Changes: Then And Now Pictures Of Our Yard

I thought I would show you some of what Spring is doing in our yard.  I took this picture of the beautiful colors one evening last week.

The colors are pretty.  But to fully appreciate it, you almost have to see what it was like when we first looked at this place in late March of 2003.

We planted some redbud trees as well as shade trees.  We’ve also put in lots of flower beds. 

I’m so glad we took lots of pictures before we bought the house.  It is rewarding to look back now and see all the changes.

If you stand by the garage and look out across the front yard, this is how it looks.  It’s a beautiful morning here.  There is always something blooming.  Right now, it’s Phlox and Irises, mostly.  And the redbud, crab apple and purple plum trees add a colorful canopy.

We’ve made some changes to the side yard, too.  It was pretty much a scruffy field with some brush growing in the middle when we first saw it.  The only accents were a few broken down vehicles of sorts.

This was what it looked like from the window seat where my computer is now.

Depressing, wasn’t it?  But, in some ways, it was a blank slate.  We cleared the brush, added my wood shop, put in a circle drive and then planted some flower beds.

This is the same view today.  The maple in the lower middle is one we planted our first year here.  I’m guessing it’s 25 feet tall or more now, providing some wonderful shade. 

At the base of the tree, there is some pretty vinca (I think) blooming.  I got a start from a friend and love the pretty little flowers.

If you were to follow the driveway past the circle and back through this picture to the right, you would eventually come to what was once a bog.  It was totally unusable, accept for breeding swarms of mosquitoes.  I don’t have a real good picture of it because it was so inaccessible.   

This was looking towards the neighbors house in 2003, over the part of the bog which would become ours. 

Now, it’s home to a beautiful pond area.  I don’t think I got the angle quite the same, but you get the idea.  My neighbor still has the mountain of dirt he excavated from the pond piled in his back yard.

Here’s another angle, more from our back yard.

See how full the pond is getting?!  It’ probably about 8 feet deep in the middle, and my neighbor has started to stock it with fish. 

I got a little side tracked on my original intent to walk through the yard with you today.  We’ve hardly seen any of the flowers, Lol!

I guess we’ll have to take another walk tomorrow!  (Think I can twist your arm to join me again?)  Don’t forget your mug of coffee, though!   The mornings are still kind of nippy. :)