I'm dreaming of a pretty flower bed: Front Yard Landscaping Plans

I have a lot of natural talents that are generally considered to be "domestic" ................. however, there are two things that I have ALWAYS failed miserably at: Baking & Gardening. If Duncan Hines doesn't walk me through half the process I can assure you that you will end up eating something that resembles a kitchen sponge in both taste and texture....and there isn't a hint of green in my thumbs.

(BEFORE)

That being said, I knew that I was in for a challenge when a storm blew in a couple weeks and shredded one of our trees. I had NO clue how to remove a tree...not to mention I was kinda icked out by what creepy crawlys could be living in the ground around said tree...so I called a pro :) 

(BEFORE)

A YardPro if you will ... A good family friend of ours runs a wonderful landscaping company in my area and he came by and told us exactly what we needed to do. Because we are newbie homeowners, we are lacking when it comes to lawn equipment so the YardPro crew came by the next morning and did the dirty work for us. We also decided to take that time to do some big time clean up on our landscaping. 

We got rid of the big lollipop Holly tree in the front, trimmed all of the hedges and had new mulch laid.

(AFTER)

That made a HUGE difference.

(AFTER)

We are no longer totally intimidated by the task of making our flower beds pretty! As a matter of fact, we are planning on adding our first little DIY touches to the house this weekend in the form of some pretty flowers and sweet potato vine, just to brighten things up.

(AFTER)

The lesson learned here: Know your limits. After seeing the huge mess (as well as the huge axes and saws) the YardPro crew had to clean up after removing the two trees and trimming the bushes...I know that I made the right choice not to try to DIY that project. Its just not something that I feel is in my realm of knowledge. Not to mention, I never could have made it look that good. :) So when starting a new home project, if there is something that is particularly overwhelming, don't let your DIY pride get in the way of asking for help when you need it. 

(AFTER)

Whats next for the front yard you ask?

- Remove the metal border

- Put in a raised stone border

- Plant some new hedges along the windows

- Plant Crepe Myrtle Trees on both sides of the house

- Plant some seasonal flowers in the front points near the entry for color

- Plant 2 large trees in the yard that will eventually grow in to shade trees (this probably won't happen until next spring, Texas summers are brutal when it comes to trying to make new things take root and grow)

- Install flood lighting 

- Paint the Front door

- Change out all the hardware on the front door and the screen door

- Get a new Welcome mat

- Find some seating and a small table for the front yard so we can enjoy visiting with neighbors while the kids play 

- Change out the light fixture

- Change the house number display

There ya go! Our first DIY project list! I can't wait to get to work and show you the progress as we go! And don't forget that we have a disaster of a back yard as well :) we have HUGE plans for the ugly deck and hot tub, I'll update you all on that sometime next week!

Are you in the DFW Metroplex? Check out YardPro for all your landscaping needs!

(I was not compensated for by YardPro for this post, all opinions are from my personal experience)