It’s that time for husband and I to start on our backyard landscaping.  Husband has sketched out what we want it to look like.  He researched bushes, flowers, trees, and rocks putting into consideration our neighbor’s view of the mountains.  There were a couple of Japanese blossoms we liked.  One would grow to about 30/35 feet high.  The other one would grow to over 50 feet high.  We’re going with the 30/35 feet one.  In the sketch below, we plan to put the tree on the left where that big circle with the smaller circle inside is.

We learned that because our house is between two other houses, we needed to get their (the neighbor’s on each side of us) approval on the sketch.  They are pretty cool neighbors and approved it.  I’m sure they can’t wait for us to get our yard landscaped.  I can’t wait myself.  It will take about 3 weeks for our HOA (Home Owner’s Association) to approve it.  In the meantime, husband has already decided that he’s going to pick up some rocks and stones in preparation even before HOA approves it.

Front Yard Greens

Last spring we had planted a Tiger Lilly plant and it was eaten up quickly by either rabbits or deers.  It was such a beautiful plant with a few orange spotted  blooms.  The whole thing was eaten up all the way to the ground and looked as if we never even planted it.  To our surprise just within the last week, we noticed it was growing again.  I’m worried that it will get eaten again and want to put a little fence around it.  I don’t think it will look right though.  I read that putting human hair on it will keep deers and rabbits from eating it.  Maybe I’ll try this.

There are actually three of these Tiger Lilly petals growing.  The third one is a bit off to the left.

I noticed earlier this week that there were a different kind of petal growing along with the tulips.  I’m not sure if they are Dutch irises or daffodils.

Here’s a sage.  I’m not sure what kind of sage but they bloom tiny lavender color flowers.

All that wood mulch to the right and above the sage should be growing tulips but nothing has come through.

And last, this is not one of the front yard plants, but two tropical plants on the path to their demise.  I loved these two but I just didn’t know how to keep them alive.  Last summer we had them next to the pillars by the front door.  We brought them in for the winter.  They were doing fine until earlier this year when their leaves started browning.  Now, there’s not much left of them.

♥

Wish we would get more rainfalls in this part of the state.  It’s been so dry.  It snowed a couple of days ago but melted way too quickly.  I’m happy to see signs of spring popping up slowly around here though.  Just a tiny bit of green makes me smile.  Here’s what I found in our front yard this afternoon.

As you can see, more tulips decided they wanted to see the sun.  I hope more decide to join them.

Kylie loves the spring air and came out with me to frolic while I took photos and waited for husband to return from Lowe’s with fertilizer for the grass.

While husband fertilized the grass, the girls and I planted some Dutch irises and daffodils that we weren’t able to get to last fall.  We put them into pots instead of the yard.  I’m sure it’s too late to try to have them grow but we’re trying anyway.  The little green parts had already begun to grow from their buds.

Update on Orchids

The white orchid has accomplished its goal with all ten of its buds bloomed.

This last photo of the white orchid was taken last week when the last bud was just getting ready to bloom.

The spotted pink orchid looks like it has finished blooming too but I’m not quite sure because a few of the buds have not completely opened to their fullest.  Every time I look at this orchid I can’t help but laugh at how unshapely it is.  It is completely deformed and got this way because a budding branch had grown where a tiny clip was holding the stem to the bamboo stick and caused the branch to twist around the clip.  I removed the clip, placing it lower on the stem, but it was already too late.

I talked about a sideways orchid flower that I would post a photo of but as I waited more appeared.  Here’s what it looks like:

See that orchid at the very top?  Doesn’t she look like a snake head?  Here’s another one.

The other white orchid, I’ll call her W, is slowly growing buds.  I talked about W on this post(at bottom).  I’ll need to re-pot her soon.

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