We are on a corner lot. The front door and driveway face a busy street but that is not the street that is our address.  On this side the lot is actually a city block long.  We have a small fenced yard behind the kitchen, a small yard that is technically the front yard, a side yard that faces the busy road and a long section that stretches from the driveway to the street behind us. It is hard to know what to call each section of our yard.  The whole thing was beyond a mess when we arrived.  The lawn is mostly weeds and little grass.  The landscaping contains mostly weeds that were feet high.  There are several trees in the backyard and beside the house that had never had a trim and were taking over their little corners of the world.  At one point there had been a water feature in the long back yard and another in the fenced part of the back yard.  We also were the owners of a chicken coop.

The priorities when we arrived were to get the house unpacked and have functioning plumbing and heating systems.  Both are still a work in progress but enough has been done that we can comfortably (though slightly inconvenienced) live in the house.

Eventually our attention turned to some outside improvements.  Our suburban home we left behind had a pool and a hot tub.  I am not sure if the pool will be an option here in the future but we knew the hot tub had to be replaced.  We took down the chicken coop and built a small concrete paver pad to put in the new hot tub.

About a week after we arrived, construction on our busy side street began.  That is a separate post but part of that project required removing the original sand stone sidewalk sections.  Homeowners were offered the stones from their property if they wanted them.  We kept all of ours and then some.  More later about that!  Matt used some of the broken pieces to make a nice patio around the hot tub.

We split a bunch of the hosta from my old garden ( I may have a small hosta problem and I couldn’t leave then all behind) and planted them in the “rock garden” for now.  I am not sure this will be their permanent home but it is shady and a big improvement in the yards appearance.

Next Matt’s brother (the landscape architect!) took pity on our yard while he was visiting and he tackled the front flower beds and tree trimming projects.  The yard now is vastly improved and no longer the worst garden in the neighborhood.

Crazy overgrown tree, trimmed. Yard space doubled. Really, it was that overgrown.

There is a front door! Who knew?

“Volunteer” trees gone

Weeds cleared, ready for some proper landscaping

A few keepers found buried in the weeds

The garden is still in need of attention but it is greatly improved.  Several neighbors have been kind enough to express gratitude that we are here and that the house and yard are finally getting some love.  At least now it is a less neglected garden!