Our landscape project started on Tuesday morning with four men clad in rain gear, digging, scooping and hacking out our lawn with pics and shovels then carting it away. The rain fell so hard Monday night and before sunrise Tuesday morning that it woke me out of a deep sleep. I wondered if the crew would show up and was relieved to see them – project underway.

The plan:

The Crew:

Days 1 & 2: digging drip lines, roots, grass and death-row plants; loading wheel barrels with soil then slinging it into mounds, toting 70lb wall bricks and laying that crucial first row until the level bubbles in the middle

At the end of Day 3: sand and bricks in the driveway replaced by Serviceberry trees and the new planter well on its way.

A big pile of crushed granite (gold dust as the landscapers call it) – this stuff is amazing. Pack it down and it compresses like chipseal. We topped the patio steps and path along the left side of the house with it. Much better than the weedy gravel and ultra-decayed weed barrier it replaced.

Almost there at the end of day 4: plants, check; irrigation, check; new wall and planter, check; raised gardens in place, check (no soil or plants yet – soon squash, cucs and tomatoes!). Just the sod to go.

Now the bad news – we won’t be here Monday to see the new sod lawn and the completed project.

Now the good news – we won’t be here Monday to see the new sod lawn and the completed project BECAUSE we’ll be visiting family in California. Before and after shots when we return!

XOXO, Marissa