Quite a change. You must have done some serious work amending the soil. It looked pretty desolate. Hpow can anyone not love plants?

I love before and after pix! Keep 'em coming!

What a transformation! I love how your background is now all green (the fence). I would also love to know how you amended the soil. Great job. Keep em coming!

Thanks folks! Yes, serious amendments were done. We made good use of our tiller & shovels! We dug out lots of grass (top layer) after trying to let it die. I had a compost heap back then & we used it up (about the time the pool went in--then no place for it or time to turn it). We added compost from the local grocery store & sand, some manure in places & gpysum in spots (parts were like brick). I'm trying to get some pix in some kind of order & select a few good examples. Back asap!

~R

To me, B4 & After shots are some of the most rewarding. It's a true history of our gardening. Be it the site or just a pic on the day we brought the plant home from the garden center and another at some other significant/insignificant time.

Al

History...yep, Al...that's what this is all about. I have pix of all the things you mentioned above! :) If it gets to be too much, just slap me upside the head, okay?!

Okay, a little background...this is a labor of love...I grew up in this house/played in this yard with my 8 brothers & sisters. This is a view of how that NE corner of the yard looked in the 60's before my Dad added onto the house. I think you can even see the start of the tree on the right side of the bike!
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After my parents passed away, my sister was given the house. For various reasons, she was going to lose the house. My husband & I moved back home ('96) to fix up the house to sell it.

This is part of what we started with...this is the same view as the previous pic (maybe you can use the telephone pole in the corner of the yard for comparison). Lots of junk to get rid of! We (my hubby & I) moved that shed to the other corner of the yard (behind me in this pic). An addition was built on the house in the early 70's (1 wall seen in this pic).
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You already saw a pic like this (in my first post of the thread), but this shows the same tree & house wall & the area cleared of all the junk!
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I'm still sifting through pix...to post in parts that make sense! So more to come! There WILL be nicer pix when I post the After pix...I promise!
~R

Wow, Rosemarie, truly a labor of love. You must have an incredible attachment to your property and your home. A lifetime of memories, and the satisfaction of seeing how you've beautified it over the years. I know you must be incredibly proud of it. How did you ever survive 8 siblings!

Yes, Anna, attached I am! The lifetime of memories is bittersweet. We like seeing how we've beautified it (we remodeled the entire inside of the house, room by room too) & are very proud indeed! Looking back through these pix is a bit overwhelming (& fun) to see our progress.

To answer your last query, how do they say it??..."Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" LOL

Okay, some early pix (while we were working on the inside of the house)...
Click on thumbnails to see larger pix ~
(still trying to figure how to get thumbnails side by side)

North lattice with my compost heap in middle of yard

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NE corner of yard (you've seen from another angle):

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Early garden near fence in that corner w/ apple tree

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Same area the following yr, Apr 01

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To right of previous pic, showing Plum tree & E lattice

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Further back view from the house to NE corner
Area where pool will be

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Moved my compost heap (spot), marking off for pool

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Excavation starts for pool

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Pool dug out, NE corner behind

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Hubby tills area where pool deck will go

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North lattice fence alongside pool Before pool

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Interim plantings along N lattice, midway

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Further on N lattice, interim plantings

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More in a bit. Better quit before I confuse myself! :)
~R

Back again! Got some help from Terramadre on side by side thumbnails (thanks again!).

The Saga continues...Pool is installed...here showing the Before pic (again) & After, with pool & decking installed & water-filled with cover:


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Maybe I should go round up some After garden pix to relieve boredom! :D Back soon!
~R

Maybe I should go round up some After garden pix to relieve boredom! :D Back soon!
~R

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~R

Okay, now jumping into the future a bit (2004), some After pix of the North lattice & NE corner:


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~R

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We added sand to this soil. I'm not sure anything else to this part...maybe fertilizer (per sod company instruction).


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Last of it leveled off, ready for sod & north side of pool beds loading up with plants
to get in the ground.


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Maybe digging of the north garden beds next! We shall see!
~R

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Rosemarie,

This thread is a ton of fun! Please keep the pictures coming!! For a relatively new gardener, watching transformations like these are absolutely thrilling!!! Thanks for taking the time to post these pics.

-Sheri

Well, Sheri, I'm glad someone is getting something out of it!
I'm happy to do it. You could say it's therapeutic for me.
Papa was a farmer type guy & Mama loved flowers...
so I think we made them BOTH happy! My Dad planted the fruit trees seen in these pix.

I was a NEWBIE gardener when I moved back to this house in '96! I've learned a lot since then!

On with the story...
while the guys were installing the pool, hubby & I worked on prepping
the area where we would be putting sod.
We had to remove top layer of dead grass & weeds (mostly weeds), roots from the Fig tree, rocks & toys found (marbles, cars, shells) from our childhood. I even found a piece from my tea set! :D
Below is the section between the pool & the house.
I think you can figure which direction is which!


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We added sand to this soil. I'm not sure anything else to this part...maybe fertilizer (per sod company instruction).


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Last of it leveled off, ready for sod & north side of pool beds loading up with plants
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Maybe digging of the north garden beds next! We shall see!
~R



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So, I digress!
~R

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Yep, Sher, if you've been through it, you know just what is involved for each project you tackle. Your pix were great! I AM glad I took pix of all phases. I inherited my Mom's shutterbug genes for capturing Before, During & After pix of everything! LOL The only ones I've lost so far are the During pix of our driveway being installed. :( I'm not in many pix, because I'm behind the camera, but once in awhile, hubby thinks to snap some of me. Thank you too, for your nice comments!
Let's see, now for pix of digging! Oops! I just realized I haven't uploaded those pix to my photo site yet. I guess a few flora photos will suffice!

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Hope this isn't too much!
~R

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I love before and after.... they are VERY inspiring. I would love to see a current picture of the tree in the center of your pool slab. What a great idea to keep some shade on your deck, and keep your tree alive.

Your backyard looks wonderful.

A long way to go still, Tom makes new compost heap under tree, sifted dirt goes on top sod area~

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Sod area almost ready, more sifting grass clods, moving past pool equip on N lattice side, left side amendment finished~

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Breaking up of grass clods up to interim beds in NE corner, front of apple tree, looking at all done bk to west, still to do around plum tree~

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Me digging, NE corner dug in front of apple tree, tree ring half clear & finished removing grass~

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I think I'll show the plantings for this area next!
Thanks for looking!
~Rosemarie

What a beautiful transition. I guess there's hope for the rest of us after seeing what you started with. ;-) You've done a fantastic job with your gardens.

Nancy

Thanks NikkoBlue! Well, you asked for it...but I'll try to give the SHORT version of the story! LOL

Yes, we wanted to keep the tree & thought shade would be good. But we didn't consider it was deciduous, as well as a flowering tree ~which would drop lots of stuff in the pool!
It is Chitalpa 'Pink Dawn' & has very pretty flowers! We also have 'White Cloud' in the front yard, which we love.

When we bought it, the roots were girdled in the pot. We tried to help it when we planted it, but even so, it wouldn't grow straight (we couldn't get it staked right). It started leaning badly, especially after heavy rains. We'd hit our head on the limbs. We decided to move it elsewhere (see transplant hole we dug) & replace it with an evergreen shade tree. While digging it out in Mar of this year, we broke the tap root. My heart sunk! :( Maybe we'll get another down the road.

A few pix:


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So, I digress!
~R

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A reminder of the Before pic along the N lattice, then the 1st of Oct 01 ~ I put in over 100 plants in one day!

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More plants installed on the left & right side of the pool equipment (hoping eventually, some would hide it)~

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Looking back West in 1st photo below, NE end of pool planting group

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I'd better give you a rest. Meanwhile I can figure out which chapter to post next!
C ya soon!
~Rosemarie

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Wow, Rosemarie, the pics I posted of my before and after are sad compared to all of your hard work! Although, knowing what it took for us to transform our yard, I can really appreciate what you have accomplished. Aren't you glad you took pictures of all the phases? I took pictures of the yard when it was completely cleared too. All the pictures are important to help remember details of the process.

Your yard is beautiful! It is wonderful that you have ties to the property too. Thank you for sharing!

Sher

Nancy, you must've posted while I was putting together my last post! Thank you! We think it turned out pretty well too! It does attest to the fact that whatever you're given, you CAN improve upon it! :) If there's a will, there's a way, my Mom always said! I used to be embarrassed of the Before shots & only immediate family ever saw THOSE. Now, it just shows how far we've come...and I don't care anymore what people may think! A few months before these pix were taken, I came down & mowed, weedwhacked & cleaned up a bit. You couldn't SEE what was under the grass piles!

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Yep, Sher, if you've been through it, you know just what is involved for each project you tackle. Your pix were great! I AM glad I took pix of all phases. I inherited my Mom's shutterbug genes for capturing Before, During & After pix of everything! LOL The only ones I've lost so far are the During pix of our driveway being installed. :( I'm not in many pix, because I'm behind the camera, but once in awhile, hubby thinks to snap some of me. Thank you too, for your nice comments!
Let's see, now for pix of digging! Oops! I just realized I haven't uploaded those pix to my photo site yet. I guess a few flora photos will suffice!

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Hope this isn't too much!
~R

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I think you can figure out the removal of the plants

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I just realized the pix are in reverse order, but I don't think you'll mind!

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Last shot of trenches & jumping to the future a bit (2 shots from '04 & 1 from '05).

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That's all for tonight, folks!
~Rosemarie

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First PIG in the bed near the house in mid-Sep, then early Oct.

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Now the triangular bed with Abutilon & Hemerocallis ready to be PIG, sand amending the soil. Welcome stepstone added; Bed near house a few weeks into Oct.

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Now, a couple weeks later on that bed near the house; Then we jump ahead to 05, the beds to the left of the 1st pic in this section (you'll see later in the sod pix segment-also the transformation of the Fig tree to the table you see with the umbrella!); then the 04 bed near the house & another of it in 05.

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Enough for now...another segment when I'm able. It'll give you a chance to snore in bed now, instead! :P
~Rosemarie

Rosemarie, your lot looked so bare before the gardens!
What a superb transformation. The colorful flowers and privacy plantings make all the difference. The pool looks lovely in that setting. You have created paradise!

Yes, indeed it did, Carol! We were amazed how large the back yard looked without anything in it! Thanks so much for you nice comments! Privacy is a must! The gardens are my sanity (besides these forums) & they are a work in progress...never finished. I usually post close-up shots of all my blooms, but sometimes it's nice to see the "big picture". When does it ever look "good enough" for that?!

Are you ready for some DIGGING? Aug 01 ~not exactly a good month to be doing this!
Tom sifting grass clods, N beds pt dug out looking E~

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In Nov 01, after making the flower beds beside the pool & near the house, we starting laying the sod ~starting near the house. Tom & I took turns wheelbarrowing in the sod from the front of the house. We had to get it all done before the sun went down! Whee!

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I hope you can figure out which direction I'm taking all these pix. IF you really want to know, you can right click on the pic & then click Properties & the file name has a bit of info.

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*I caught you yawning! :P

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We finished up as the sun was setting!

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That 2nd to last pic is where the berms would be going & paths around the Xeriscape Lemon Island.
We were tuckered out...just in time for Thanksgiving feast the next week!
Till next~ Rosemarie

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I am just so impressed!!! What is was..and what you all have accomplished is just gorgeous!!!!
What a Great Job!!!

Dena

Rosemarie, I have really enjoyed your transformation!

It is hard to believe what you have now when looking at the before pics. What a lot of hard work, but with outstanding results. You and your husband should be so proud and satisfied with it.

I also love the fact that it is the "homeplace". I know that makes it even more special to you.

gld

Well, Thank You Much, Dena & GLD! It's makes me happy to know you're enjoying this! :) We are very proud & it is a very satisfying feeling to know what we've done. BUT...when I look at it (in sections of 10 ft or so), all I see is what I still need to do~LOL! We have taught ourselves to sit back & GAZE at it once in awhile to really appreciate it!

I've been fretting the past couple of days, trying to be an "editor"! Not easy when I'm a shutterbug & have WAY too many pix! I don't want to overload you nice folks. As it is, this thread is rather long! :P

So, here goes again...the overall look stepping back a bit...and the planting starts on the North lattice fence beds!

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A reminder of the Before pic along the N lattice, then the 1st of Oct 01 ~ I put in over 100 plants in one day!

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More plants installed on the left & right side of the pool equipment (hoping eventually, some would hide it)~

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Looking back West in 1st photo below, NE end of pool planting group

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I'd better give you a rest. Meanwhile I can figure out which chapter to post next!
C ya soon!
~Rosemarie

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