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Ali Edwards Design Inc.
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Around The Yard | Early Summer

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Oh yes, I'm so thankful for this space.

We've lived in this house for just about two years now. Last year I did just a bit in the yard - mainly with the raised beds in the summer and planting some shade perennials in a bed between the house and the patio. Take a look back at early spring, mid-spring and mid-summer 2011. Especially crazy to see the difference between April 2011 and now (bare trees vs. the green of now).

Part of my manifesto this summer is to spend an hour outside everyday. That might be playing, reading, working, eating, resting, entertaining, dreaming or puttering.

Click on any image to view it larger.

Right now a lot of my outside time has been planting and a bit of moving things around.

I love perennials so a lot of what I've been doing is planting those and in the process digging up some things that were here before we moved in that I don't love.

Those chairs and tables (three of them put together) are from Costco.

This yard has three main sections. (1) An area with a shed and raised beds (and a whole other side along the house where the AC is located that is just dirt right now), (2) an area directly behind the house where the patio sits (the photo above is in this area), and then (3) a large grass area off to the right (what you see through the pergola in the photo above) with a couple trees at the far edge.

This is in the second area just behind the house. This is what I see when I look out my kitchen window.

These are my beloved peonies. I've cut most of them and brought them inside. They smell amazing.

This is also in that area directly behind the house, farther down from the peonies, that needs a bit more love and attention.

For me, working in the yard like this is an exercise in patience. It's remembering that that small hydrangea I just planted won't be so small next year or the year after or the year after. Sometimes it's hard to wait - I want it to all be established and full and lush right now. I can tell, though, that I'm getting better at the waiting. It's all a learning process, every last step of the way.

To the left of the patio area are the raised beds and the shed (and an area you can't see that's currently a no-man's land of just dirt). I have plans for this area - I'm still thinking pea gravel around the beds. Around the corner, over by the shed, there's a pretty big blank space. I need some new dirt over there and then I'll plant the pumpkins and corn and see how that goes (I haven't done either before).

Another place that needs some new dirt (and a new lattice on top of the fence) is along one of the edges of the grass area in the left yard. There's some really big (giant) trees in the neighbors and roots all throughout that soil that you see here.

I've got three blueberry plants that are totally thriving in the spot they were planted last summer.

Those strawberries were here when we moved in - they did pretty good last year.

Once the rain stops again we'll be working on some sort of a fort for the kids back in this area behind the fern.

Looking back towards the house from the far end of the grassy area.

There's a lot to learn and right now I'm really relishing getting my hands dirty and joyfully doing the work.

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