Two New Projects

Here's the view from my front yard, through the incredibly ugly chain link fence, into the back yard:

Now, in all fairness, this is not quite a "before" shot. It's a "transformation begun" shot. I had just finished working--I mean, working--tilling up that strip of lawn (roughly 6x50 ft strip), putting in the three limelight hydrangeas on the left end--two are on the outside of the fence and one on the inside, to form a big triangle--setting out three cleyera, and barely in view on the right, a couple more limelights to anchor the opposite end. Barely noticeable in the photo are my sweet potato and pole bean vines beginning to creep up the bottom of the fence.

I'm trying to make do with my chain link until I can replace with a beautiful stone/picket combination one day. So for now, taking the eye "through" the fence is my plan until the plants are actually big enough to hide it.

Here's the finished product (so far). You can see I also made a new bed on the other side of the fence to create a nice finished corner, connecting to the garden fence, further serving to pull the eye past the fence itself. (Next year, perhaps we can get our springer spaniels a plastic pool in a less obtrusive color!)

Here's a wider view.

From this next angle, you can see how the new bed also serves to balance the front yard nicely. The left side of the photo is a mature bed of azalea (at least 30-40 years old), cleyera, huge elephant ears, crepe myrtle, and even a loquat tree, bordering our street. The far end borders a dead end street and another residence.

I plan to continue the black mondo grass border (at least I think that's what it is.) on around the new bed, so that I think when the new side matures (including the soon addition of a new azalea or two.) everything will balance out nicely.

Here's another eyesore I'm trying to hide:

I love the shed. Built completely by my husband and me, it replaced a hurricane-stricken metal type a few years ago. I also am pleased with the new bed of knock-out roses and more elephant ears. But the hodge-podge of  mowers, firewood, etc kind of ruins the overall look. My cheap solution was to string wire, secured with eye-hooks, in horizontal rows, following the angle of the lean-to's roofline. Planted at the base of each end are new passionflower vines, which I've heard are fast growing but not particular evasive in terms of spreading underground.  I love that the vine is totally edible--flower, leaves and stem---and medicinal. Here are a couple of shots of my first bloom--love the flowers!