Monday, April 28, 2014

Around the House

When we bought our house in 2007 this is what it looked like.
I thought it had such curb appeal and loved that slanted roof over the front entry.






This was last week.

Where's the house?



The Bradford Pears have gone crazy.  
Now, I like Bradfords, for about a week in the spring when they bloom, although for some reason our blooms don't last nearly as long as some on our street.  But they are a weak tree and only last about 20 years.  

I took this picture this year, because I knew its days were numbered.



For you see, under the tree there is no grass.  It is getting worse every year.  And the worst part is the dirt from the yard washes down to the sidewalk, and so everyone who comes to my front door has to dodge the mud on the sidewalk.



This is the other Bradford, which we kept.  It just got a serious haircut.





Bye Bye 


Why, hello house:-)

Although I will admit it was hard to watch the tree come down.  At least we have a lot of wood for fires in the backyard.


Most of the shrubs were either not favorites, or very overgrown and the grass was all weeds or dirt.

Now after a hard week of work we have this:
(we didn't do a lick of the work)

Almost all new shrubs and new sod.

A little color hanging from the tree.
  



A new bed was added by the street and it's so nice to have a little color out front.



The only work I did was to plant my 2 front pots. 
I always put ferns out front, and then spend the summer sweeping the front porch of all the little dead fern leaves.  I decided this year to try little boxwood balls and ivy.  The hope is that they will actually grow and live for more than a year.


That's one more big job off the retirement list!

But it continues...











9 comments:

Lisa @ Texas Decor said...

Your house is gorgeous inside and out! I love the slanted roof over the front entry too. I can't believe how fast those trees grew! They're so pretty in the spring, but like you said, at least now you have lots of firewood. :)

Shenita @ Embellishments by SLR said...

Gorgeous yard, Sue! We lost our Bradford pear a couple of years ago to a storm. It split in half. It was huge and had such a pretty shape; but, like yours, the yard had grown bare underneath. We really missed it when we first cut it down; but, now, we can actually see the house.

Lori said...

Looks great and what a difference. Yard shrubs need to be replace often.

Debbie said...

What a difference! As much as I love a Bradford pear (and I do... even when they aren't in bloom.) I love seeing the enchanting roof line of your house even more. I think a roof line like that has a storybook quality to it. A house we really wanted to buy had one. I've always lamented that the owner decided not to sell.

As for the trees? We're feeling the 20 year pain in our neighborhood too. Actually, ours made it nearly to 30, but the trees lining our road are having to come down. They are doing it over the course of a few years to hopefully avoid the sparse look.

The Martys said...

What a difference and I cannot believe how big those trees were. Looks great!

Justabeachkat said...

Wow! What a difference! It all looks wonderful and I know you're gonna enjoy this summer.

Hugs,
Kat

Shirley@Housepitality Designs said...

I so love the curb appeal of your home!...just beautiful...Yes, Bradford Pears after a while are not great...Glad to be able to see your wonderful home again!

Stacey said...

Missing your posts, Sue. :)

Suzanne said...

Your home is gorgeous, inside and out. I agree with you about the tree. I love my trees, but it's nice to be able to see your pretty home. I wish you'd do a home tour. I can tell by the pictures in your previous post that I would love every room!