Yeah, we’re those neighbors. You know, the ones who are so busy working on the inside of the house (slash baby-wrangling) that our yard is looking a little worse for wear. Check out the weed convention taking place under our mailbox:
And hark, who is that sweet little guy peering out of the overgrown insanity?
Why it’s a sweet iron squirrel left by the previous owners. And yes, I do love him and occasionally pet him. His name is Norman.
So the first step of the whole mailbox makeover was clearly to weed. For the first time in half a year. Yup, other than this mom-assisted weeding event, we haven’t done it at all since moving in.
I just got a bucket and filled it five times with all of the stuff sprouting up around the mailbox post:
Then we used some landscaping fabric to block those evil weed babies from coming back (since we’ve established that regular weeding isn’t our strong suit) and grabbed two $7 pots of fast growing all-summer-blooming petunias from Lowe’s. They tend to creep outward and get pretty big throughout the summer, so we think they’ll fill in that whole area nicely without having to buy ten pots of different things to plant.
We just cut little x’s into the landscaping fabric and dug in our petunias so they could spread their roots under the fabric – without a lot of other weeds coming up through the opening (hopefully).
Then we added an ultra thin layer of top soil to hold things down and a nice thick moisturizing layer of mulch. Can’t wait for these babies to grow a bit and creep outwards to fill more of our little mulched area with blooms.
Oh and see that area on the side of the post in the pic above that looks like it’s painted gray? That’s where our house numbers are so I just “painted” over them in photoshop for privacy reasons. And see that big blank stop-sign looking thing? That’s our alarm sign that I painted over in Photoshop to obscure it as well (as for the shape giving anything away, multiple companies have the same shape so it’s all good). Our house is armed like Fort Knox since we’re paranoid parents who realize that putting your whole house on the internet requires a few more precautions than the average home. So when our alarm company recommended that we not share their name on the internet (for maximum house security since they didn’t want anyone to think they knew the inside scoop on our system or try to research it or something – even though the way they installed our system is different than the norm with a bunch of crazy sci-fi extras) we were happy to oblige.
We actually thought it was pretty darn awesome of them to recommend the not-sharing thing since most companies would probably cross their fingers for a mention. They’re serious about security. Like Jack Bauer serious (or Chloe O’Brien serious). But we weren’t exactly thrilled about the three tin signs junking up our mailbox. A single alarm sign would usually be hung facing the street on the base of the post, but there was an old sign for an electric fence (which is no longer in use on our property) there instead. So they hung two signs on either side of the… arm?… of the mailbox. So after longer-than-necessary debating, J and I decided to remove both alarm signs along with the electric fence one and just hang one alarm sign in its place near the base. Here I am after removing both alarm signs and starting on the electric fence sign.
Oh yeah and my shorts were looking a little short so I added a “modesty heart.” But the real story of the picture above is the pink arrow (which explains my skeeered face). By removing the alarm signs, we uncovered this:
A wasp (or hornet’s) nest. Le gasp. I just left him alone and he left me alone. Thankfully. But we’re planning to ditch the nest (naturally and hopefully carefully) this evening. Fingers crossed.
Update: Mr Wasp was out this evening (at least I believed he was because at dusk his nest appeared to be unattended) so I donned a lot of clothing and closed toe shoes and used a long yardstick to knock the hive to the ground from afar. Nothing flew out of it (it was in fact empty – although I’ll never know if he was just out for a stroll or had abandoned the nest when I removed the alarm signs) so I stomped on it a few times with my shoe. Done-zo. Woot! And yes, I’m feeling pretty tough right now. I’ll keep you guys updated if he comes back (although I think the loss of cover thanks to the missing signs might mean good things for keeping him gone for good).
Here’s what we had going on once I hung just one alarm sign on the base of the post facing the road. If I were an overachiever I would spray paint the mailbox with oil-rubbed bronze paint to get it looking nice and shiny. Someday. And maybe even paint the post something glossy and fresh. Oh and see that birdhouse on the back of the post? A quaint little bird family lives there. They all fly out when we get the mail. So cute.
Speaking of cute, you know El Squirrel stuck around right? Here’s Norman living it up among the fresh mulch and happy blooms:
So yeah- we didn’t Curb Appeal The Block, but it’s a quick little upgrade from the embarrassment that was this:
Any other quick yard updates going on in your world? Have you ever used weed-block fabric (it was our first time beyond using it for the patio)? Or found little faux woodland creatures on your property only to fall in love with them? Or come face to face with a bee/hornet’s nest? Spill it.
Leslie *Fresh Out of Lemons* says
Haha! My husband and I are the neighbors who leaves our recycling cart at the curb weeeeeeeeell past pick-up day. :)
Julia @ Chris loves Julia says
I had every intention to spray paint our mailbox that still bares the previous owner’s name (eeks!) this weekend, but instead I decided to paint our front door. Which has turned into a complete fiasco and now it is day 4 and I’m still not done. Yay for projects that don’t go as planned!
Chris Loves Julia
Stephanie says
We used the weed block fabric in my backyard flower garden, but I didn’t like it there. I found it more trouble to work around after it had degraded a bit. I took it out this spring when I was planting. I don’t mind it at all in the front landscaping b/c I don’t dig around much up there and I do think it helps control weeds a little. I don’t mind pulling the weeds in the back b/c it is just once every other week or so and gives me a reason to go outside. I just love freshly planted flowers and fresh mulch. It looks great!
Jen says
Amazing what a little sprucing can do! Looks great.
I’ll be interested to see how your weed fabric does. With the weed fabric I’ve used, the instructions said to not get any dirt or soil on top of the fabric since that’s what the weeds need to take hold and grow. I just put a layer of mulch over the fabric and held the fabric in place with pins meant for that purpose.
Keep up the great work you two! I love the large projects as much as anyone else, but small projects always make more of a difference than expected so seeing your small projects motivates me to get to work!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah I wondered about that but a thin layer of dirt seemed to help the fabric lay well with a thicker layer of mulch on top. We shall see how it goes!
xo,
s
Chrissie says
At the very least, it should be easier to pull weeds out of a thin layer of soil since they won’t be able to get their roots as deep, which stops them taking hold as much :)
Kari says
I love the power of mulch. So easy, looks fantastic, keeps the weeds down. Your little spot looks much better.
You might consider removing the wasps for the sake of your poor letter carrier who won’t want to be stung this summer, either.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah we were thinking about that. We wondered if they’d abandon the nest now that it’s exposed on all sides (it used to be hidden by the sign on both sides of the post). Maybe I should go check if it’s still “active.”
xo,
s
KathyG says
Just pick up a can of that wasp spray foam at HD. If you have one, you’ll have others. It’s easy to use, and from quite a distance. Just spray, they’ll fall, then stomp. Kinda scary-fun, actually. lol
Sara says
I was thinking the same thing! It doesn’t look like a helpful bee’s nest that you want to save, more like a wasp, yellow jacket, or hornet’s nest. Not something you want to get stung by!
Vicki says
We had a smiliarly-sized wasps’ nest that we found when we were getting ready to stain our deck a couple weeks ago. This is pretty sadistic, but somehow I came up with the idea of spraying it with WD-40 (it works on everything, right?) and all the wasps immediately died and we were able to remove it while wearing gloves.
meredith says
Oh my gosh – just get some hornet spray and get rid of it. And be careful – they like to build in the same places. We had one like that above our front door area and they came back again and again. When we repainted they didn’t come back anymore.
YoungHouseLove says
The deed is done! Wahoo. We posted an update on this post about it, but basically it was abandoned so I stepped on it. We’ll check if it comes back and do something more to thwart them if they return (I think since the cover of the alarm sign is gone they’re gone for good).
xo,
s
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says
Bees also freak me out. Once, a nest appeared on the outside of our window so we could watch them build (since we were safely on the other side). It was cool to watch but I would prefer them not being there at all. But I think the mailbox looks great and I’m sure the neighbors are fans, too!
And your security company sounds amazing! It’s always comforting to know that they care and take your safety seriously. My parents house is rigged up all crazy, too (a crazy siren goes off that the whole neighborhood can hear). It’s actually how I realized the Easter Bunny wasn’t real – because how could he get in our house without setting off the alarm??
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, that’s the best Easter bunny revelation I’ve ever heard. Haha.
xo,
s
Sami says
I just have to share. My Dad once forgot to set out my sister and I’s Easter baskets. He accidentally left them in the hiding place in the garage. He told us the Easter bunny was so busy delivering baskets he didn’t have time to come all the way up to the living room so he left them in the garage. *Yeah right Dad* Given that on the previous Christmas my Dad also told us that Santa was so busy delivering present that he couldn’t fill out the tags – that’s why Dad and Santa have the exact same hand-writing – well it didn’t take long before the light bulb went off for us. Maybe it was just Dad all along.
Elizabeth says
WHAT?! There is no Easter Bunny? and Santa Claus is Sami’s dad?!?!
I’m crushed.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha. Sami’s dad knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake…
xo,
s
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
This post is so timely, I’m currently having a nervous breakdown that my yard is quickly growing weeds and I have no time to yank them. Too much work and school lately :(
I spray painted my mailbox a dark brown last year (it was a white box on a white post) and the contrast made all the difference! I say light and bright post! :)
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
I’m a big believer in landscaping fabric. We just used the X technique, too, in our rose garden and everywhere else we have any kind of planting bed.
For a whole different perspective on weed management, check out Gaia’s Garden, a book on permaculture that I’ve just started reading. It will change the way you think about pretty much every aspect of gardening.
Angie @ The Country Chic Cottage says
Yeah I hate weed fabric. The mulch eventually breaks down which leads to weeds growing on TOP of the fabric. And that is just an impossible situation. Can you tell I ripped all mine out?? And guess what…I have weeds…sigh…
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man – we’re not sure what to expect. It’s like a little science experiment up there.
xo,
s
Sara says
I find even though some weeds will grow on top of the weed barrier, since the roots can’t get so deep they are much easier to pull out.
Care says
Your modesty heart had me lol’ing hehe!
KiTX @ The Big Grateful says
Ditto. I definitely giggled aloud at that one, loved it.
Sayward says
I am DYING over that modesty heart! I do things like that too. I saw a great quote yesterday on Pinterest that said ?”Your dresses should be tight enough to show you’re a woman, and loose enough to show you’re a lady” – Edith Head
Wendy says
We just tried out a weed-block fabric for the first time this year when we built a raised organic vegetable garden. We planted everything about three weeks ago, and so far not a single weed. Now, if only we could get the cabbage worms to stay away…
Here’s the low down of how we installed it (and built the garden): http://www.oldtownhome.com/2011/5/26/Our-Organic-Vegetable-Garden-Part-2-Building-the-Bed/index.aspx
Jessica Kish says
A modesty heart? lol you crack me up!
Katrina says
I just tackled the curb appeal issue last night! We have an acre and a ton of weeds taking over all of our beds, so although we’ve weeded regularly, the front had not been tackled for awhile. I weeded and then we added some annuals for some color pop in the front. Hopefully we can keep on top of it from now on.
We bought our house in the middle of last summer, so we’re still discovering what is planted where. There are so many things planted in places that I would never have chosen in our yard. Thankfully, I love the plants that they chose and they are pretty easy care (for the most part). The previous owners were also good about dividing and using what they had so there is good repetition throughout our property, but this has also resulted in everything flowering and dying at the same time, which is something I want to address. I’m excited to see how we make the place evolve over the years!
Shannon says
We’ve had two previous owners of our house so I’m not sure who it belonged to, but we have a large concrete german shepherd in our backyard. There is a rose of sharon tree planted behind him so I’m pretty sure he is a grave marker. We don’t intend to move him so I’ve named him Rex and he does a great job keeping an eye on our backyard!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw Rex sounds awesome.
xo,
s
Sarah A. says
I have a (live) German Shepherd named Rex!
We moved into our house two summers ago and the previous owners used a lot of weed block fabric in the raised beds. It doesn’t seem to have done that much good, and Rex likes to pull it out and chew it. I remove it when I come across it.
LauraElle says
We’ve used the weed block fabric. We still get some weeds, not nearly the amount of weeds we had before fabric, though. The new weds are on top of the fabric, which makes them much easier to remove. They also don’t come back because the new weeds’ root systems are not deep.
The grass grew over the top of the fabric as well, because we didn’t edge our lawn by the flowerbed. When I pulled up the grass, it took a lot of the top soil and mulch with it. So then I had to put down more soil and mulch. Don’t be like us, edge your lawn around the border of the new flowerbed and y’all will be fine.
I don’t think y’all will have any weeds growing through the patio. If you do get a few weeds, just boil a kettle and pour the boiling water over the weeds. They’ll wilt immediately.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips!
xo,
s
Jordan@the2seasons says
Nice little update to that area. Oh and we are totally those neighbors we have been concentrating on our backyard but the whole neighborhood has to deal with our ugly front yard. I guess I have to remember one project at a time and eventually we will get to the front to work on curb appeal.
Heather W says
Definitely think you should spray paint the mailbox and paint the post. It would be lovely. Then you can have it complete and check it off your to do. I know you have to have the paint and the spray paint already riiiigghhhttt?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s been so super hot and rainy here (precipitation almost every day for the last four) that we’d rather wait a bit til it’s cooler and less rainy (more optimal for painting the post so it’s not all runny and tacky from the heat/rain). Someday though!
xo,
s
Katie says
When I was 11 my family moved to a house in a new state. We inherited a ceramic bunny that the previous owners kept in a front flower garden. I think they left it because I was so excited about it. It then became my job to tend to the flowers in the front and I LOVED moving the bunny around! Ahhh, to be a kid again… :)
Amanda @ Our Humble A{Bowe}d says
We’ve used the fabric before, but have found the black plastic works better for weed blocking purposes. For us at least. Unfortunately, the previous owners of our house only left us with a garage of junk. No cute woodland creatures. Though, I think a few would look cute.
We have a white mailbox, but I’ve considered spray painting it a fun color. I think it would help when giving directions, “It’s the house with the teal mailbox.” Have you spray painted a mail box before? Did it hold up well? Perhaps if coated with a glossy clear coat?
YoungHouseLove says
I like the idea of a color so people know which house is yours (we usually do that with our front door so we can say “the one with the red door.” As for spray painting a mailbox, I haven’t done it but metal takes really well to spray paint so as long as you used thin and even coats with drying time between it should turn out pretty close to perfect and last a looong time. I actually wouldn’t mess around with a clear coat because sometimes those stay tacky and it would “stick” when you close it or try to open it. Good luck!
xo,
s
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
Since my neighborhood is new and we all got the same ol’ white mailbox, that is exactly how I give directions!! We’re the only ones out of 60 something houses with a mailbox that’s other than white :)
Gloria says
I was definitely THAT neighbor too… Until last weekend that is! I just put up a post about cleaning up my yard, although it wasn’t a “quick” update and required a few foot and back massages after completing. See it here!
Krysta @ Domestic for Dummies says
We are totally “those” people on our street. We are always the last ones on our block to mow our grass and always get evil looks from the neighbors. Love the squirrel and your mailbox trasnformation looks great!
Amy in Pittsburgh says
I have a dog named Norman whose primary life goal is to chase and catch every single squirrel who dares tread on his property, so I love that he has a squirrel namesake. So far, he’s been unsuccessful; the only casualty has been our grass…needless to say, we just re-seeded. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- a squirrel accidentally named in his honor!
xo,
s
Erin says
The previous owner of our house was a huge fan of weed fabric but that is probably because she was good about laying a thick layer of mulch down every year. The first couple years we decided not to lay mulch (interior paint vs. mulch) and by the 2nd winter, the weed fabric was flapping in the cold wind. Nothing looks better than white snow and black weed fabric :).
And we still get a ton of weeds in the spring/summer. Needless to say I am not a fan of weed fabric or weeds for that matter.
Crystal R says
We’re lucky…our mailbox is actually across the street from our house. And my hubby brings in the mail everyday. So I can “conveniently” ignore how ugly it is :)
Sherry I love the modesty heart!! How clever.
Erika says
What a difference!
I leave the bees alone b/c they are such good pollinators, but I did kill a black widow spider earlier this spring – yikes!
Gwenalyn says
I haven’t found any animals on our property (yet)- but after the snow melted I did find a mossy path lined with rocks that leads from the driveway to the garden shed. It also branches off to the playset and garden. It’s so pretty! I was so excited to find it. :)
Lindsey d. says
Amazing what weeding can do! I’m always impressed with how much MORE I love my house (and I really love my house) after I get dirty working in the yard.
This weekend, I decided on a whim to take down an ugly and useless chain link fence in my side yard. (http://instagr.am/p/F96Ss/?ref=nf) It was rusty, a little dangerous and downright atrocious… and I had let it be for nearly two years. So all on my own, I managed to get the chain link off and start digging up posts. I’m not done, but already I love how open it makes my side yard look. The plan is to clean everything up and plant some flowers for now and put in a veggie garden next spring. And maybe manage to lay down some pavers (although I’m completely terrified of it after your posts) when it cools off down here (south Louisiana)
erin says
Weed block fabric = the best invention EVER.
The hubs and I are really lazy about weeding, so we put that stuff under everything. We hold it down with stakes that are specially designed for it (I think? He bought them, I guess, so I can’t really be sure), and then cover it with wood chips. It saves us so much time during the summer!
Also, vinegar is great for killing weeds…but it will also kill grass. Learned that one the hard way.
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
Lowe’s sells extra-strong vinegar that’s good for killing weeds. Doesn’t do much for nut grass, though. : (
Amy says
We just removed all the landscaping rocks from the front of our house and put down a nice layer of weed block and 100% recycled RUBBER mulch :) We also are not regular weeders and thought this might be a better option for us.
We’re also planning on using Dirt Bags (made from recycled plastic soda bottles) to plant on top of the mulch.
Erin says
Oh! We’re thinking of using the rubber mulch under our son’s playset! How do you like it?
MH says
Too Cute!! Looks great and I love Norman. I’m glad I’m not the only one who names random things :-)
Erica M says
As I’ve been SLOWLY tackling the weeds this year, I’ve sprinkled a little Preen pre-emergent down before covering the freshly weeded area with wet newspaper (sort of a biodegradable version of the weed block fabric) and then covered that with mulch. So far it has greatly helped to slow down the few weeds that are creeping through, making it easier to maintain while I continue to tackle the 3 foot tall jungle weeds that are out of control elsewhere.
Lindsey d. says
Also, did you see Unhappy Hipsters for yesterday? http://unhappyhipsters.com/post/6754038219/their-foreplay-was-pure-shelter-porn-complete
It made me think of y’all, although in a not creepy way. I think it was the mention of Low VOC paint…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- I love that blog.
xo,
s
Patricia says
Yes! We used weed barrier when we landscaped our front yard. Which is good because according to our little old lady neighbor (who is serious about her yard, and slightly disappointed in our weeding skills), we are great at projects and terrible at maintenance. Yay for quick fixes that make it easy to avoid weeding.
Jen says
I also have one of those neighbors! Oh, to be retired and have time to mow 3 times a week and water flowers twice a day like she does!
rebekah coleman-brahler says
We actually have wasps build a nest INSIDE our mailbox every year. Nothing we’ve tried has deterred them. The worst part? They crawl inside the mail, which has led to my hubby getting stung several times. Nothing worse than pulling out a load of junk mail, only to be stung when you’re trying to sort it into shred/recycle piles!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man that stinks! Anyone have any ideas for Rebekah and her poor hubby?
xo,
s
Rosie says
Mint is a neurotoxin for wasps – you might want to put a planter full of it at the base of the mailbox and see if that helps. And Sherry, if you decide to attack the nest in your mailbox, there’s a great non-toxic (to humans) mint spray made by Victor that works wonderfully on them. We find it at our local hardware store – it’s a yellow bottle.
Melanie says
I’ve heard that wasps don’t like the smell of tea tree oil. Maybe the inside of the mailbox needs a little dose of that a few times in the waspy building season? Lavendar oil might work too; I know it helps keep ants away from my bathroom (weirdo ants and their bathroom obsession).
Callie says
We have had hornet problems and we got some hornet killer spray from Lowes (not its official name I’m sure haha) – I don’t like pesticides in general, but these things were wicked – my husband goes out and sprays them a couple times and after a day or two they die and the nest is abandoned, then you can knock the nest down and get rid of them. But then also make sure there are no holes in your mailbox for them to crawl back in and start over. :|
Katie says
One thing that worked for us with wasps building nests in small spaces around our house is to get this black foam spray (ask @ home depot or lowe’s) to close off any entry points that the wasps can find to the mailbox. They can squeeze into the smallest of spaces, so check for any cracks or holes. We had wasps building nests in the tiny holes around our window frames. So annoying! They re truly my most-hated summer pest.
Andrea says
Thick layers of newspaper (freecycled) overlapped work great as a weed blocker, and it decomposes so you won’t have to deal with the frustration that is removing weed blocking fabric down the line when it degrades. you can put mulch right over it!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I love that idea!
xo,
s
Kaely says
This is what we do. Several layers of newspaper and then wet it down so it doesn’t blow away before you get the mulch on it. Cardboard works well too, especially if you have some really problem weeds.
Megan says
This is exactly what I do!
Amy says
FYI-Cardboard will break down faster than newspaper, so decide which you want more – longer staying power or something that breaks down quicker.
JennyB says
We use broken down cardboard boxes and throw mulch on top of them. It kills the weeds and it breaks down nicely. Luckily, my husband and I work at jobs where cardboard boxes are plentiful.
And I love the earlier idea of painting the mailbox a funky color so that giving directions is easy-peasy. Fun!
Leann says
This is a really great idea! My husband and I purchased our house last year and it was previously a rental property. We had weed block fabric in the flower bed that had really broken down. It took us FOREVER to dig it all out. There are probably still some tiny pieces left mixed in with our dirt. :( So even though a lot of people use weed fabric and love it, we steered clear of it for our landscaping. BTW does anyone know if this stuff is safe for the environment once it breaks down?
YoungHouseLove says
We bought a type that said “biodegradable” so we knew it wouldn’t be in our yard for two decades or anything like that. I think they offer different “strengths” of durability (so certain ones are made to degrade sooner than others).
xo,
s
threadbndr says
Did you save your appliance boxes when the washer/dryer were delivered? Those big cardboard pieces make great weed blocker. I put mine under my raised beds since I want them to breakdown in a season or so. They just have to last long enough to kill the grass seeds under there.
I, too, fight the battle of the wasps every summer. They love my back porch for some reason (sigh). I use the vinegar spray on them. Ours are mud-dauber wasps, and them make little ‘adobe’ tube nests, not the big, round paper ones. That was rather cool to see, actually.
YoungHouseLove says
They were delivered so they took the boxes with them (which was nice at the time). Although I do have a ton of cardboard that I hoard to paint on (so I could use the not-painted-on stuff for that as well. Great tip!
xo,
s
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
Nice job, those petunias will definitely spread. Mine are growing like weeds after only a month (pun intended) :)
Brandy says
LOLz! I know how the yard goes, I moved into my house in DEC. Coming from Hawaii, and CA before that, I had no idea how to deal with southern weeds, or plants! But slowly I have been learning, and gardening! I love your yard, and your back yard as well. I keep showing it to my husband saying “See, we can do it ourselves too!”
Le says
I hoped you plucked, crushed and trashed that nest after dark when things cooled down….don’t want to make enemies with your friendly mail carrier or see that nest grow to the size of a basketball.
I have used a gloved hand covered with a plastic grocery bag (think doggie poop patrol style) with a knot and some foot stomping to insure that their is no reoccurrance. It is the quickest way to clean them up with no chemicals.
YoungHouseLove says
We wondered if they’d abandon the nest now that it’s open on all sides (it used to be hidden between both sides of the alarm sign). Off to check it out…
xo,
s
Hunter says
We’ve had good luck with weed cloth, but we always double fold it.
The real magic trick is heavy black plastic (like garbage bags but about ten times as thick. If you’ve got somewhere that’s just hopelessly overgrown, and you don’t mind putting up with an eyesore for a few months, you can put it down (spike it in) and leave it. After a month or two the stuff under it will have died, and the soil will be easy to work. Just take up the plastic and start fresh.
Obviously not the best choice if you’ve got things you want to keep, but if the area is a total wash, it’s easier than pulling it all out manually.
YoungHouseLove says
I like that idea! Autopilot chemical-free clearing!
xo,
s
Laura says
A cheap and green alternative to landscape cloth is some newspapers buried under a small amount of dirt, mulch or stones
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea! We’ll have to give that a try next time.
xo,
s
Nancy says
Here in Phoenix there are few trees and very little grass. The picture of your street with all those green trees makes me miss Virginia, my birthplace…love the green, green grass of home.
Pam @ diy Design Fanatic says
Your mailbox flower bed looks so much better! I haven’t used the weed block fabric ~ I find that piling the mulch high(at least 3″) really helps keep the weeds down. The mulch makes it easy to pull the weeds if they do grow, so it’s a much easier job to weed.
Kate says
We’ve had our house for three weeks now and we’re trying hard not to be “those neighbors”, but it’s really hard when you first move in! We borrowed our neighbor’s lawn mower once before we bought ours, and we’ve taken care of that twice now (when we moved in the grass was horrible, I think they hadn’t mown in a couple weeks before they moved), but we have GIGANTIC weeds! Weeds in the plants, weeds in the grass, tons of weeds in the bare patch where they had the pool last summer!
My mother-in-law and I got all the weeds from the plants when they came out to visit (what is it about mothers and weeding?), but they are growing back and we still haven’t been able to get the weeds in the grass to settle down. A lot of them are monster prickly things, too.
Haha, can you tell this is currently a sore subject for me?
April says
Looks great! The previous owners of our house had used the fabric weed blocker when they did the front beds and side bed. Not sure when they put it in but we have weeds everywhere even with it. :( We also have an 11 month old to wrangle so the weeds are still not touched. I am inspired to get out there and work on them after reading this though!
Lindsey says
Hi Sherry,
In the interest of truly hiding your security company, I would blur out your mailbox security sign totally. Sadly the sign is in the shape of the popular security company’s logo and it is very recognizable. Putting the sign shape is basically broadcasting the name. I’m sure it’s over caution but just wanted to give you the heads up. Feel free to delete my comment if you do decide to address this.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the concern! I know who you’re thinking of and it’s actually not them. But I didn’t mind if people thought it was them (confusion: the name of the game).
xo,
s
She-Ra says
We are moving soon so DH and I decided to break down and spring for the lawn crew to come this spring, clear out the weeds, then lay fabric and mulch. It looked great. For a couple of weeks. Now we have a bunch of weeds all over the place. I think our mistake was doing it too early. If we had waited for the weeds to sprout for the season, then clear them the good looks would’ve lasted longer. The idea behind having the (expensive!) lawn crew come was so that we wouldn’t have to deal with the weeds and could focus on moving prep (i.e. indoor house repairs and clearing out 10 years worth of junk!). Just this morning I was out sweating in the garden, cursing the Northern VA climate that makes it so easy for weeds to grow! It’s a never-ending battle around here. Ugh.
Barbara says
What’s on the other side of your mailbox? Is it a bird house?
YoungHouseLove says
Yup. And a wee family of baby birds lives in there! They fly out when we get the mail.
xo,
s
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
Seriously, do you guys live in a Disney movie?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- nope. Picture Clara pulling my hair as I get the mail and then the birds flutter out and scare me and I drop the mail everywhere. That happens regularly. Haha.
xo,
s
Lori and Ethne at wom-mom.com says
I would love to get into the yard, but it keeps raining. Actually we use the cloth for gardening. It works great!
I hate weeding!
Lori
http://www.wom-mom.com
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Nice job. Great curb appeal now. We actually had to replace our mailbox when we bought 4 years ago. The mailbox was held onto the post with a bungie cord. lol! So we just bought on of those completely plastic ones and it looks so much better now.
Sherry I took pictures of my Hydrangea’s this past weekend, if you would like to see them, take a look here: http://thedecorscene.blogspot.com/2011/06/hello-gorgeous.html
YoungHouseLove says
Beyond gorgeous! Love them!
xo,
s
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Awwww thank you! :)
Alli says
We used landscaping fabric in an area in our backyard, but the weeds have developed their own network of roots that grow underneath and find the tiniest hole to poke through. Another area we have mulch without fabric is actually doing better weed-wise. :( I would suggest putting down some Preen or other pre-emergent which helps keep the weeds from actually starting.
It’s been raining crazily here lately (Minnesota) and we haven’t had time to mow our lawn, but our neighbor has hired other neighbors to mow hers and they do it once a week (at least!). The issue is that we have an 8′ section of grass between our houses that they mow right down the middle. My husband is certain they do it to show us how long our grass actually is and a hint for us to mow our lawn, ha!