Landscaping Thread-Show Off Your Landscape

Nice work! I have allen blocks, too. but for the steps, which were an afterthought, i was having trouble getting a small quantity of the brown/grey mixed color. so I went with these general rectangular from home depot. i used concrete blades on my circular saw and on my angle grinder.

here's my "more finished/not yet done" area with sod for the dogs. those amphitheater steps morter is really ugly. but will have to do until i finish the area beyond the dog fence..

Plans for that: bbq/grilling area /raised garden beds / fish cleaning station

 

Hell yeah, this is awesome. Did you get your blocks from Lowe’s/HD?
A friend who works in hardscape business was explaining the differences of the concrete content between Lowe’s/HD and a hard scape wholesaler. Came down to more concrete, less filler at the wholesaler. More expensive blocks, but will last 2-3x as long.

 

these wall blocks and caps are all allen block. It was put in as a straight wall along the side and back of our yard, but without a very good access to go "up top." so i tore a section out and dug it out for the "ampitheater" steps adjacent to our patio. great for hanging out and access.


but i did that around pandemic times and so it was hard to get any contact through the landscaping company to order more allen block caps for these steps, and they only wanted me to order like palllets... so i pieced out these blocks from home depot to use as the steps/caps. pretty perfect coloration match.



they were way more expensive than if I used 1" thick Home Depot caps, but it was worth it in the long run for the aesthetic I was trying to have. and it sepeartes the look of what is the wall vs. what are the steps, which is kind of cool

 

quick lttle show-n-tell of my hibiscus flowers against the fence, since the pink one bloomed this morning

 

Trimmed down that mound the tree is on and kinda leveled off the yard area. I'll plant some grass in spring.

 

Had a tree at grandma's removed. Dad and I did the dirt work with his machine. Wasn't expecting the grass to grow in rows after I raked the seeds in

 

Do a few more rows. Tic Tac Toe, Checkers, Chess...

 

I've seen a few life size game board setups in gardens. It's kind of neat.

 

I put in tiers on the front yard, with just bark as a weed cover. But I decided to move the upper tier back, for a more useable area. Started digging it out yesterday.

it's a 12" board


here's view from the other end

 

Rhododendron: out



Forsythia: In



Looking at that picture now....I might need to move it out away from the house more. I put it in the hole the rhododendron came out of.

 

Subd for inspo. Ripping out my whole yard and my parents as well this year.

 

Found a picture of it from last year.



Did a hard prune, never came back from it. So I wrapped a tow strap around it, put it in 4lo, and pulled it out

 

I would move it out towards the front edge of the bed. Forsythia can grow incredibly fast once they are established. Be ready for some selective pruning in years to come. Worse than the rhody.

If it is not too late I would still throw it in the ground around the property line out of the way, if your property even has that type of a set up. I replanted some that looked worse than that one before and they are 20 feet tall and 15 feet around now.

 

Yeah I'm moving it forward - probably after work today before it rains for the next 3-4 days. I think about centered off the front of the bed.

I don't mind pruning, not one bit. I ignored the rhododendron for too long so it needed a hard prune, and it just never came back from it. Lesson learned

Nah she's gone to the great scrap heap in the compost pit. I hard pruned it and it went through 2 seasons with zero growth. I decided to not be patient anymore and went to BJ's for a 25$ forsythia

 

Your land and your decision. For me rhodos and forsythias are plants I put on the outside of the property along the wood line so that they can grow to real showcases of blooms. I would try a few "dwarf" varieties of plants in that space next to the house. Maybe a lilac or even a viburnum. If you do not have any viburnums they are an awesome 3 season plant. Nice white flowers in the spring, cool color and texture leaves in the summer and great fall color often with red berries. And they are much easier to control how and where they "expand". Just friendly suggestions. (I know, you didn't ask for any suggestions!)