Oh my its spring time here in Texas and my front yard depicts it has arrived. I love love love spring and summer, for me the hotter the better. I was never made to live in cold weather. I don’t mind it for a day or two but then I’m over it and ready for the warmth.
The front of my house was so boring. Nothing made it stand out it had no curb appeal at all. The flower beds were over grown and needed to be completely ripped out and start over. When we moved in we did just that, cleared the flower beds so we could give them a fresh new start. I tried to fill them with plants that would return each year and stay clean with a small bit of grooming from us. I don’t mind yard up keep but I don’t wanna spend my summer days holding a rake. We were so lucky that we had 2 very large trees in the front yard. They provide a great shade to the front of the house. I don’t like all the acorns though, because of the squirrels. I guess you have to take the good with the bad. After living with our boring little house Greg and I started with painting the trim. I didn’t like the white time it seemed so 90’s with the gray brick. When picking a color I pulled the darkest gray/brown from the brick. After we did it I was so worried that I had made a mistake. Greg calmed me down before I went and bought a new color by saying wait until the new windows were in. It took a few months to get that done. Wow windows are sooooooo expensive and we had 23 in total to replace. Once the windows went in I could breath again and my little gray house was coming alive just how I wanted it to . The day I took the picture it was an over cast. So the porch looked so dark but trust me when you drive by you see the beautiful door and porch.
The window install was quick and painless. The best part is we had a cold snap just a few days later. Before the new windows when you stood near you could feel the cold coming through the thin glass. The new windows made it nice an toasty in the house sitting near or far. So not only are they energy-saving but bonus they made the house have a great new up dated look. Now that the windows are in the front door looked old and drab so I painted it a lovely Corn Flower Blue, that was the official name but I call it Blue Happy blue. What ever you call it I call it gorgeous. Filling the porch with pots of flowers and pillows on the bench gives it a warm and welcome feel. The teak bench was bought at an estate sale a few months ago. I didn’t need a new door mat, I already loved the one I had. The absolutely fabulous light that hangs on the porch was bought at an estate sale for only $25. It had to be rewired and Greg did that for about $5 in supplies from Lowes. This light was truly a score!
My flower beds didn’t really need a lot just a freshen up. I planted a few more Geraniums and added more single flowers. I like red for the Geraniums because it gives a pop of color at the front door. Geraniums are so hardy and I need that so I don’t kill them easily. We had a mild season this past winter so I didn’t lose one of them that I had planted or in pots. You can’t beat that, so why not plant more. I finished the beds off with a new layer of mulch in dark brown. It took 18 bags to cover both sides of the house. When you freshen up your flower beds with a good cleaning , new flowers and fresh mulch it just makes every things seems so happy. There is one last project that will be done this summer and that will be tiling the front porch. I just don’t have time before school gets out, but that will be another blog for you to read.
My front yard and curb appeal is ready to greet all my guest this summer. We love to have summer parties, BBQ’s and hosting poker games. I can check off another redo on my list cause this one is done. We will start our summer party season on April the 29th as we host an engagement party for my son and his fiancé. If you can’t afford to add flowers or new mulch that’s ok, just giving it a good clean up will make your home refreshed. Here is a little hint if you are strapped for cash and you want to add flowers. Most Lowes and Home Depots have a clearance section in their garden shop area. They mark plants down if they aren’t as perfect as the others. Simple snip away the bad spots and with in a week new growth will come back. Keep them watered and you will have beautiful flowers for the rest of the summer. I hope that your Monday is perfectly Blue Happy. Monday is the best day of your week.
Cindy Cherry
April 11, 2016Looks great!!!