If daisies are the friendliest flower (ahem, Kathleen Kelly)--then I'm going to declare roses the unfriendliest. Lining our front yard we have 6 pain-inflicting rose bushes that have shown no mercy to their victims--which have sadly, mostly been the neighborhood kids running from yard to yard in our cul-de-sac. Two of the six are mini roses, and they are mostly out of the way, but the other four beasts we have been eyeing for...oh, two years now. And this year, I really wanted to get them out before they bloomed and I felt horrible about the decision.
The only problem was they were gnarly, and huge, and I popped a rib out of place in my back last week--so I wasn't going to be much help. Fortunately, Chris rounded up some young men from our neighborhood that he works with in the scouting program to help take this:
To this in about 40 minutes.
So much better! I knew I wanted them out but I never expected to feel this relieved. They tried with a tow rope first with no success, so they went after the bushes with old fashioned shovels.
As a tip, if you do ask for help digging out your rose bushes (or any other beastly plant)--and you totally should--these guys were cool being "paid" in burgers and lemonade. We are anxious to hit up the nursery this weekend for a lot of plants--softer ones--so we'll report back with those planting details soon. Any tips on a friendly shrub?
Ps. After a lot of suggestions and thought on our own part, we have decided to combine Chris's food blog (Julia Loves Chris) and this blog. The DIY/home schedule will remain the same, but three days a week, there will be an afternoon post (Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12:30 MST) from Chris. We are excited about bringing Chris's passion for good food right here! So yes, see you again right here in a few hours. Air-fives all around.
What do you think?
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We've been working on the outside of our house too! It's such hard work, and often looks worse before better, but I think it's worth it in the end!
That strip is so narrow - unless you plan on widening it, I think it makes more sense to do a flowering perennial border. You can choose different plants so that something is always in flower throughout the season. Looks like a full sun site - I'd choose tough, drought-resistant plants like coneflower, yarrow, cranesbill, creeping phlox, salvia, dwarf Russain sage... lots of options! A few ornamental grasses (I'd suggest Karl Foerster feather reed grass) could be fun too, for some fall/winter interest!
It's SO narrow. We're definitely not opposed to making it wider, but these are some great suggestions. I really like the idea of reed grass! Thanks, Lindsay!
Excited about the joint blog! I love to cook and DIY, so it will be fun to have both of you guys and your skills on one blog! Fun!
Nice "You've Got Mail" reference :)
yayaay on the blog combo! Now I can get an am and pm blog hit. You guys are great!
Put some arbs there! They're low maintenance and great for privacy, but also soft enough if kids want to run between them.
Just googled "arbs"--they just might work! Thanks!
Looks good! Can't wait to see what you replace it with :). I had never thought of merging but that is a great idea! I always hop over to his when you mention it so this will be easier (plus I was following him). My husband is our chef too and I blog about his awesome creations. I have dubbed him 'Chef Kev' and pointed out Chris' blog to him too! I'm the decor lady and he's the foodie :). Recently my Chef Kev made an amazing pizza. You may want to show Chris as he mentioned his love of seafood recently :). Love you blog and your cute family is so adorable to follow along with. I love the Greta antics you post on your blog FB page.
http://visualmeringue.blogspot.ca/2013/04/smoked-salmon-and-goat-cheese-pizza.html
Thanks so much, Elaine. That pizza looks mouth-watering. Yum!
I think merging is a great idea! I think it'll be a tad less confusing :)
Oh good! We think so too.
Yay! Glad it worked out--and so quickly!
Very nice!We've been working our butts off outside too! New shed, playground area, trees, flowers, prepping the deck for staining. Wheww. I'm guessing last week just wasn't your week?
Favorite movie ever. I could watch it a million times! Why is that?!