Welcome to my new blog! I take way too many pictures of the plants in our yard and love to look back at them to see how things have changed. Rather than select a few for our regular blog, I decide to create one just for garden stuff. I wish I'd started this when we moved in almost three years ago. I love a good before and after comparison! :) Since I didn't, I'll add some old information first and then start adding current pictures. Somehow, in the pandemonium of combining households, painting, and unpacking, I did not get ANY pictures of what the backyard looked like when we moved in. I thought it was wonderful. Woodsy and wild, I
thought. David thought it should be tamed. It took me a while to come to the conclusion that it was not woodsy, so much as neglected. Once we were on the same page on that matter, work began and hasn't stopped.
This fern just begged to come home with me from the Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago. 
This little friend was laid on by Tuley, but it seems to be recovering in it's new home. Funny thing is that he had to climb over a small fence to lay on him before. In its new location, Tuley could get to it with no problem, but leaves it alone.
Since we got the new swing, I moved this bench to the fence that separates the "man-zone" from the rest of the yard. It looks like a quiet place to sit, which it is, if you can stand the smell of dog poo. It's way too near Tuley's preferred dumping ground.
The bigger of the two "dinosaur" plants in its original location. I'm not sure what they really are - possibly a weed?
This spring we added two new trees (in addition to Clyde). Amos is an Amur Maple. He was chosen for the front because he should remain short enough not to interfere with the power lines. The Silver Maple, Sterling, will provide lots of shade in the back yard. He replaced a tree that was still standing, though mostly dead and hollow. We also pulled out a shrub that was planted too close to the house and a couple of other unsightly shrubs.
These pictures were taken in April 2007 - the spring after the BIG the ice storm. David had already cleared a lot of the brush from the rocked area and we were beginning to mulch. 9 cubic yards of mulch later, we were on the road to yard improvement.
