In The Garden...

Hickory Hill Farm Side Garden - After

I thought you might like to see how I managed to get sunburned on Monday. I told Handsome that, sixteen years in Florida never yielded such a burn. His response was that I never spent that much time in our yard in Florida. (He's right!) We started this project around 11 on Monday morning and worked until dinner time. Then, another full day on Tuesday, finishing up.

So, here's the mostly half completed side garden we created on Monday and Tuesday. I'll show you how we started, along with a few more photos of the project.

Hickory Hill Farm Side Garden - Before

Our side yard next to the house was nice, but I had an idea for changing the area around the "friends and family" entrance. I have three phases in mind, and we decided to tackle phase one now. It involved creating this garden right next to the house.

Phase two and three will also be part of this area. Phase two will be a walkway from the back entrance to the side porch walkway and stairs. I'd like flat stones or pavers with wild thyme growing between them. Phase three will be to do more of the grassy area that would be closer to the driveway. We probably won't tackle that until next spring...but you never know!

Sod Removal Garden Prep

First, we had to remove the extra sod in the planting area. I started that job with a shovel, but that lovely grass was happy there, and the sod was thick! John Deere and Handsome to the rescue! Even so, removal took a while. In the end, we created the perfect arc of open ground to begin our transformation.

Adding The Mulch

I chose to plant a small herb garden closest to the back door. We planted cilantro, rosemary and basil in a row next to the concrete. My plan is to add chamomile and lavender in the open area in the middle, along with some daisies in memory of Mom.

We planted hostas around the outside arc, and hollyhocks (!!!) along the wall. We also left the chrysanthemums and tulips that were there before we started. The mums will bloom in fall, and then the tulips will return next spring.

As the hostas fill in, my plan is to add forget-me-nots in front of them to add more color. I'll likely plant a few more flowers that will appeal to our hummingbirds, too.

My Succulent Dump Truck Garden

I'd seen a cute Pinterest image that I shared on Facebook, showing a child's metal toy filled with succulents as a planter. Sherry saw my post and within days, Andy brought down a sweet, well-loved and rusty metal dump truck toy for the garden. I filled it with hen and chicks, and I think it's just perfect for this garden. (The white "specks" in this picture are water drops from the sprinkler.)

Hickory Hill Farm Side Garden - "Mostly" Finished

I thought I'd repaired the broken basin for my acorn birdbath (the one that a raccoon broke in Florida), but once I had the water in it, it broke again. I must try another fix, and hope the next repair holds. Otherwise, I'll have to get a new top for my pedestal. It didn't re-break until after this picture.

My copper piece is a sprinkler that spins. It's gorgeous when it's spraying, but the spray puts almost as much water on the house as it does on the ground. I'll find something that's not quite so aggressive, and put this one in another place where the birds and I can enjoy it.

The hummingbirds drank from the feeder the whole time we were working, and are happy we're through interrupting their visits now. We even had two male Baltimore Orioles stop by yesterday! I'll be adding oranges and grape jelly to the birdy buffet in the next few days.

I didn't want to overwhelm you with all the photos I've taken in the past few days, so I'll share more of the wonders Hickory Hill Farm has offered up for us when you come back tomorrow.

I'm going now to see if I can find the aloe in our still-packed boxes for my sunburn. Otherwise, I'm going to have to make a quick trip to our local Walgreens. If I do, I'll be picking up that chamomile for the garden. hmmmmm I think I'll head out now. The sooner I plant the chamomile, the sooner I'll have home-brewed tea. Gotta run!