What a difference a couple of weeks makes

It's still a little chilly here but spring has definately shown it's presence. I'm amazed at how much change has happened in just a few weeks in our yard. Since we bought the house this past December, we really had no idea what kind of foliage would grace our grounds come spring. It's said that you should wait a year before you go digging things up and planting new to really get an idea of the pre-existing landscape. We've done that to a certain extent—you can't keep me from digging and planting—and have been pleased with what we've discovered.

I took this picture on the left on April 11th and at that point had no idea what it was going to be. I made a couple of guesses based on leaf structure and bud formation, but when these babies finally started to bloom I discovered I was wrong on all counts. They weren't hyacinth or daffodils as I had originally hypothesized but instead are the ever so lovely, lily of the valley.



I snapped this image on the right of one in bloom on April 27th.



One of the other great mysteries in the yard was what was coming up out back below the yews. This one really stumped me, because I had never seen anything like it before. We now know what it is—peony—but have been enamored with it's growth none the less.

This first image was shot on April 11th. Such tiny unassuming buds they were.

Just 16 days later it looked like this.

Look how freakin' big that thing is. It's in a terrible spot and will be moved to a better locale in the fall.

Here's a shot from the top. Look at all the buds that have already formed (indicated by the red circles). I don't know what color they'll be but am anxious for a bloom or two to pop.


Along the fence on the side of the house there are four bushes. At first we thought they were ornamental plums. Once again we were wrong. They are Sandcherries and are pretty to look at and smell great—kind of sweet like candy.

A shot of the bush up close.

And one of a single branch.

My favorite thing in the yard has to be the Japanese Maples. There are two of them—one in the front and one on the side—and they are this gorgeous fire red. Each one probably stands about 10 feet tall and look fantastic against the white house and the green foliage in the yard. This is the one out front—taken on April 27th. See all those red circles? Those are weeds that I've pulled like three times already. Josh finally broke down and sprayed them with some weed killer and yesterday we mulched the island area around the tree. It looks kick ass now. In the blue circle are the hostas that I planted. Right now they're small and a bit pathetic, but, once they fill in they'll look really good.


Here's a close-up shot of a branch from the tree on the side (which you can see right in front of the white car in the previous picture if you look closely.



All in all I'm really happy with the landscape in our yard. It has so much potential for greatness and after we've been here a couple of years we will surely have the best looking yard on the block. Our neighbors are going to love us. Here's one last shot looking back at our yard from across the street. If I do say so myself, it's a beautiful shot. Look at all the saturated color. The big tree on the left, behind the Blue Spruce, is a Norway Maple—by far the biggest tree in the yard. Oh yeah, that stick in the foreground (see the circle of dirt?) is the tree that Josh and I planted on April 5th. It doesn't look like much, but it does have leaves on it and seems to be doing well.

Hope you enjoyed the tour and had a fabulous weekend. Monday is finals day for me, so I'll catch up with all of you if I have a chance. If not, I'll be back on Tuesday with my 100th post.