New Project at my Mama's House

This is the house where I grew up, now called Mama's house. My Daddy died 11 years ago. Before he died he cut down all the 40 year old boxwoods across the front of the house. He planted tiny little azaleas, which got no care and promptly died.

 This is what is left out front. I am starting to get the house ready to sell. So a little curb appeal is defintely in order, don't you think?

Here's the right hand side.

So I decided it was time to start some beds.

I've been saving large cardboard boxes at school all Winter long. I used the garden hose (hose pipe ya'll) and formed a pleasing curve, but a curve that's also easy to cut around with a lawn mower. This bed is bigger than it looks, short side is 8 feet wide and the long side is maybe 16 feet to the curve.

It took a lot of cardboard. It was amazing how much I saved, and how fast it was used up.

Here's the final shape. I think I like it.

 Next I covered all the cardboard with a heavy layer of course sand.

The last step I could get done Saturday was to cover everything with a thick layer of top soil. Monday we are going back up. (it's about an hour away from us here)

This is the finished bed - without its newspaper layers, more topsoil, and the finishing touch of pinestraw. I should be good and sore Monday night.

Here is a picture of a rose from the backyard at Mama's house. Daddy had planted a row of red climbing roses across the back line of the yard. his goal was to have a blooming row of roses just like the school we all went to. The school was built in the 1930's by the CCC I think and did have beautiful roses all along the fence at the front of the school yard. I really can't believe they still keep going, I have done nothing to help them along. It makes me happy to think that these are Daddy's roses.