Taking it outside – Part 2

When we first started our big landscaping project this summer, the front of the house was looking more ‘Vince Vaughn’ than ‘Brad Pitt’:

Straggly, funny looking bushes, random daffodils sprouting in the middle of the grass, rusted railings, and a completely empty porch.  You can’t see it in the picture, but there was also absolutely no edging around the front planting area.  Now it looks a bit more A-list:

Here is a closer shot of the plantings.  I wanted something for the space between the windows while I wait for the rhododendrons to get big and fill in that area.  I got the sexy fiberglass planter from Sam’s club, and the metal wall art was a ‘half price special’ from Hobby Lobby:

The porch area has been decked out with a wood planter from Homegoods, an Ikea bench, a painted wood side table from Overstock.com, and a couple outdoor pillows from Pier 1:

Here is a nice shot of the freshly scraped, sanded, primed and painted railing, and the fun Liatris I planted on the side:

Those big green balls of goodness are mums. Mums hardly ever come back in Wisconsin, so those are almost miraculous considering I planted them with no winter protection last fall. The last pic was taken in July, this is what those purty girls look like now:

OOOOHHHH! AHHHHHHH!  Stunning!  I hope they live through this winter as well. 

Things yet to do out here:  paint the front door, replace the screen door, replace the house numbers, buy a hose reel to contain the ‘black anaconda’ hose, and address our outdated mailbox.  I can’t wait for spring to see all our hard work grow and bloom!

PS – My header is the front of the house earlier in the summer when I originally planted hydrangeas in the front.  They were getting too much sun, so I moved them to the back and planted the barberry and euonymus in their place.  I loved the picture with the hydrangeas, so I used it anyway.  Sue me!