Thank you for all your kind support through our front yard overhaul. We could not be happier with the newly mulched flower bed in front of our house. It is such an improvement of our curb appeal, and many neighbors stopped by to tell us how much they love and appreciate what we did. 🙂
Adding curb appeal has been a goal of ours from day one. It is not just about changing the appearance, but also to improve the function. The unsightly are often not maintained, which means they do not perform well or even cause issues to the house.
When we moved into our ranch last summer, the front of our house looked like this:
Immediately we could see three water issues: the flower bed right against the foundation, the sinking patio that directs rain water towards the house, and several rusty window wells failing to protect basement windows.
So, soon after we moved in, the foundation planting bed was removed. Last fall, we replaced old window wells, and graded around the foundation with drainage rocks.
To address the sinking patio issue, we had to remove the front patio completely. The rusty awning went with it, which might be our biggest curb appeal improvement yet!
Before winter hits, we also replaced the leaky roof and gutter, painted the soffit and fascia, and restored the front doors (1, 2, 3)
All these actions not only made the house water-tight, but also improved its appearance from the street. We went into out first winter with the front of the house looking like this:
And this is what the front entry looks like today. The glass storm door has been the pups’ favorite spot to look out:
Not too shabby, especially when compared to the Before:
This summer, we decided to give our front yard a large overhaul, consisting of the removal of >600 sqft turf, planting a privacy hedge, and adding a retaining wall and a dry creek.
And today, our front yard look like this:
Instead of this:
We packed 64 perennials in this 600 sqft space during the last 6 weeks. It is nice to see all of them started taking roots and showing growth. Here is a short video walk-through of the garden area:
The mulched flower beds and evergreens not only improve the curb appeal, but also save irrigation water and are more inviting to native wild life. We want our house to be a safe haven not only for us and our two dogs, but also for native insects, birds, and small mammals that need a home they deserve.
These arborvitaes were planted at the peak of the summer in 95 degree heat. They definitely struggled a bit during the first a few weeks. But most of them bounced back nicely and have put on an inch or more new growth.
The mock orange we planted last weekend:
The winter berries were planted a month ago. They did not grow taller, but are definitely getting denser around the base.
This dwarf pine was also planted in the middle of summer, but has been growing fiercely.
This sandcherry was the last one planted, just five days ago. It is still recovering but I have high hopes for some delicious berries next Summer.
Of course we had to have Colorado’s state grass – the Blue Grama grass – in our yard:
And the Shenandoah switch grasses have already started coloring up for Fall. So pretty.
These larkspur and bubblemint hyssop were planted last weekend. And guess what – they bloomed!
More hyssop – they bloom red and have a more low-mount form.
Isn’t this silver brocade sage gorgeous?
Penstemon, butterfly weed, and sedums. Love the colors!
So GORG:
We also planted lots ground covers, including prairie winecups, creeping phlox, and veronica:
To make the garden more inviting to wild life, we put in a bird feeders and bird bath. We also installed drip irrigation and a new hose reel to make watering easier.
This area under the mailbox did not get as much attention this year, but the plants we put in have done very well.
Here we have two rosemary plants, one lavender, a red hot poker, and a rose bush:
Here is another short video in which I talk you though the additional upgrades in the front yard, including the under-the-mailbox planting:
I hope you enjoy to see our “new” front yard in these videos. They are filmed just yesterday so this is truly what our yard looks like now. We are proud of this little corner garden in the making, and hope you like it too. Please consider to start a pollinator garden, put out a bird feeder, or add a bee house too! I just learned that native pollinators feed up to three-story high, so even you are living in an apartment, they can benefit from your flowers too!
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