4 Yards of Mulch later……..

This is our second spring here on Croydon and I think the yard and exterior of this home is really shaping up.

Where we live was originally a subdivision called Knollwood, developed in the early 1950’s. Our home was built in 1951 and was one of the first here.  My nephew and his family live around the corner in what was the 3rd addition to the subdivision.  (I found that out on an old map at our county tax office). Their home is a 1959 brick Cape Cod. It is a much more colonial style than our  L-shaped ranch. Most of the homes here have a colonial vibe; only a few are truly atomic looking. Nearly all have lamp posts in the yard. Ours is long gone; that is something we would like to replace at some point,

We are on a “park like” corner lot with big maple trees and sitting up on a little rise. This little stone path was reclaimed from the back yard pond we took out last summer:

Last week Hubby put down 4 yards of fresh mulch ( BTW that is 2 HEAPING pick up trucks full) around the perimeter of the house. It took him the most of 2 days. We pulled out more stubborn perennials and lots of weeds, pruned the 13 (!) rose bushes and cut the ugly yellow leaves from all the tulips. Everything is blooming 4-6 weeks early in our area.

Here is the built-in planter on the front porch. This feature is on nearly every house in the neighborhood in one form or another. Ours is mostly shaded so I used Impatiens, Caladium and a house plant I wintered over.

The side yard is fenced and where our old dog Woody lives.  He came from the farmhouse and was not real happy about the fenced in living arrangements early on.  Four chewed-up dog beds later, he is now happier 🙂

Hubby installed new exterior lighting (more period than the 90’s white colonial lanterns that were here). He also scraped and painted the garage door and all the soffits last summer. Here is a little glimpse of that:

I can see this gorgeous shrub in the back yard from my living room windows; Yes,  the living room located in the BACK of the house 🙂

Of course there is always more to do. We have a big list. A shed. Vintage patio table and chairs. The lamp-post/lantern. Tear out the scraggly evergreens. Move the weeping Japanese maples.

But for now we are now ready for some entertaining outside.

Happy Mothers Day to all!