Front Yard Face Lift: Part I

There's something about visiting the Pasadena Showcase House that makes you feel insanely inadequate as a homeowner regardless of how much time, effort, blood, sweat and tears you have poured into making your home absolutely perfect. Every year I go, I glean hundreds of decorating ideas from the poster-child of impeccably decorated and designed homes and file them away into my mental idea vault. So, naturally, after going yesterday morning I turned my slight depression (the Showcase House's guest house was about the size of our actual house...) into motivation and we kicked into gear to do some sprucing up. This time the project is the front yard.

While I was en route coming home, Chris made a Home Depot run and stocked up on plants and supplies, I trust his judgement and the idea of going to HD on a Saturday with the masses makes me feel claustrophobic. Here is the before shot:

The front yard has been on our fix-up to-do list since we moved in and we couldn't take it any more. The front flower border and side yard were the targets. We bought drought-resistant plants to cut down on our water bill :) and also picked plants that are deer/animal resistant, since there is quite a wildlife contingency in our neighborhood and many of our previous plants had been breakfast/lunch/dinner for many deer families. So we started tearing out, chopping down, sweating, raking, hoeing, sweating, planting, weeding, sweating...

All the while we had an audience...

In the process of tearing out the rose bushes sprinkled throughout the front border, we realized that they are pretty old but in great shape. I kind of loved them once we took them out of the planter and stripped them of dead leaves and weeds. So I replanted them on the side yard... see:

I think they will like their new home!

And after 3 hours... we're not looking too bad!

Ok, now we are talking business! Here is the after shot:

I love how you can now see the cute gate on the north side of the house that was covered by this hideous overgrown palm plant. There is still more to be done, but there is only so much you can do in one afternoon! 

To be continued...