The Front Yard Pt.1

Since the weather is trying so hard to be spring with fewer and fewer cool days, I’ve started to tackled the task of renovating my front yard. I’ve had all winter to think about this and considering the back yard is soooo next year, it only make sense to focus my landscaping efforts on the front yard. The front yard will have a little bit of everything; perennials, herbs, annuals, and veggies. A bit of a “potager” or kitchen garden.

For those not familiar with the term “kitchen garden;” the best description I have come across is a place to grow the things you bring into the kitchen (or house), such as herbs, veggies, fruits and berries, and cutting flowers for your table.

I really like the idea of mixing up the status quo of keeping your veggies separate from your flowers or herbs. In fact, quite a few flowers are considered edible and can be mixed into the menu if you choose too. (I posted a list of edibles at the bottom of this post.)

So with this the first step was to get rid of the over grown shrubs up against the house. This is no easy task and I’m 4 down, 2 to go. But nonetheless, one side of the yard is ready to be tilled and beautified.

Mark borrowed his uncle’s tiller, got it running and handed over. I haven’t tilled in a couple of years and forgot the vibrate power behind one of these, even a small one. So 5 mins into it and I had to suck it up and till. I got enough done to prepare the soil for transplanting the two Butterfly Bushes that were at the front on the sidewalk, careful not to dig to short on their roots. (Thanks for the tip, Heather) Also the weather was calling for rain the next couple of days so the timing was even better for transplanting these bushes.

(warning sentimental moment ahead)

Funny thing is, when I lived just a couple houses down I would pass these bushes and stop to watch the one or two butterflies feeding, I would also look at the house and think, “that looks like a lot of work”. Little did I know that one day these bushes and this “a lot of work” would be mine.

I managed to get the Butterfly bushes to their new home in the yard and I planted our new Weeping Japaneses Maple just ahead of them. I also got the rosemary and lavender in. Lots more to do and I’m not looking forward to wrestling with the roots of the Camellia but it’s a task that must be done to make room for the Weeping Cedar, another Butterfly Bush, and the Viburnum.

So far, so good. Everybody looks happy with their new home.

Edible flowers Parks Herbs

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) perennial
Bee Balm (Monarda spp. ) perennial
Begonia, tuberous (Begonia x tuberhybrida) annual
Borage (Borage officinalis) annual
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) perennial
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) annual
Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) perennial
English Daisy (Bellis perennis) annual/biennial
Geranium, scented (Pelargonium spp.) annual
Gladiola (Gladious spp.) annual
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) biennial
Johnny-Jump-Up (Viola tricolor) annual
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) perennial reliably hardy only to Zone 5
Lemon Marigold (Tagetes tenufolia ‘Lemon Gem’) annual
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum spp.) annual
Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana) hardy annual
Petunia (Petunia x hybrida) annual
Pinks (Dianthus spp.) annual
Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) hardy annual
Rose (Rosa spp.) perennial
Sunflower (Helianthus annua) annual
Violet (Viola cornuta) perennial