grow.

God spoke: "Earth, green up! Grow all varieties of seed-bearing plants, Every sort of fruit-bearing tree." And there it was. Genesis 1:11 [The Message]

It's springtime, well, more like summer now, in the ATL, and our first one in the new home. So, while we've worked hard to get the interior of our house in order, it's time to focus on the yard. It's been pretty neat to see what was already planted before we got here, as it's bloomed in the past two months. We've added some of our own too, and it's quite the work-in-progress - .3 acres with two previously brown thumbed folks workin' it.

I really don't like this trellis that sits right in front of our house...but I'm glad I didn't take it down cause these pretty ladies came out!

Roses! I still plan on taking the trellis down, and gently wrapping the rose stalks around the fence (even though that might be going away eventually). But what a pleasant surprise!

And just below the roses, for a little bit of color, I planted these -

(pots left by previous owner)

Our plan is to fill in the dead space, where the rocks are now, with lots of mulch. It's going to happen soon, so I'll post pictures of that progress when it happens.

We've also got this large bricked off area in the center of our yard, which thankfully had some decent looking bushes in it. One day, I'd love to have the whole area filled with all sorts of beautiful colors, but for now, we're keeping it pretty green. However, for our anniversary, my super sweet mother-in-law gave us my favorite flower to plant - hydrangea! It's been almost a month, but it has these sweet blossoms coming out -

Our plan for this is to fill it in with pine straw (same timeline as the mulch), and one day I hope it is bursting with hydrangea!

And up the front steps -

Isn't it amazing what just a little bit of color will do?!

Or green, for that matter?!

And then there was the mailbox make-over...

Before

After

[new mailbox gifted to us by sister, Kelly]

On to the back porch...

Love these pretties, situated next to the chiminea,

affectionately called Punah (long story), given to us by mama Sue

And then there's one of my first potting/planting experiences....

Obviously I haven't quite master the art of pruning! They were so cute and compact at first, but they just kept growing! Better than dying, I guess?

And for the finale, I give you one of my most favorite projects....

Our herb garden! Can't take full credit (or much, other than basic maintenance such as watering and pruning), but isn't it beautiful! Gavin and Lindsay really wanted an herb garden, while we thought it sounded like a fun idea. Since they travel so much, and don't really have the space to keep it, they did most of the leg work (Gavin built the trough, and he and Jamie planted it all) and we keep it at our place. It's the perfect set-up!

Rosemary. Thyme. Parsley. Chives. Cilantro. Basil galore! Tomatoes. Peppers. It is definitely the yummiest of all I've ever planted!

We've still got a ways to go, but we are actually enjoying spending days out in the yard. More to come, if the weather will hold up!