Let’s do the path (I’m not good at math, but digging up a path, I can do). And John’s good at both. Overachiever, much? Anyway, this is just a photo from before we started working on the garden beds on either side of the porch (more on that here and here) so you can see how that clump of bushes in front of the porch was kind of weird and reversed. Don’t you think plants on either side of the porch would look nice and balanced while the path to the door and the porch should be more open and airy instead of crowded by overgrown boxwoods? It was like things were backwards. Business in the middle instead of business on the sides. It was a bush mohawk.
And when a certified landscape expert (more on that here) confirmed that those boxwoods were on their last legs anyway due to some bare spots and diseased tops, we were even more sure we had to open things up so the path to the door felt less crowded (don’t worry, we still tried to transplant as many as we could to see if they’ll make it in a less in-yo-face location).
See what we mean? On moving day we dragged things down this path approximately 5,000 times with the bushes reaching out and grabbing us the whole time.
They just don’t have any understanding of personal space. We actually learned from our little landscaping consultation that pathways are ideally four feet wide so two people can walk next to each other or carry large items without getting bush-groped. So the least we can do is make this path feel as wide as possible by opening things up.
Operation Clear The Path began with us digging out the azaleas that were completely crowding the porch (their base was literally just inches from the brick side of the porch). That garden bed is tiny, and no place for large bushes like that. They weren’t too bad to dig up since the ground was wet from rain the day before – and we transplanted them on the side yard that we’re trying to naturalize so it’ll have some pretty pops of color down there and they won’t be nearly as cramped.
Next it was time to dig up those boxwoods along the other side of the path. They were a bit more challenging to get up, but again thanks to moist soil from previous rain, it wasn’t too bad. It probably took about fifteen to twenty minutes per bush and there were eight of them, so this was an almost three hour process done over two Clara naps. A few of the bushes were too far gone so we just cut them out with the reciprocating saw and then dug up their roots since that was easier if there was no saving them.
But the ones that looked like they might stand a fighting chance of survival also got transplanted in the side lot near the azaleas.
Then it was time to do something we’ll probably be doing until the end of time at this house. Digging up more of that ubiquitous liriope that abounds. This stuff was actually growing up and over the pavers – making the path look a foot narrower thanks to at least six inches of encroachment on each side. See the root system of the one below actually covering half of that paver?
We knew digging them out would widen the path again (no more bushes or grasses trying to tickle people’s legs as they walked by), but we really weren’t expecting just how much of a difference clearing out this small bed that once housed giant azaleas and endless monkey grass would make. The porch could finally breath again!
We went ahead and mulched it all the way down, just to keep weeds from springing up all willy-nilly, but we do plan to plant some small pretty flowering perennials or annuals eventually. Just holding out to find some we really like that will do well in such a narrow spot (we’re sure there are a ton of options, so we’ll just see what we like and resist the urge to try to settle too quickly on something “meh”).
And we can’t even explain how much of a difference it made to clear out those big clumpey and crowded boxwoods that were on the other side of the path. Are you ready for the biggest landscaping difference we’ve seen this spring? Check out the path before we cleared it out…
… and after:
Doesn’t the path itself look about twice as wide and a lot more open? Don’t your eyes travel to pretty things, like the woods beyond the path, and the open and much more welcoming porch? We have plans to seed the entire left side of the path so that grass just comes right up to it (nothing big will pen you in, so the path will look nice and wide and welcoming). We have a ton of other areas to garden around the perimeter of the house, so we’ll appreciate just having to mow that strip of land instead of needing to plant/mulch/prune/weed another bed. So picture that big patch of brown as green as the grass beyond it. Can you see it?
And here’s the difference from the other side. Before:
And after:
And now for some shots from a bit further away for ya. First here’s how this angle looked back when we moved into our house (what house?):
And here are how things are looking these days:
Of course we still have about 679 other things on our exterior to-do list (see more of that here) but we’re inching towards something that looks a whole lot better than what we started with.
Ah landscaping, you take a while and make our arms and back ache, but you’re worth it.
As for how long clearing the path took in total, the entire project – including the time it took to transplant things in other areas – was around 8 hours. We started it about a week ago, which is why we couldn’t show wide shots of the garden beds on each side of the porch (since that path was torn up/in progress – and we wanted to get ‘er done before taking pics from further away). That last shot from the street deflates us further emphasizes how much more we still have to tackle, but it’s definitely nice to look at the before pic to remember how far we’ve come in the time that we’ve been here. Slowly, but surely.
What are you guys doing when it comes to the path to your front door? Is it open and clear, packed with flowering plants? Full of overgrown bushes you’re planning to relocate as well? Tell $herdog all about it.
Annegirrl says
We have some serious front yard landscaping to conquer this year as well. There are 4 large cypress trees and 2 medium ones that are taking over the front of our house.
Two of them are on either side of our garage and starting to seriously crowd our driveway, cover the lights on either side, and are now grown up and over the gutter. We can’t decide if we should try trimming them back or just take them out completely. I would love to move them, but these suckers are over 15 feet tall right now and I can’t imagine the manpower and machine power it would take to move them. We need to decide something before they really start to take over.
The two medium ones are on either side of our front steps and had a pretty swirl pattern trimmed into them when we moved in 3.5 years ago. Being the neglectful owners we are they haven’t been trimmed since and are now out of control and have totally lost that pretty swirl pattern that they had. I’m not a tree trimming artist so I don’t see that pretty swirl coming back, but I do see them coming out soon.
Lisa says
It looks great!
Another idea for that small strip right in front of your porch is containers! You could find some cool and interesting containers and then just pop in annuals and then pop them out when they die and put the containers away for the winter, etc. It is a perfect spot to do that kind of thing and would be so easy to maintain and keep interesting…you could change the containers or the flowers pretty quickly and cheaply. Just keep the bed mulched and clear of weeds and then put in your containers right on top!
Or this is another good idea….http://www.floridafriendlyplants.com/Blog/post/2009/03/03/Pot-in-Pot.aspx
YoungHouseLove says
Fun! Always another possibility!
xo,
s
Jessika says
I worked on the path to the BACK door this weekend. We’re building a deck! Got all the supplies (oh my aching back!… and legs… and arms….), but then realized that two huge lilac stumps were in the way. We lack a chainsaw, but I pic-axe those suckers out!
Kati S. says
It is amazing how much difference just removing items can make! I am so ready to remove the fugly overgrown box hedges from around my house. I have have to wait until after the baby arrives in August and then you can bet I’ll be outside pulling up hedges :-)
Mamaw03T says
Looks GREAT!!
Rachel says
It looks great guys!! So clean and open. I hope you’re grinning every time you pull in the driveway.
Laura says
Looks so much better! Have you thought about phlox for the narrow part in your garden? It is a groundcover that has pretty pink or purple flowers in the spring, and a nice green the rest of the year. (and you can step on it!)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, such a fun idea! We love phlox!
xo,
s
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
Hi! I love what you’ve done! It is so nice and open. It is amazing how some landscaping changes can make a person so happy! I’ve been grinning ear to ear on some stuff we’ve been working on outdoors and have been wanting to show you guys. Over the past week we did lots of stuff like paint our front door radicchio purple, build a garden bed, start our fence and so much more. I’ve got our raised garden bed on our blog now. I love it and how we saved money on it. Check it out if you have time and hopefully I’ll get some shots of our purple door and flowers up soon too! Have a great week!
http://29ruehouse.blogspot.com/2012/04/our-super-cheap-and-simple-raised.html
YoungHouseLove says
So cute! Love that garden!
xo,
s
Laura @cookicrumbsandsawdust.blogspot.com says
Oh yea! Much better. Reminds me that I need to post about our new front steps.
Laura
Tracey says
I don’t usually like to be so blunt, but here goes – Holy crap. The before and after of the front… It’s like a totally different house! Tip of the hat to you two! ;D
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Tracey!
xo,
s
Jillian {Her Split Ends} says
Sooooo good! What a difference.
Nicely Done!!
~ Jillian
http://www.hersplitends.com
Michelle @ AM Dolce Vita says
Wow what a transformation! Your front porch is so open and spacious, and it feels twice as big. Boxwood is one of those that grow fast and requires constant trimming. We planted a Neon Blue Spruce as the focal point of our front porch, and Blue Satin Rose of Sharon bushes and blue juniper rug as ground cover. Our house is a new built so I imagine it will take years before these plants start to grow out of control. It should be a good problem to have then. :-)
Pictures of our front porch can be located here:
http://michellelalala.blogspot.com/search/label/Around%20the%20House
YoungHouseLove says
Looks great!
xo,
s
Ellen says
That looks amazing! I had forgotten that you had torn out all those other bushes in the front part of your yard. Your curb appeal has shot through the roof with these latest transformations and I’m sure it’s just going to get better!
We’ve tackled a bit over the past few years in our front yard. Our front path used to be surrounded by ivy. Our entire front yard was covered in it. http://www.kellyandellen.org/house/2010/10/front-yard-makeover-part-1/
But we tore it all out and put in sod.
http://www.kellyandellen.org/house/2010/11/its-just-fun-to-say/
We found some ancient concrete planter beds lining our front walkway in the meantime: http://www.kellyandellen.org/house/2010/10/unexpected-discoveries/
And even though we’ve had these lovely little bushes (called Skullcap) planted in them for A YEAR now, I’ve never written a post about them. Shame on me. I’m such a slacker blogger. I should get right on that.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- you’ve done so much work!
xo,
s
Katie says
I think your new bed in front of the porch will be a great place for flowers. I actually just re-read the built-ins post you linked in this month’s fave posts and learned that your front porch faces north, but I can see a heap of impatiens in that bed over the summer, and I like the idea of planting some daffodils and brightly coloured tulips bulbs in the fall so you have something cheerful to match your door come spring.
(P.S. love Clara’s 23 month picture! I think she’s grown so much in the last two months…and gone from looking like Sherry to looking like John.)
Amanda says
Our front walk is a really wide path that goes straight back from the street to the house, parallel to the driveway. It’s one of those “grand old house” walks that seems to be typical in New England. That said, Happy Patriots Day from Boston!!!
Yesterday, my husband and planted our garden. We went with vegetables and herbs: heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, chives, rosemary, thyme, basil, and lavender. (Our parsley and mint from last year are still alive and are doing great!) It was definitely a great weekend for planting.
In terms of flowers for around your walk, crocuses, tulips, and daffodils (particular crocuses) are great for small spaces. They’re perennials, and I’ve always loved them popping up and announcing that spring is here.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea!!
xo,
s
Emily says
Beautiful! Much better anyway. Congrats!
We just had our offer accepted on a house, and I can’t wait to get to work on house projects myself!
YoungHouseLove says
Congrats Emily! That’s so exciting!
xo,
s
Reenie says
Ahhhhhh what a difference :)
April says
That looks so much better! It really lets your house shine! We are actually doing a lot of changes to our front landscapint this year too. We had one of those weeping cherry trees that everyone raves about. Well we cut our’s down b/c it was extremely high-maintenance (trimming every 2 weeks) and it totally blocked a window in our house. Sometimes plants just have to go!
Skooks says
Actually, I think every bit of landscaping was ripped out of our property before we moved into the house in 2010 (save for one very sad looking rose bush growing on the side of the house that should probably be ripped out too), so we’re actually on the opposite side (as in trying to figure out what to put where). We’re moving pretty slow because we don’t have lots of $$ in the budget for landscaping stuff, but over the past few years we have been able to put some rescued day-lilies in our backyard along the side of the house, a few donated from family hostas along the side of our garage, and a couple very small hydrangeas along our porch that will hopefully get way bigger and more full as the years go on. We don’t have nearly as much yard as you guys do, but we could definitely use some more color . . . slowly but surely. :)
Amanda R says
Oh man, these pictures just took me back to the day my family moved into our house when I was 10! The path to our front door had boxwoods taller than I was growing on BOTH sides of the path that hardly left any room for walking, and in front of the boxwoods, about half of the lawn was covered in ivy. It was atrocious. I think my parents waited a day until they had the whole family, aunts and uncles included, and the pick up truck, pulling out boxwoods and ivy. It was like the house could finally breath once we pulled it all out! Needless to say, your landscaping is looking fantastic, and the front of the house is almost smiling with that cheery yellow door in full view!
Paige @ Little Nostalgia says
Oh man, it makes everything look so much bigger and more open! Plus, it’s nice to really see the yellow front door.
Margaret says
I was about to buy a fern (replacing some dying azaleas with a low maintenance shade garden) at a nursery this weekend, and a woman approached me and said “Don’t buy that. I live five blocks away, follow me to my house and I’ll give you as many ferns as you can dig up.” So nice of her! I came home with a ton of ferns to colonize the back of our house.
I have a lot of dying/dead azaleas to rip out, a few healthy ones to remove and give away or transplant, roses with black spot, and a horrible Gold Dust plant that is encroaching on our foundation. I don’t know how I’m ever going to get out the roots. But at least our garden is looking good: http://imgur.com/a/8AZpm
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome!
xo,
s
Braelin says
Wow– what a difference that made– I am in awe of the exterior transformation!
Heidi says
Wow! What a great transformation! I love how you show the before and afters for each project… it makes me feel more motivated to keep plugging along doing ‘smaller’ projects with the yard… little by little it makes a huge impact! Great job!
Ammie says
Hi! Everything looks great – I’ve just got one question. On your “Clear the Path – Before” shot it looks like you have a tree (maybe even 2) right in the middle of the boxwoods. Are my eyes/camera angle/etc playing tricks on me or did you guys also have a tree removed? I don’t remember having ever seen tree there, but the picture makes it look like it’s smack in the middle of all those bushes.
YoungHouseLove says
Just a perspective trick. The tree is closer to the street and beyond those bushes. You can see where it really is in the first pic of the post!
xo,
s
Ashley @ The North Carolina Cowgirl says
The house now has some curb appeal! It looks ten times better! Great job!
Dani MP says
You have to have just invented the term “bush-groped”… LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha. It just came to me. It’s a gift.
xo,
s
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
Removing the shrubs really opened up the walk way. I think it makes your house look much more inviting. I am sure all the neighbors are loving the changes to your house. Some of them had probably forgotten what the house looked like! Your hard work is paying off.
Katherine says
Who knew there was a beautiful little house behind all of those overgrown bushes and tree’s. It’s a HUGE improvement.
Have you considered extending the depth of the porch out? Yeah I know, it means moving the walkway out as well. But the good thing is that all of the pavers on the walk, and stones on the front face of the porch can be reused. The support posts could stay where they are and the porch deck area could be expanded. A deeper porch area would be balanced to the width of the house and make a wonderful entrance.
Don’t hate me for mentioning it…….. it is the type of project I’ve taken on myself in the past. It’s worth it.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we would love that someday!
xo,
s
Ann says
WOW! What a transformation!!
I have to ask, what do you do with Clara when you tackle projects? We have a almost 2 year old as well and there is no way we can get anything done as a team anymore. One of us is non-stop watching him and chasing him around. I wish we could get half as much done around our house as you do!
YoungHouseLove says
We either tackle projects while Clara’s asleep for the night (indoor ones work better for that since we don’t need natural light like lanscaping) or we do them while she naps on the weekend (since the blog slows down so we can both go out and work while she naps with the monitor out there with us, haha). Sometimes Clara can be with us (ex: while we dig up liriope she can play outside under the tree after waking up from her nap) but it doesn’t last that long so one of us usually goes inside or plays with her after she reaches her max time of just hanging out while we work and gets crazy. Haha.
xo,
s
Meredith says
Looks so great!! Transplanting bushes really is a pain in the butt, so I know you must feel rewarded for all that hard work. :) I almost sighed out loud at the last picture since the front porch has so much more breathing room now. You need to sit out there and enjoy a cup of tea this morning, just gazing at the new space.
And now for something completely different… I wasn’t sure where to ask this question, but I am wondering why you chose the room you did in your first house for Clara’s nursery, haha. Our ranch house has a similar layout, so I’m curious why you went with the room with only one window and a smaller closet for the bean. I’m actually leaning that way myself (and using the adjacent room with two windows for my office/the guest room), but I’m wondering what your train of thought was for picking that room. Thanks so much!
YoungHouseLove says
Since the guest bedroom (with its own shower that Clara couldn’t use since she needs a tub) works best for guests, we though putting the nursery in the other spot (so it didn’t share a wall with the guest room) would help Clara sleep better (and guests sleep better!). Someday she’ll move into the playroom as her big girl room and the nursery will stay the nursery for a future child, so that will hopefully work out! Good luck with everything!
xo,
s
Meredith says
Oh, sorry, I meant her nursery in your first house… I wish the layout of our house were as spacious as your current one! I know you probably addressed your reasoning before, but I searched the archives and didn’t come across it. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We just thought since a crib is smaller than a full sized bed (which we needed in the other room for a guest room) that it made sense for the smallest person with the smallest bed to get the smaller room!
xo,
s
Sarah says
The front yard looks fantastic-so much better!
When we bought our house, there was nary a green thing to be found-no flowers, no bushes, no trees. Heck it was January, so there wasn’t even grass. We’ve been sloooowwwly adding pathways, window boxes, shrubs/trees/flowers/grass to our yard. Plants are expensive, so we’ve bought smaller ones and have been watching them grow. It’s been so fun to see the major progress every year!
Pam C says
The screams you just heard were from me – having flashbacks. I live in a 70’s ranch – probably landscaped by the same people. We dug out 100′ of liriope lining our sidewalk because snakes thought it was funny to hide in there and pop their little slithery heads out to scare the bejesus out of us. Then we cut down the TREE planted next to the porch because the trunk was 4 inches from the side of the porch and the leaves brushed the window with every little breeze. We still can’t get rid of the Nandina. Pretty for a few months and then it grows 6′ high and 8’wide and threatens to consume my porch. Seriously – I dig it out and throw it into the woods next to us and it just puts down roots and keeps growing. It should be banned. I have dreams of having a front walk that meanders from the driveway to the porch instead of one that hugs the garage and front of the house. Some day…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you can do it Pam! Good luck!
xo,
s
Jessica F. says
Holy weed wacker Batman!! There’s a house behind all that foliage and it looks fabulous!!!!!
Excellent work; huge improvement! :)
Christine says
Wow!! Looks wonderful!!!! I can’t believe the difference. Once again, y’all are such a great motivation to me and my husband. I’m 37 weeks with our 3rd child right now so most DIY has come to a halt but I can’t wait to get started again! Your blog is my motivation.
YoungHouseLove says
Congrats on the baby on the way! You’re in the home stretch!
xo,
s
Amy @ a new old house says
Huge difference! Looks wonderful!
I hate our front path… it’s an ugly cement walkway. Someday I hope to rip it up and put down big slabs of slate leading up to the porch.
Susan says
Wow! What a difference! Isn’t it nice to step back after all your hard work and marvel at how good it looks, how open and clean?? You’ve inspired me to get going on my yard!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Susan!
xo,
s
Willa says
Congrats on a job well done–looks so much better! (I’m always amazed, driving down any given street, how many folks plant stuff with no regard for size when full-grown.)
A possible use of that narrow strip below the porch–an assortment of bulbs (the kind that don’t need to replaced all the time; my favorites are daffodils, because critters don’t like them, and assorted small bulbs that critters don’t eat) timed to pop up for the entire spring season, plus whatever perennials you finally do choose. Will wait with interest to hear what you decide when you get around to it. Meanwhile, the mulch looks great, for as long as necessary.
cara says
I’m so jealous of your yard! My husband has done great with our landscaping but I love the woodsy/private feel of yours.
Diana says
Great job! Love the new look! So much better to walk by and not worry about something leaping out of the bushes onto your legs…and imagine what it would be like at Clara’s height!
Cynda says
Monkey grass really does overflow and take up more room than you expect! I bought my house with monkey grass exploding out along the walkway to the front door. When I cut down the monkey grass in the Spring, I found this nice decorative wood edging and the walkway looked a foot wider! The previous owners had let it overgrow so much that other plants had been growing in the leaves and dirt that had built up under the overgrown monkey grass!
Monkey grass just goes to show you that in landscaping “low-maintenance” isn’t “no maintenance”! You’ve got to deal with it once a year or it will take over.
YoungHouseLove says
So true!
xo,
s
Wrenaria says
Impressive! I imagine you guys are feeling pretty sore after all that.
YoungHouseLove says
Heck yeah!
xo,
s
GreenInOC says
When I see things like rain water barrels, composting, growing herbs & produce, having backyard chickens and it makes me SO sad that all I have is a bitty balcony.
When I see these kinds of posts showing the amount of hard work, planning and physical pain it takes to maintain, it makes me SO happy that all I have is a bitty balcony!
It looks beautiful by the way!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so true!
xo,
s
Kelly says
Wow that last before/after almost made me lol! It really is quite silly how overgrown and hidden it was before, especially when it is such a CUTE house!
Lisa says
Have you considered using the pavers in the back to widen the walk? Are there enough left over?
YoungHouseLove says
Sadly they’re a slightly different color, so it would probably be really obvious where we added on.
xo,
s
Gina (Lady Goats) says
heh. heh. heh… bush mohawk.. I’m so immature. Anyhow, THAT DEFLATES YOU?! Can’t you see how much work you’ve already put in?!!! Oh my gosh, I’d be THRILLED by that “progress” shot! I mean, yeah, there’s still a list of to-do’s, but… wow! You’ve already done a lot!
Anyhow, my house kinda sucks, and the “front” door is actually on the side of the house. Totally can’t see it from the street! I think my house feels so uninviting because of that, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I guess I can look on the bright side, and mention that I can “air dry” when I get outta the shower with the front door open, since it’s so private. And we can eventually put a porch or something out there to enjoy the small amount of nice weather we get in the desert… The next house’ll be better. That’s what I keep telling myself :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Gina! You’re sweet! Good luck with your house!
xo,
s
Jyl says
“They just don’t have any understanding of personal space.” Bah ha ha ha ha!
Nice work!
jessica says
I have been silently begging and pleading with you guys to do that….so. much. better. It looks like the whole house can breathe now!
Ashley says
I really like how your before photos are all dreary overcasty and the afters are bright and sunny! It’s like weight loss commercials when the before is a serious blah expression and after is a million dollar smile and some flashy new clothes!
Anyway, I think it looks great! Love the openness. Makes me outhouse house had a front porch, guess we’ll have to be happy with our back deck!
We recently did some front yard landscaping too. We love it, a few hours, not much cash and we have a whole new look! Check it out: http://www.daisypedals.com/2012/04/sticks-and-stones-landscaping-front.html
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that’s so funny about the sunny vs. overcast thing! Didn’t even realize that but you’re right! The sun helps too! Your front landscaping looks great!
xo
s
Althea says
It looks so much better – so much more open!
I had a dream about you (Sherry)! I dreamed that since you’re getting so much better at sewing you renamed your sewing machine “Oh Sister”. Haha, so random!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it!
xo,
s