Landscaping; Check!

YAY! Our landscaping is finally complete! It's been a month-long process and it feels wonderful to be done.

The first steps of planting the trees and moving all the dirt around were definitely the most difficult. And I'm very glad that we decided to forgo our kidney garden and fill it in with grass. I think it just would've been too much upkeep for me. The baby grass is starting to grow now and I can't wait until it fills in.

I had a lot of help deciding on where to place the four trees we put in the front. I knew exactly what kind of trees I wanted (dwarf variegated willows, and a red leaf maple) but finding their exact placement was rough. Thank you parents and Karyn!

Then came the fun of deciding what to plant where. There were some plants that I knew immediately. To me, home just doesn't feel like home without roses and a lilac bush. My parents and grandparents all had roses and lilacs, so when I smell them, I just feel at home. So, they got planted in the only two sunny areas in the yard. I also put in clematis where there is more sun because I've always loved in on other people's homes. I hope I can grow it successfully.

Finally, we had a ton of shade garden to fill in. I have NO experience with shade gardening. So, after a lot of research we planted Hostas, Heuchera, Astilbe, and Bleeding Heart with a border of Helleborus. Note that they are all perennials, yep we put down landscape paper and woodchips and are praying for low maintenance. I hope they grow well and fill in nicely. Any advice from experienced shade gardeners?

I love having it all complete. It feels like a great place to bring a baby home to.