Frugal Yardwork and Beautiful Weather - A Perfect Combination!

The weather here in Richmond, VA is absolutely glorious today! It was yesterday as well for which I am so grateful.  I got all my 'running around' errands done yesterday and today I spent about 3 hours in the yard. Since my son is out of town for a few weeks, I accompanied my husband to the county landfill for more free mulch.  Call me crazy, but I just love the scent of fresh mulch:)

When we moved in to the house there were petunias around the mailbox and we've always replanted petunias. This year I decided on all white because I wasn't sure what colors I was going to have in the perennial bed in the front and I already had my pansies planted. I didn't want too many different colors going on!

My son had worked for weeks in the big mulched area in front of our house, pulling weeds and raking and cleaning up. It was long, hot, hard work but I think it was worth the effort -- we'll see if he agrees when I show him the pictures on Sunday when we visit him at school:)

The mulch my husband and I spread today was the third load from the land fill. In some of the pictures you'll see darker mulch. I had just watered the plants and the newer mulch is the darker color.

The family that originally owned our house spent a great deal of time and money planting and landscaping the yard. That was three owners ago though and in the passing years, the yard was maintained but no one really did any thinning out or clearing out or planning ways to enhance much of the overgrown plantings. (Not a criticism, just an observation!)

Last year we worked on mulching and weeding and I planted some pansies and some hostas we got for free from a friend. My husband also trimmed a couple of the trees in the front yard back, sprayed the red tips in the back yard and did some other routine maintenance.

This year though, we're kicking it into high gear! I divided some of our hostas and we received more hostas from another friend a couple of weeks ago. My husband cut back the azaleas and pulled up a couple of dead ones. I've been breaking off all the dead limbs of the azaleas and sprucing them up.

 Then my husband and son cut down a small grove (seriously, at least 8 small trees) of maple trees that had germinated from the original. That was backbreaking but again, worth the effort! The grove is just out of the frame of the following picture of the "jungle."

Our "front yard jungle" is about 1/2 of what it was several weeks ago! There's a beautiful weeping willow and a crepe myrtle that have been over-whelmed by the maple shoots, vines growing in the grass and heaven knows what else! They're both very happy to have some breathing room.

 The giant holly bush is going to be out by the end of the summer (my husband promised) and then we'll work on that end of the front yard. Facing our house, the jungle is on the far right hand side of the yard.

Last year I focused  most of my attention on the back yard and the gardens that had not been maintained. We have another bed that isn't doing much this year, and I think I'm going to just let it be for now.

I love the perennial garden that I put in over the last two years. It has come in so nicely this year and I'm hoping my front bed will do the same by next year.

 We received these two peppers and tomato plant from a friend who didn't have room in his garden. They're in pots on our deck and doing very well.

 Besides the free peppers and tomato plant we received, my husband bought some tomato plants and we started some out in the rose bed and a few in another bed in the back yard. Those in the other bed didn't get enough sun so we moved them in to the three containers on the back porch.

My brother-in-law actually made these two stone pots and the we inherited the huge pot that has white petunias and a tomato plant in it when we bought the house.

The tomato/rose garden needs to be watered, and the poor roses need some serious attention, but the tomatoes are growing well. The roses will be a project for later in the summer, I guess.