My front yard landscaping is looking SO great after being in just a little over a year.  It was last June when my friends from Southern Living Plant collection and Carmen Johnston came in and transformed my front yard.  I documented that whole process so you can see what all was done.  It’s so nice to have an irrigation system so that I don’t have to worry about those plants making it.  And with all the rain we’ve gotten this summer, they are doing well.  I’ve only lost a couple of them over the months and the rest of them are growing and spreading out like crazy.
In case you are new here, this is the first time I laid eyes on my fixer-upper house. Â It had ZERO curb appeal back then, but I’m happy to say that has changed in the last 3 years.
And now it looks like this! I’m still amazed when I drive up to my house.
That it’s gone from THIS……..
To THIS, is nothing short of crazy good!
One big change for me recently is I’ve hired a landscape company to come in and take care of my grass and beds.  The weeds were getting out of control in the landscaped beds this summer, even after putting down weed preventer.  I handled the mowing pretty well, but didn’t do so well on the extras like blowing, trimming, edging and all of that, so it’s SO nice to have a team of guys come in and handle that for me, every other week.  It’s a small company and he handles everything, from bi-weekly mowing, to treating the grass and all that goes along with that process.  After my landscaping was installed, I seriously thought about adding sod to the front yard, but after a year of growing, my grass is looking great, so I’m going to work with what I have.
After putting in the irrigation system, there were trenches dug which left dirt scars around my yard, but now they have all filled in. Â My landscape guy is going to continue to work on my existing grass and will kill the weeds and feed the grass. Â I’m really happy with how it’s all looking just a month after he took over and I’m sure it will continue to get better and better. Â It will definitely be worth it to me. I’d much rather have a lawn service than a maid (which I don’t have), so it’s money well spent for me.
The plants are doing well and he will continue working on my pine straw beds to keep the weeds down and we will add new pine straw as needed too.
This pic was taken last June, just after the plants were installed. They were so pretty, it was exciting to see plants finally going in and it all looked great.  Notice the dirt trench in the grass that was left.
This is the view from the corner of the house after plants were installed and pine straw added.
One year later, those plants are exploding with growth  The grass is looking so good and my gardenias are blooming right now.  What a difference a year makes!
New windows certainly made a huge difference in the lower level too. Â I knew all the additional light coming inside the house was going to be great, but I didn’t even take in account how much the curb appeal would change on the outside as well.
And here’s the fireplace bed last year, right after planting and before adding the retaining wall. Â I had left a small area of grass here last year, but then decided to pine straw all of it and I will probably add more plants in that area too.
Huge difference here too! Â I get so excited when I look back at all the progress out here.
The Angyostar vines growing on the trellis are about to completely take it over. Â I’ve been really happy with how this turned out, disguising the floating fireplace.
I’m going to plant something else at the base of the vines eventually to layer this area.
I’m so proud of my front yard now!
Those dwarf Crepe Myrtles are so pretty blooming in front.
I couldn’t be happier with how the front porch turned out either.
Now this the view from the top floor of my house looking outside. Â I do have one more big impact project that is about to happen.
I have a couple more outdoor projects to complete and one area that I haven’t shown y’all much of is this ugly block wall at the end of my driveway. Â It was in sad shape when I bought the house and I am just now getting around to doing something with it.
I’m sure it’s original to the house and is not in the best shape, but I want to save it and not have to tear it down, even though it’s leaning towards the driveway a bit. Â It has shifted some over the years, but I’m going to salvage it. Â First thing I did last week, I just finished pressure washing it, peeling the old paint off in layers. There was ivy growing in the right corner from the neighbor’s yard, so I got all that off there too.
Now it looks like this, ready for a fresh coat of stucco paint. Â My dad is coming over and we are going to repair the cracks in the wall and get it ready to paint. Â I’ve got a Rustoleum product I’ll use on it and of course, share it all with you. Â It’s been the last area that I’ve tackled outside and I can’t wait to get this eyesore beautified (well as much as concrete block walls can be made pretty). Â Painting it with a fresh coat of dark gray paint will work wonders on it.
Thought you all might enjoy seeing how my yard has progressed over the last 3 years. Â Sure does make me happy and I can’t wait to show it off at my Open House in a few weeks. Â I’ll be posting about that this week too, so stay tuned!
Beautiful transformation!!
Wow, your ESTATE is so pretty. Cannot believe how well the plants have grown. A suggestion for the concrete block area -why not surface that area with stacked rock (artificial) and put a small sitting area on the right side, a cute bistro table and chairs, umbrella, and a pretty urn of flowers. At the top of the wall plant something pretty that will trail over. Thrift and ivy are two pretty trailers. Love what you have done so far.
Hi, Jean, the faux rock would be an option, but with the wall leaning a bit anyway, I don’t really want to add to the weight of it, so I think repairing and repainting with a stucco paint will be the best solution. Then I can add some trailing vines at the top to spill over. That whole area is needed to turn cars into the garage, so there is no room for anything cute there. I’m just trying to make it nicer!
The landscaping work on your yard turned out so nicely. You deserved to be happy for all the remodeling you have accomplished in your home. Could you so kindly tell me what plants other than gardenias are planted in the front of the house? It looks like they have done well tolerating the cold and hot summer you have had. Thanks…
You have done an amazing job on your house, inside and out. I’ve enjoyed following your journey. I recently did something at our house that has made a huge difference and I want to suggest that you consider it. I had a local company clean our roof with a bleach solution (not pressure washing) and I was amazed at the result. I was thinking of getting a new roof but after this treatment I have postponed that indefinitely. I live in the middle GA area but I’m sure there are companies where you live that could provide this service.
Hi, Kathy, that sounds like a good idea, I’ll have to see if I can find someone who can do that, because yes my roof is getting stained from weather, but it’s not that old.
So enjoyed seeing how nice your yard is looking. I was thinking that your new windows made the largest impact but it’s really everything all together. Your pretty front door color, the coverage at the base of your floating fireplace, the landscaping and retaining wall. It’s everything all together that has made your home a real showplace & I’m am really happy for you. Looking forward to seeing the finished wall project. I think it will look nice just as you described it but I also like the idea from another reader about adding stacked stone. That would be a show stopper!
Of all the blogs I receive, your home has the most positive transformations of all. I still can’t get over how the new windows downstairs changed your home. The landscaping is also beautiful. I admire your persistance in transforming your home into a lovely dwelling. Keep up the excellent work!
Your yard is beautiful, your home is beautiful and you, yourself are beautiful. Your blog is outstanding and growing. You have a wonderful family and God has blessed you. What more can you ask for. I truly love your blog and look forward to reading it. Thank you for sharing your self and your family with us.
Your yard looks amazing, Rhoda- I have plant envy. We are in our new house, but haven’t done any landscaping yet, so the yard is just a big red dirt eye sore. Think Carmen would make a trip to SC?! 😀 I’m getting ready to use one of the Rustoleum products on our front porch, so I’ll be curious to know how both our projects turn out. Good luck!
Gorgeous!
So pretty!
Amazing changes that look fabulous. As to the roof stains mentioned above, that is actually algae growing on the shingles. An algaecide made for ponds will get rid of it, as will 7% peroxide (found at pool supply places). Make sure to protect plants below.
I was going through some old comments from 2009 on my blog and checking in to see who is still out here in the blog world. Delighted to find you still active. I laid low for a long time due to work but took an early retirement starting Friday and can’t wait to visit the great bloggers.
Some of the best money we ever spent was on who I referred to as the “Lawn Fairy”. We would come home on a Thursday and the lawns were mowed, edges trimmed, decks blown clean, weeds gone and any fertilizing done. It was not cheap but I feel it was totally worth it.
You have done an amazing job on the house. The windows make such a difference and the front porch is a real star now. Great job.
I have followed your sight for a long time, never have commented. I remember when your bought this house. NEVER in my life could I see the vision you saw. Your yard is one of the best before and after projects I have seen EVER. I saw the picture in my facebook feed and had to come over and see the whole post. Great job, it really is lovely.
Thank you, Jennifer, for following along with me and thanks for taking the time comment. I know, I’m sure a lot of my readers thought I was nuts to buy this house, but I really did have vision with it and I’m so happy it’s turned out like I thought it could.
The results are looking awesome! So much benefit to curb appeal, even if it just means it’s a welcome sight to come home to! After a long day at the office, it can definitely brighten your mood. I really love the point of “what a difference a year makes.” Landscaping is an investment, which means not all results are instantaneous. In this fast-paced, hustle and bustle world, it’s easy to lose sight of that.