Yard pics

When we lived in Idaho, our yard was one of the worst in the neighborhood. Now, most people there had immaculate yards, so bearing the distinctions of the "worst" didn't mean that ours was all about trash, weeds, and tacky yard ornaments. But we lost quite a bit of grass to grub because we were too naive to realize what was happening. When we moved to Utah, we swore we would buy an existing home because we wanted landscaping that was already done. We knew our limits, and landscaping weren't within them. But we somehow got talked out of that resolve and ended up with a brand new home and a yard full of dirt. 4.5 years later, we have come a long way! It helps to have a brother who is a landscape architect and who designed our yard for free. We only have 2/3 of the plants we need in the front, but even with lots of empty spots, things still look quite beautiful. We get compliments all the time! That is unbelievable to me. We--of all people--get compliments on our yard! People want to know what the tall ornamental grasses are called (Feather Reed Grass) and what the beautiful purple flowers are (Penstemon, and they grow wild in the mountains here in the west). I'm proud that we have a relatively water-wise yard. It will be even more water-wise if I ever get around to installing drip irrigation in the plant beds. The flowers are almost all blooming--obviously the daisies still have a bit to go, and the black-eyed Susans have yet to show any buds, but there is still plenty of color.

The backyard still has a very long way to go, though it at least has grass. But the front yard is now one of the nicest in our neighborhood! (And that's not saying a whole heck of a lot either, since half the houses in our neighborhood STILL don't have landscaping even after some people have lived in them 2-3 years! That's what we get for being in a small town where they aren't too strict about enforcing neighborhood covenants.)