Evolution of Our Front Yard Garden

Edgar and I moved to our house in Pill Hill in April of 2006, three months before our wedding.  It was a short sale before short sales became commonplace.

2006

This was our first attempt at landscaping in 2006.  Then in 2007 Edgar dug up the front lawn which was really just crabgrass and hostas.  We moved the hostas, We planted Barberry, Gaillardia, Forget-Me-Nots, Hyacinths, Coreopsis, and Lemon Thyme.  We also planted a Knock-Out Rose Bush, an Azalea and a Holly.  It was our plan to have our front yard full of perennials.  The plant tag on the Gaillardia says that it is a perennial, but in most Illinois gardening books it is an annual.  At the end of the summer we started to prepare for 2008, and we planted Easter Lilies, Hostas and Coneflowers.

Then in 2008 we got really busy.  We took over the front parkway, the corner and a part of the side parkway.

 We added an Aster, and a couple of Peonies that we transplanted from Brandon's yard in Riverdale.  We planted Celosia in some of the bare spaces left by Hyacinths and Tulips.  Our garden was really beginning to fill in.  We also planted a couple of Sunflowers in the front parkway.  Now as I mentioned the Gaillardia is a "Tender Perennial" at best in Zone 5.  It didn't look like it was coming back so we bought it again.  It eventually came back but not all of it survived through the 2007 Winter.  At the end of 2007, I brought the Lemon Thyme in and once Spring came along we put it back outside in the ground.  The Forget-Me-Nots did not come back.  We learned a valuable lesson about reading plant tags and knowing the characteristics of your USDA Zone.  Just becasue something is labeled a perennial doesn't mean it's going to come back in your climate.  You have to experiment a little and look at other gardens in your zone and TALK to other gardeners.  On the side parkway we planted Aster, Celosia, Snapdragons, Coneflowers, Hostas and a Spiraea.

On the corner we planted a Knock-Out Rose bush.  Over time we would add plants here and there.  Just about anything that could tolerate full sun.  We started some of our plants from seed - Celosia, Snapdragons and Poppies.  We brought different varieties of these same plants, but included both in the yard.  The poppies grew foliage, but they did not bloom. 

The Aster was a great addition to the Front Yard Garden.  It really filled things in.  At the end of the Summer, we started to prepare for 2009.  We transplanted Irises, and planted a Chrysanthemum.  We also planted Tulip bulbs in the Front Yard Garden.

The Poppies finally bloomed in 2009.  The Celosia is an annual and I hoped it would come back through self-seeding like the Snapdragons, but no such luck.  We planted annuals like the Dusty Miller in places where Tulips were planted. 

This is the Spiraea this year - 2010.  The sideparkway has a purple/pink theme.  We have the Spiraea, Purple Coneflowers, Pink and Purple Tulips, and the Aster.