Well I have to admit, our house has taken a bit of a back seat this spring/summer. With opening Penney & Company and taking on so many decorating clients, freelance magazine gigs, TV and more, there just hasn’t been time to putter in the garden or touch up chipped paint. It’s okay though; things, I trust, will even out and I’ll be able to steal a bit of time here and there to take care of the house.
Our House. Photography by Donna Griffith as published in House & Home Magazine
This past two weeks, we’ve had two major jobs done. First, we had our furnace and air conditioner replaced. Second we had our eaves troughs completely replaced. Two big, expensive jobs that don’t rate high on the pretty or decorative scale. But you know, they do give a certain feeling of satisfaction knowing we’re taking care of our nearly 100 year old house. It feels good to tend to it and keep it in good shape.
Next, I have a little fall gardening on my mind. Our street was torn up for road work all summer and we now have a new side walk and boulevard with some fresh new grass. I really like it! But it’s time to add a little landscaping and provide more separation from the street. I’ve wanted to extend our existing privet hedge for a while now and also add some flowering crabapple trees.
Privet hedging is so lush and a true classic!
It’ll take a while for our little crabapples to look like this!
Flowering Crabapple
Well you can imagine my joyful surprise when I found two pink flowering crabapple trees at my local Home Depot on sale for $20 a tree! And then, I found three flats of privet shrubs (a good 12-14″ tall) for TWO DOLLARS A SHRUB! I loaded up the car and drove home with tree branches around my head (looking like a Mr. Bean episode if I ever saw one) and am looking forward to planting them soon.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
