My Personal Landscaper

I don't have a green thumb. I never have. In fact, I've once killed a cactus plant, which is shameful since they really don't need much water. Hubby, on the other hand, has mad skills with gardening. He can grow veggies, plants, trees and anything else he wants, and it turns out beautiful.

So when Hubby brought up the idea of re-landscaping our yard this year, I was a little leery. Ok... a lot leery. Not at his skills, but knowing that I'd have to keep up with his pace of remodling our yard. Don't get me wrong. I love being outdoors. But I cringe at the idea of weeding and doing back-breaking work on something that only lasts for a few months. 

So we came to a compromise. In addition to planting the garden this year, I'd help him re-landscape, if we were able to find plants/shrubs that would be low-maintenance with a majority of them being evergreen (so we get to see green prettiness throughout the year).

This year's garden includes corn, tomatoes, jalapenos, beans, peas, acorn squash and strawberries.

Our first project: The Rock Garden. This 15 ft. x 20 ft. space in our backyard has always been overgrown with weeds and in the spring time sprouts random flowers. It got it's name from all the random rocks placed in and around the weeds. 

Before: The Rock Garden

In total Hubby dug up at least 20 rocks (the size of a basketball, or larger). It was super fun (insert sarcastic smirk here). In fact, it even had Hubby wincing a little. But we had a goal in mind - make a landscaped area where we could place a nice bench for the nana's to sit on while the grandkid(s) play in the back yard.

Once dug up and cleaned out, Hubby layered the rocks to make a tiered plant garden with a spot set out specifically for the future bench. CB helped us with the placement of the bench.

Mid-Project: Hubby and Charlie placing the bench

Then came the fun part - picking the plants. I wish we could say we totally had it planned out. But being true to our personalities, we went to the store, saw some fun stuff we liked (that was evergreen) and guessed on how much we would need. Thankfully, it turned out to be the right mix and number of plants.

After: The Rock Garden, view from our deck

After: Bench is ready for some Nana's to visit

After: Hubby even added steps through the garden.

One project down and what seems like a billion to go. More pictures to come as we tackle the next project: The Front Island.