Sprucing up the front

Everyone knows how much I LOVE my house. I love every single thing about it, and love to make it look inviting and pretty, both inside and out.

Many of our neighbors have been living here for many years; some have been here since the early sixties when they were just building the houses. So those neighbors have the most beautiful yards, full of big, gorgeous trees and lush perennial gardens, full of blooms and colour, and incredible landscaping. I see it, and that is what I want to see here in our yard too!

Last year, I planted perennials out front like a crazy person! I bought rose bushes in every colour (all beautifully scented of course- I can't have a rose that doesn't smell good!) and I filled the space with things I thought would give us lots of variety and colour.

It was a good plan. But I realized that plan depends a LOT on the weather. Our January and February were so mild, that the plants and trees thought it was spring and started too early. Having cold snow and ice in March and April messed the cycle up, and many of my flowers just didn't come up this year.

Being a new gardener, I have decided to wait it out another year before digging the failed plants up. I will keep my fingers crossed- I am hoping that this coming year brings more cooperative weather.

I have some vision for our front yard and am planning to do some landscaping before next spring- but I will need a little help and guidance with that... lol Rich gets a little nervous thinking about me digging up sprinkler heads and such!

So, in the interest of keeping things looking nice in the meantime, I thought I would add a few little details to the front to dress it up. I went to a little antique shop in Littleton, called Vandel Antiques. It has the most wonderful variety of things for sale, and is a terrific place to go when you need garden things! The owner, Sandy, is a friend of my next-door neighbor, and just a sweetheart. I found JUST what I was looking for!

I got a little bistro set for the front porch, a couple of small chair frames to hold flower pots, a sweet little birdbath, and a wind chime. I was so thrilled! We have a hummingbird theme going on now... lol While I was at O'Tooles, the best garden center in the city (and great supporter of the Columbine Music program), I found a daisy tree that just finished off the porch perfectly. I hung new flags (the old ones were faded after hanging outside for three years) and added some new mulch to finish things off.

Now I am content to wait; and I have a lovely place to do it!