Our Lovely Landscape
While we have been finishing up the interior of the home on Washington Street in Garland, a dear friend helped out on a major project for the exterior - namely the landscape. Jeff Raska, whose day job is a horticulturalist with Texas A&M Agricultural Extension, spent a couple of afternoons creating some botanical icing on our cake.
Jeff began by assessing the original layout of the home's shrubs. The front and west sides of the home were flanked by large boxwood hedges that had grown to over 4' tall and were interlaced with trash, weeds and sticker vines. The hedges were planted several feet from the house which created a perfect hiding spot for potential burglars. Initially we trimmed the hedges to a more reasonable height and tried to pull as much of the vine as we could but it still looked like a tangled mess. Eventually the decision was finally made to remove the whole hedgerow and start fresh. Though we all felt a bit sad to cut down something that had been there for many years, we just couldn't make it work.
Jeff brought out his long-handled Corona loppers and made short work of the removal process. One of the hardest issues was trimming back the remaining stumps with a Sawzall, making sure to cut through the main roots to prevent regrowth. Afterwards, multiple sheets of cardboard were laid over the bare ground to stop all weeds and sticker vine.
Approximately 8" deep Texas Pure hardwood mulch from Rooster Home & Hardware was then shoveled on top of the cardboard. Haydite blocks, which had originally been laid in a straight line around the old hedge, were salvaged and reinstalled in a gentle curve that softened the look of the new beds.
For plants, Jeff chose a combination of natives and adapted species including Red Yucca, Salvia, Texas Sage, Red Canna and annual red and purple salvia for accent color. Originally, we added some purple asters too but the hot Texas sun baked them within a few days :(
When the home's foundation had been repaired earlier in the project, we had saved four of the vintage telephone pole foundation blocks. They became a backdrop for some flowers – and we also added a few stumps from the original boxwood shrubs. Several clay pavers from Home Depot were used as walking paths and to create a pad for storing the water hose.
What an improvement now that the front of the home has been aligned with a new porch post, updated red front door, stained concrete, fresh paint on the siding, new windows, shutters and mailbox - and trimmed with a stunning landscape! Thanks so much to Jeff Raska and all of our friends who helped out with their amazing hard work and advice!!!
