so I’m thinking of doing pretty spring-blooming phlox next to the lavender and a colorful foundation garden under the mystery roses. The yard in front of our old apartment was completely shaded by a giant old maple tree, so I’m excited to have a full sun area to dig into!
Are any of you planning new garden projects for spring?
How exciting, Nole! Plants love morning sun so your front garden should do well. You’re lucky to have a cozy space in the back yard to dine too.
Thanks so much Ann!
Congrats on settling in. Can’t wait to see how your garden grows. I can’t seem to keep most plants alive for long but I can marvel at your talents instead 🙂
Thanks Stefanie! I don’t have the best track record at keeping plants alive either, particularly once the brutal DC summer heat sets in, but I’m going to give it my best shot! Hopefully it’ll work out!
I’m loving this “at home” post, keep them up! I want to plant pretty flowers in my yard, but we get ZERO sun 🙁
Hey Shelby! I can totally relate – the garden at our last place was completely shaded, too. It took me a long time to figure out what worked in our space, but depending on your climate there are some pretty shade flowers to consider. I’d be happy to do a post with some options if you think it would be helpful!