Late Summer Yard Clean Up {Progress}

Thursday, August 29, 2013


Last Saturday, the weather was so nice, I went outside to sit on my patio and enjoy my yard.  Unfortunately, my eyes were assaulted by site of a neglected yard.  Overgrown grass, outta control weeds, and random trees made me want to run back inside.  But instead I decided to do what any good blogger would do.  Post some ugly pics and motivate myself to get to work!

It's been a few days, and I have been working hard to clean it up.  Monday I had about six bags of yard debris to take to our local recycling center.   This is just some of it.


One day I hope to compost, but for now I let them do it.  My yard is so tiny any compost pile would be within 10 feet of a patio.  And I think compost smells worse before it gets better.  So, after cutting back tons of overgrowth, dead foliage, and grass, this was the result. 

1. First up on the list was to cut the grass.

BEFORE


 PROGRESS!

2. Next up was to cut down the weeds.

BEFORE

PROGRESS


3.  Third was to limb up this tree so that I could walk underneath it without ducking my head.  

BEFORE


 PROGRESS


 4.  Fourth, was to cut down the random trees sprouting in the yard.  I ended up also pulling the dead stems from the daylilies and cutting back the irises.  I still need to cut back more plants and trim the shrubs.

BEFORE

 PROGRESS


BEFORE

PROGRESS


5.  Fifth was to get rid of the spider webs and spray for mosquitos.  I did and the spray I used for the mosquitos has really helped.  I think I will re-treat in a few days to make sure there are not any more around.

6. Sixth was to blow clear the patios.  Now they could use a good pressure wash.  Maybe later!

BEFORE


PROGRESS



BEFORE

BEFORE


PROGRESS

7.  Seventh was to replant the pots.  I have yet to do this.  But I did go and visit the Growers Outlet.  They had an amazing selection at great prices, which made me want to buy just about everything.  I decided to wait and pick out what I want to plant first.

8. The final plan was to host a soiree.  I have a small one planned.  Let's hope the weather holds up!

In the process of doing all of the clean up, I visited Home Depot and Lowe's and found some amazing deals on replacement cushions and some outdoor chairs.  I'll be back to share the finds.  Hope you're having a great week!






4 comments

  1. I just love that your garden has levels - so beautiful !!!
    Looking perfect for a soiree already to me
    XOX

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  2. Thanks Suzan, I am really hoping the weather holds up for this weekend!

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  3. Your yard looks amazing, I too love the different levels! What type of mosquito spray did you use? Found you through Sarah the Thrifty Decor Chick!

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  4. Hi Darnetha, nice of you to stop by! Thanks for your kind words. I bought a bottle of the Organic Mosquito and Tick spray, from I think Home Depot, and was planning on using it on the entire back yard. But I think I sprayed a bit heavy and used up the whole bottle on the upper level. (The bottle was supposed to cover 5000 sq ft.) I had a leftover bottle of Cutter Bug Free Backyard that I used to spray the lower level. I can't say I completely eradicated them, but they are significantly less. I sprayed on Monday, and I have probably seen about 3 mosquitos since. I plan to respray again before the weekend, so hopefully I won't see any after that. I like the idea of using an organic spray, so if I were to buy more, I would probably get the organic one. Both levels were pretty bug free.

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