Things Going on at the Side of the House...and a Side Trip

The transformation of the side of the house began some weeks ago. It was the one side never painted, because it boasts (well, boasted) HUGE gardenia bushes that I was reluctant to prune until after bloom time. The problem is that I made that decision LAST year and the pruning and painting never happened. This year, Eric was ready to paint, and I had to make the grown-up decision to forgo flowers. So, Eric pruned the bushes drastically, to allow access to the house. I really should have taken a "before" picture. They were wild and crazy big.




Soon the side of the house will be the same color as the rest of the house. Goodbye, pinky-beige!



Eric makes the little house look even littler.



The end of a pinky-beige era.



Now it's my turn. I've wanted to do something with the side forever. This is my chance. At this point, it's more plan than action, but the supplies have been purchased. Like my little green wagon? I love it!



The planting is tricky since the phone line runs through the planting bed (and all the rest of the buried lines come in to the right of this bed). If I cut the wire, goodbye, internet!



A little progress, but I have to call it quits for the day. Other things must get done, too.



A week later:



We interrupt this narrative to show the azaleas just to the right of the planting bed. They only bloom a few days, so we have to appreciate them while we can.



I finished the work the same day as the last photo, but the sun had gone down too much to get a good picture. One week later the impatiens are filling in, but the zinnia on the left side is dying. It's supposed to be a perennial.

I hope that the flowers will fill in to the point that they touch and form one long line of red blooms.

I'm a little worried about the gardenias because they haven't put out much new growth. Next Saturday will be the next time that I'll be home on a watering day (water restrictions only allow us two specific days per week), so I'll put the sprinkler on the bed. That might help.

And yes, raking those leaves is on the to-do list. But not at the top.



Finally, a side trip to the other side yard, where my first raspberries have arrived. Yippee!