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August 1, 2011

DIY Runs in the Family!

 Today I am featuring my cousin Trish and her husband Trent's landscape improvement project!

 They bought their charming home around 8 years ago
in sunny California and have been improving the inside and more recently the outside.  It's a corner lot that they've given a great deal of personality to!

As with any large project it's always easier if you work together and I think they've done this very successfully!
Our grandfather would have loved these pictures of Trent and Trish doing this hardscaping and would have wanted to help! 
He was one of the original DIY types! 

As we all know each step is a labor of love and it can become rather obsessive! 
  Trish described herself as someone who never liked gardening, but I think we can say she's gotten the gardening bug now!
 Many shrubs and perennials were planted....They've created quite a visual experience as well as a place to relax! The dark mulch enhances the plants and looks very attractive.  With no more lawn that needs to be cut so it's a pretty carefree yard now only requiring some maintenance on their plants and shrubs.
I love the new walk up area they created to their house. The only access before was the driveway with a sidewalk leading to the front door. 
 Now you can meander and walk the crushed stone pathways while enjoying beautiful flowering plants!
Everything is growing beautifully and filling in so well.  I can imagine coming home after a days work and looking forward to seeing this everyday!
 This dry creek adds visual interest to a narrow side by the sidewalk.
 I love this side gate and how the pathway leads you to it.  This created a connection to the backyard that was only accessible before by going through the house or garage.

Speaking of the gate- let's see what's on the other side of this gate!
Their goal was to make this more carefree like the front yard.
And here are the transformation pictures!
 I can imagine evening dinners sitting under their pergola..
I really love how they planted these Italian Cypress and added
more visual interest with the stones!
Considering how small the lot is I'm impressed with their creative use of space!
 They've made this an attractive place to live 
and I'm sure they are enjoying it especially 
since they don't have to come home and 
mow the lawn! 
This is now more "green" as they went
drought tolerant. Their city offers a rebate
to the property owners for doing this in
order to promote less water usage. They
installed a drip irrigation system which
is very cost effective and they definitely
saw a reduction in their water bill!
The biggest maintenance they have now
is deadheading and scouting for weeds!
I think they made this into a sweet 
cottage like setting!
I was so impressed when she shared her pictures with me that I told her I was going to blog about it!  I hope you enjoyed it to and look forward to your comments!

Happy August!!
Liz!

9 comments:

  1. Your cousin really made their yard and garden look beautiful!I love all the flowers and details!

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  2. Oh my heavens...they've done a GREAT job!!! It's really filling in so nicely/the before & after photos show a substantial change. It looks lush/full/green/colorful!!!!

    Hugs/blessings,
    Lana

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  3. Very pretty. It's always nice to get ideas from other gardeners!

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  4. Great job! I bet they are so happy to sit back and take it all in. What a difference...It always pays off. The flowers are lovely.

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  5. Wow-looks great! They did a wonderful job.
    -Lynn

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  6. Just gorgeous Liz! I wish DIY ran in my family. My Mom as you know is the gardener. My garden is dead, every plant in just about all pots and planters, gone!

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  7. Your cousin should be very proud of what they have accomplished...lots of hard work but such a beautiful completion!

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  8. Just Beautiful !!!
    I love the before and after photos. This was a big change looks Beautiful now, with all the colorful flowers.. Great Job !!!
    XXOO Diane

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  9. Wow! They have done a fantastic job Liz. It looks heavenly.

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Thank you for your comments! I don’t always get a chance to reply but I do read them!




ABOUT ME



Welcome to Home and Gardening With Liz. I have combined my previous blogs “Infuse With Liz” and “Sit With Me In My Garden” into this new blog. I love interior decorating and gardening. I enjoy redefining interior spaces by moving things around and reusing decorative items already found in the home. I also enjoy creating tablescapes and an occasional crafting project. I'm so pleased you've stopped by. I invite you to follow me and I do hope you will keep coming back! Liz
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