Thursday, April 16, 2009

Meager Beginnings

This is how big my yard is.... okay - maybe a slight exaggeration, but it IS very small. It is the only thing that I wish I could change about my home. I LOVE gardening - I love to be surrounded by lots of color. It makes me so happy! Working in a flower garden for me is a great way to de-stress after a long hectic day at work, or on the weekend.

When we moved here last June, we didn't have the money to put into the yard. We were trying to get our home in Washington rented out - it is so tough having to swing TWO housepayments!



This is a picture of our home. This picture was taken the day we arrived in Georgia after our long 5 day drive here from Washington State. That is my hubby with the cute white legs - you can tell we came from a place with very little sunlight huh? :-) He would kill me if he knew his picture was on my blog~ tee-hee! Ginger is anxious to explore her new home!

Slowly but surely these past couple of weeks I have been playing in what will soon be my flower beds. Compost, topsoil, bark and pine straw are now in place and last weekend I was finally able to plant a few things!




I took this picture in the hot, bright sun and obviously didn't get a good close up! If you get your magnifying glass out you may be able to see the beginnings of some color! :-) I am always amazed at how much money it takes to fill a yard with flowers!

My hubby and son cut out this little section around my mailbox so that I could fill it with flowers.I am very pleased with the results! It greets me with color everyday when I come home from work. Now that the flowers are planted, I can't wait for it to spread out and fill in the empty spaces. Slow down Kymber! It is a start!



As you have probably heard we have a drought here in Georgia. With the rains that we have been having the past couple of weeks - it has helped, but we still have a long way to go before we are off water restrictions. The grass that you see here is just coming out of it's winter dormancy period. It isn't yellow due to lack of watering - the whole neighborhood looks like this! Look at my first picture and you will see that by the time June rolls around, we should have a green lawn again!


This was Ginger's way of "helping" me in the yard. She kept laying on the flowers I was trying to plant and thought it was quite funny when I would get mad and try to get her off of them. She would run around trying to dodge me and was making quite a mess! After a bit she finally settled down in the middle of it all in a nice shady spot. It was in the upper 70's this day. I love the glorious weather we have here!



Such hard work for a little girl!



Here are a few pictures to show you what I am up against:



Back yard


Side of house




Other side of the house


Front bed - ugh! Those ugly bushes have got to go!


Another area in the front yard I hope to add some color to.

As you can see - I have my work cut out for me! I think this is going to take me a couple of years to do all that I want to do. We only have one more month of "moderate" temperatures here before the humidity kicks in.


I will leave you with a picture of one area that God added color to just for me! I was pleasantly surprised when the trees started to show their pretty Spring colors again. Tucked in amongst all of the green are some beautiful dogwood trees that lend splashes of color to the backyard. I love it!

I will be posting new pictures as I add more color to my yard. I TOLD you my new home was a blank canvas!
Have a blessed day today.
Kymber

8 comments:

Lois Christensen said...

I think you have made great progress!!! We moved into a new home a few years ago and we didn't even have grass!! The flower beds look like they're going to be blooming in a few weeks! Can't wait to see how you handle the problem areas!!! Enjoy your time working!

Anonymous said...

You have a beautiful home and property. One plant that is totally care-free here in GA is lantana. It starts out small but grows to be really big and colorful and the hummingbirds/butterfies love it! I don't fertilize or water it and it thrives in the hot sun. It is perfect weather today for yard work, huh?

Beginner said...

I lack the imagination to be a good gardener. I also find myself lacking in the dedication department. The best my efforts deserve is a "well she tried, maybe not very hard, but she tried".

I can hear the passion you have and can't wait to see the results. Come to think of it, that is probably the thing I most lack about gardening, the passion. I am too inclined to settle for the mediocre.

Have fun with this project. I know you will end up with something you are pleased with.

Jourdan said...

What a beautiful home! I love planting flowers outside too...it makes for such a pretty surrounding that never fails to put me in a good mood :) Good luck with the new house! I just moved from Washington state myself...I will definitely miss it!

kymber said...

Hi Beginner,
When it comes to outdoor plants I seem to have a green thumb. Give me an INDOOR plant though - and the poor little thing will die every time! I can't seem to ever remember to water them! I literally have to write the watering schedule on the calendar - how pitiful is that! LOL! Luckily African violets don't require too much watering and I have found great success with these.

Before moving here I gave all of my houseplants to a friend who showed me pictures of them just a few short months after I gave them to her. They were thriving! All were so happy to finally get "fed" on a regular basis - who knew that feeding versus the starvation diet would produce such results. lol!
Have a great day!
Kymber

Kathy said...

It's beautiful Kymber. I especially love the view into the trees. Thank you for sharing those pictures.-Kathy

Sue said...

Hi Kymber,
Your home is beautiful and I think you are doing a great job, I know from experience that it takes time to get things where you want them. I think ginger has the right idea! LOl. Thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Sue

Karen said...

Looking good! Can't wait to see your garden grow. :)