Manor Monday {Great Expectations: Our New Garden}

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" ~Audrey Hepburn

Like most projects, our simple raised beds turned out to require a lot more time, labor, & money than we initially thought. In the end though, we have a wonderful place to marvel at the working of mother nature and teach responsibility, healthy habits & hard work to the littles.  

The garden plot was a former landscape bed that we cleared of a half dead burning bush, day lillies, hostas & a few other plantings that this still learning gardener can't identify. On Mother's Day weekend I asked Hubby to build two raised beds as my gift (the one weekend a year he must comply with my requests). We lined the bottom of the beds with cardboard and 800 lbs of soil!!! The plants went in and the beds were topped with straw. To cut down on weeds and help prevent mud, we surrounded the perimeter with pea gravel. 

The final step was to instal a garden fence to prohibit visiting vermin and make the garden a magical place to visit. There is just something about a gate to children that makes the place they are about to enter so special. Belle requested the aqua latch & spray painted it herself...not bad for her first painting project.

I painted the boxes, lattice and posts SW Urban Bronze to match our front door & driveway seating. Having the continuity of color throughout our outdoor space helps to unify everything and is easy on the eye.

As for the garden itself, the large bed measures 10'x10' and houses tomatoes, hot peppers, sweet peppers, zucchini, pole beans, mini cucumbers, broccoli, lettuce, kale, spinach & a sweet baby watermelon.

The second bed is our berry patch that measures 10'x 3'. Inside we have a Caroline raspberry bush and 3 strawberry plants. I would have to say the kids are most excited about this bed and the deliciousness we hope to be picking over the summer.

I can not end this post without a humongous "thank you" to Hubby who passed up several hours on the course to build this gift for our family. We are lucky to have you! Now the fun begins...fingers crossed I don't kill everything. We've already had 3 fatalities. Any tricks or tips you all have would be greatly appreciated.

Want It Wednesday {Espalier Vines}

I've been logging in quite a few hours outdoors between our new garden & spring cleaning.  I  tend to pass the time by letting my mind dream up new designs for the space I'm working on. Sort of a bad habit, as it only leads to more work needing to be done and the vicious cycling continuing. Nonetheless, I've been stewing over landscaping ideas for the awhile now and here's what I'm loving, espalier vines.

I've always been drawn to the classic design of vines trained in geometric patterns along walls, fences, and houses. So it comes as no surprise that I am plotting a way to add some espalier to my life. From the research I've done, these designs are often high maintenance and require quite a bit of attention. At this point in my life my TLC slots have no vacancies so I'll just have to fill this inspiration away for another day.

sources:1&2 3 4

The former owner of our house was very much into the Prairie style: tall grasses & natural wildflowers. Slowly, we are working on changing that and someday I'll have my espalier vines. How about you? What's your garden style? Tailored & crisp? Maybe you're whimsical and cottage? 

Manor Monday {Tulip Border}

Hubby & I managed to squeeze away for an hour or so last fall to plant 100 tulip bulbs on the front walkway. With the arctic winter we had I was afraid the bulbs wouldn't make it, but I thankfully they did and are here now cheerfully gracing our front lawn. 

And I can't help but think of Steve Martin in Father of the Bride when I speak of a "tulip border". Now all we need are some swans.

The front yard is undergoing treatment for brown patch fungus, which we've been battling for a few years now. Thankfully the pink & apricot tulips draw your eye away from the yard. I know I alway talk about my love of green & white gardens, but these pink & peach beauties have won me over.

Happy Monday!

Manor Monday {Good News...Bad News}

Seems like ages since I've done a Manor Monday post. In fact, last time I posted I'm pretty certain there was snow on the ground. We are now well into Spring and that means it is time to turn our attention to the outdoor goals on the 2014 Home Goals List. One of which was a larger garden space. After pacing the backyard and deliberating various schemes and layouts, we've opted to clear the bed where the current garden sits and repurpose it entirely as a new garden plot.



As of now my thoughts are raised beds, gravel pathway & small fence for bunny protection. Seeing as how it is nearly May, I need to kick this project into high gear if we are going to get our plants in the ground on Mother's Day (our traditional planting day).

And because mother nature isn't always pretty, look at what has become of our beautiful flowering plum tree. It has contracted a disease known as black knot, which is virtually impossible to cure.





I attempted to cut away the affected branches and within 5 minutes I stopped; nearly 85% of the tree is infested leaving us no choice but to cut it down (insert tears).

For now, the plan is to transplant the flowering bushes from the new garden bed to the spot the tree once occupied. Granted they won't provide shade or privacy, but they are free and buy us some time to decide on an appropriate replacement.



So that is where we stand on the garden front. How about you all? Anyone else reworking a garden bed or two? Anyone ever dealt with black knot? Or if you've got a favorite ornamental tree, I'd love to know that too.

Manor Monday {New Wreath}

Saturday morning I threw out my back (bent over to pick up the baby & couldn't stand back up) and consequently spent the entire weekend on the couch. It would have been a lovely place to be if I hadn't so much work to do. So an update on the basement progress will just have to wait until next week.

Fear not, I do have one little update to post.  I put together a winter front door wreath Friday night (I know exciting life I live) using a bare twig wreath, a burlap bow from Target & mercury glass ornament from Pottery Barn.

I'm always drawn to monogrammed wreathes and front door hangings but many times I feel they clash with our front entry. This one is just subtle enough and blends perfectly with its surroundings.



While I was laid up on the living room couch I was able to catch glimpses of the new wreath through the glass front door. I was happy knowing I accomplished something this weekend. Fingers crossed I'm back to normal asap.

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof Is All Finished!

Since we are weeks away from the end of 2013, I am happy to announce that we officially crossed the roof off our list our to-dos. 

To refresh your memory, we started with a classic cedar shake roof that was original to our house. Hubby & I decided to replace the roof with GAF Camelot II shingles in Antique Slate (read all about our reasoning here). The crew was fabulous to work with and they provided hours of entertainment for the boys. Over all the roofing job took 6 full days to complete and I love, love, love the new results.

For those of you who know me, that is saying a lot. Yes for the cost I could have had a new master bathroom, but I guess it is called being an adult when you put needs before wants. So we still have a bathroom covered in oodles of polished brass, but the roof is free of leaks and brand spanking new.

We took our sweet time picking the style and to be honest it turned out much better than I could have hoped. The slate gray perfectly matches the front door I painted in the spring and together that pair tones down the orange in the brick. The old cedar was much lighter in tone than new the Antique Slate, which lends a nice depth to the house's facade and take a decade or two off the appearance of the house.

While making the decision process it was hard to come across actual pictures online of the shingles on homes...most were just mock ups provided by GAF. For this reason, I have several detail shots below to help give a better feel of exactly how the shingles appear.

Our lovely roofers did my a favor and covered up the new skylight flashing with shingles...I couldn't stand the shiny plastic tabs.

We selected a black valley and it blends well with the shingles.

The majority of the work occurred in September, but the job wasn't completed in its entirety until November. The reason for the late November finish was that once the new roof was installed, the pitch of our roof was altered (asphalt shakes are significantly thinner than cedar shake) and as a result, rain water was speeding down the side of our roof and overshooting our old gutters. At first we thought that the leaf guard was the culprit and the roofing company came out and installed a sponge-like liner in the gutters in place of the original leaf shield. When that failed, we had to replace the gutters and downspouts with a new oversized version. Happily though, the issue seems to be resolved. So if you are looking to replace your roof but not upgrade your gutters, be advised that the same scenario could occur on your roof (our roofer did cover the cost of new gutters though FYI).

I'm happy to have this need crossed off the list...now I can go back to pinning master bathrooms & walk in closets. Oh sigh…maturity is over rated!

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New Boxwoods {Planters & Window Boxes}

If you've been a follower of the blog you'll know that I have a thing for boxwoods. Mark my word, one day my entire yard will be rid of the dozens of day lilies and graceful boxwoods will take their place.

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So when YiaYia tipped me off that Lowes was clearancing their garden center plantings all I could think was discounted boxwoods. And discounted they were. This cart full of 8 boxwoods and a 1/2 flat of pansies came in under $40.00!

Back home, a pair of boxwoods were put in urns and joined the large of boxwoods on the front steps.
I love the way the leathery, rich foliage pops against the cream trim and helps frame the front door.

Underneath the new topiaries I added seasonal color with delicate fall pansies. The pop of orange & yellow ties all the autumn hues together. I envision swapping out the floral seasonally for a fresh look.




As for the cart full of remaining boxwoods. Peanut flexed his 4.5 year old muscles and carried them all around back for me. Over the summer our deck boxes overflowed with white geraniums and herbs.  I transplanted some of the herbs and then the boxes were ready for the new boxwoods.

Before planting I arranged the plants in various orders and pairs to identify the best grouping. Then it was as simple as digging a hole.

For less than $10.00 per box I have a trio of topiaries to admire year round. And just like the front urns, it will be easy to add a seasonal touches to these boxes. 

I'm already dreaming up some lovely Christmas designs…oh boxwoods + mini white lights = perfection.

images my pinterest board

Taking Our Sweet Time: Picking Our New Roof

Way back in March as the first warm breezes blew, Hubby & I began the process of researching a new roof. When we purchased the house, we knew that the nearly 30 year old shingled roof was on its last leg. We hoped to buy ourselves some time & managed to weasel about 3 years out of it. Finally when we started to notice water spots on our master bedroom ceiling we knew it was time to bite the bullet.

We initially were leaning towards replacing the roof with cedar shake again. But the more we thought about it, and the more we had daily encounters with spiders & silverfish in our second story, the more we knew that an asphalt shingle is the route to go. As it was explained to us, cedar shake is an organic product and insects are drawn to it…remove the shake, remove the bugs. SOLD!

So now that the decision was done, it was a matter of shingle selection. We slapped up a few samples and couldn't stand them. First we tried GAF's Timberline shingle in Weatherwood as it is manufactured to mimic the look of shake. It did not.

The undertones were green and just made the whole house look nondescript. And when the sales rep said it was the most popular shingle, that put the nail in the coffin for me.  After all the work we put into our home to make it reflective of our individual family, the last thing we want to do was plop down some major coin for something we felt indifferent about and is on every other house in the subdivision. 

We went back to the shingle brochure and this time picked out Woodland Designer shingle (again GAF) in Cedarwood Abbey. Once the samples went up it was clear that this one wasn't it. The shingles lacked depth and even though they were an upgrade from the Timberline they looked cheaper. Plus the color was underwhelming.

Disheartened, I turned to pinterest and poured through my pins of  inspirational exteriors and discovered the common thread: light exteriors & dark roofs. Then serendipitously a YHL post documenting their new roof showed up in my bloglovin feed. Each and every time we looked throughout he GAF brochures, we never noticed the Camelot II because it was featured on the front interior cover and we just blew right past it…duh! Well you know what they say, third times a charm.

We negotiated back and forth with two different roofers and in the end opted to pay a bit more for a family owned business that does not use subcontractors. And after one day of work, I have to say it was  the right decision. The crew is pleasant, respectful & super tidy! Fingers crossed the rest of the job goes just as smoothly (it's a big one scheduled to be 4 full days). Can't wait to share the reveal with you all!