Grow, Grow, Grow...

So this year is the first spring in our new home. I'm loving home ownership, especially yard-work! Since the beginning of spring my little thumb has been itching to turn green. I think I caught a case of the gardening bug. With all the nice weather down here in Nashville, Tennessee, I've been spending a lot of time and money at Bates Nursery. Not to mention the labor I've put into the yard. Call it a labor of love.

It's been a learning experience. My biggest failure this year is my Boston Ferns. I wanted to have hanging ferns on my porch. It's the South, and nothing says Southern like a shady porch, with beautiful ferns, some rocking chairs, and a pitcher of sweet iced tea. Got everything else, besides the ferns to work. The part sun/bright shade was way to bright for them to even survive. So I took them down and am reviving them in a shady corner with lots of water. In their place I hung some Evolvulus Blue Daze, a sun loving, drought tolerant plant. Not to mention the flowers on this thing are about the bluest you can get when it comes to blue flowers. I like them better than the ferns!

Where are the shady trees? We fixed that too! We got a heck of a deal on some pretty mature trees. We planted an 18ft Pin Oak in the front yard, moved our existing maple to the back along with a new Autumn Blaze Maple. Thirsty, Thirsty, Trees!

We used to have three Arborvitaes as accent shrubs up front. I removed them yesterday, and replaced them with some Boxwoods. The Boxwoods look great, they are slow growing, and a perfect low-hedge plant. The look good in front of brick, and make an awesome backdrop for the annuals we planted in the flower bed. We planted almost everything sun-loving from irisis to cox comb. The Arborvitaes (two of the three, one did not make it through two summers of droughty conditions) now reside in huge planters on the back patio. I'm sure they appreciate the drainage of the potting soil, organic mushroom compost, and soil conditioner, a lot better than the clay they were trying to grow in. 

I'm almost afraid to see what my water bill will be through the summer. 

Now the fun begins...watching it all grow. Cross your fingers!