Hi, I'm Katie and I'll be your host for the day. Follow along as I take you on the grand tour of my personal landscape and various gardens I've accumulated over the years, most of which have been given to me by others. I hope you enjoy the tour, get lots of inspiration and embark on your own personal gardening adventure. Please leave any questions you have at the bottom of this blog in the comments section and I will be sure to get back with you right away. Thanks for coming.
How to Create Beautiful Yards and Landscapes on a Budget - The Images of Spring
Memorial Day Yard and Landscaping on a Budget - Anyone can have a beautiful landscape without spending a lot of money using recycled plants and materials easily found anywhere.
There are lots of materials you can recycle to create a beautiful landscape around your home. Those plants, bushes and perennials you admire while driving around can all be yours too for free. Once you start thinking about your friends and relatives who have gorgeous landscapes, yards and gardens tap into these abundant resources. Most if not all of them have the very plants you admire and would be happy to share them with you. The best kept gardens and landscapes require maintenance which includes thinning out the plants, flowers and sometimes flowering trees coming up as volunteers. Simply call them up, tell them you want to start landscaping and admire their style. Ask if you can come over and help this spring in trade for starts of their plants. In the process you will learn a wealth of information and perhaps a few other recyclable additions to your landscape and yard. Those who enjoy gardening and caring for their yards and landscape enjoy sharing with others. They love the earth and mother nature and are always happy to help see it spread around.
Touring a Budget Landscape
Building a network of gardening friends, neighbors and family is a great resource of recycled materials and plants.
Strawberry Plant Starts
Spring brings many early things and yet strawberries are a big favorite.
My eldest daughter learned it's easy to get a big patch of strawberries going. She planted four plants three years ago and now has a huge strawberry patch. Aren't they beautiful, if you look closely you can see the morning dew on them.
Anyone with a strawberry patch needs to clean it out in the spring as many new plants come up crowding the bed. You could ask for some starts and offer to clean the bed of any weed while doing so.
Strawberry Plants
A Blooming Spruce
This is an image of a pine in bloom, a blue spruce to be exact.
This is the very first Christmas tree of my youngest daughters life. We dig trees at a tree farm and enjoy living trees each year. This is a blue spruce, the choice that year. We planted it in our yard the following spring. I kept it in the garage during the remaining of the winter in order to keep it alive and in it's natural process. It worked and is huge to date. This is a picture of the same tree 13 years later.
My Daughters Very First Christmas Tree
Free or Discounted Trees
Trees can be the most expensive addition to any landscape or yard.
There are lots of people out there with trees like mine you are about to see. These people often have baby trees sprout up in and around their trees in the spring. These little saplings take a lot of TLC. Ask around and let it be known you'd love to take one in and nurse it to a healthy full grown tree. This will make most any plant lover happy to watch for baby saplings saving them for you.
The Endangered Ash Tree
This tree was planted the first year we moved into our house.
We've lived here 13 years now. This purple ash was planted the same year as our first Christmas tree. It's one of the many ash trees in danger of being eradicated. Most all the other ash trees in our community have died due to an evasion of the ash borer. We've been treating our ash for the past several years and it has yet to show signs of falling victim to this pest. If the city determines your tree to be infected they cut it down and burn the remains in an attempt to end the borers infestation.
Our Purple Ash
This tree is an endangered species. It breaks my heart, this is an image of me laying down on the ground looking up into the canopy of our beloved purple ash. The leaves turn a shade of purple once the leaves have matured near the middle to end of spring or early summer.
Thread Leaf Japanese Maple
The Japanese Maple is a favorite of mine, I have many varying types I will share with you today.
This is the blood good variety. It is huge as it has grown a great deal over the past five years. This beauty is a wondrous part of our happy home. I love Japanese maples and have come to understand them well. They are such a peaceful tree with magnificent beauty adding greatly to any landscape. These trees don't like harsh winds or sun.
Japanese Maple
Another Thread Leaf Variety of Japanese Maple
This beautiful tree is only one year old.
Green Thread Leaf Japanese Maple
I planted this maple last year. I bought it at a garden store and was heart broken to see it's leaves had been badly burned in transport. I knew this special tree would be tossed out in a matter of days as it didn't have long to live. In the hands of someone who saw no future for it this little tree would soon be gone. I paid a good price of for this tree and brought it home in hopes of saving it's life and now look at it. Ask for reduced prices on trees when damaged.
It was such a little guy, I planted it near the edge of my koi pond where I could keep a watchful eye on it. As you can see this amazing tree snapped out of it and now has me rethinking where I planted this little guy. This healthy Japanese maple is out growing it's home. But it is amazing and I do love it.
A closer look at the brave trees leaves now that they've healed and are thriving.
The Beautiful Purple Japanese Maple
The Purple Japanese Maple
Japanese Maple Trees are expensive and yet you can ask around for starts or look for damaged trees for a discounted price.
This beautiful tree is another Japanese Maple, it lives just across the koi pond from the little green thread maple you've just met. It is a beautiful tree I had this tree moved from my former home after buying the house we now live in. Did you know trees can be moved if done so professionally?
I had a professional dig up and re-plant this special tree. I've moved many trees. My trees are a big part of the family, they go where we go.
The Weeping Pear
Tulip Popular
Koi Pond on a Budget
Free bricks, stones and rocks of all types can be picked up for free.
There are endless resources for free building materials like those you're about to see in my own front yard just outside my front door. Great places to find free materials is at building and construction sites, Anytime you see an old business being torn down you can approach the supervisor and ask if there are bricks, stones or rocks they need removed from the site after hours. I have removed an entire large patio area (with the help of friends and family) from tear down sites. Simply get a note of permission allowing you and your help to come by after hours and remove the agreed upon materials. This helps the supervisors get the job done faster and under budget. They most always have the materials removed by their crew and hauled off to land fills which in itself is a huge expense.
My Recycled Koi Pond
Here you can see the little green maple who survived and the purple maple just across the way from it.
This is a very happy place, I set on the bench, feed the fish and enjoy the trees, rocks and all the wonders of nature. Nature is a great place to spend some very therapeutic time. I'll share more with you later. I'm not a good photographer, just like to reflect. I do hope you get the jest of it and enjoy the sites.
This pond was created using lots of recycled materials as well as the plants. Once again others with ponds are often happy to share waterlilies as they multiply fast.
A peak down the path to my koi pond
A view from above
Free Plants and Flower Starts
Columbine are beautiful flowers exploding in abundance and color each spring.
Columbine Flowers
I have purple and pink. These beautiful spring flowers consume my beds in the spring time. The only thing about this flower, that may be a negative for some, is they must be cut down after blooming.
You must do this to make room for other plants and flowers to thrive, plus this prevents them from multiplying more and taking over. They do so quickly.
I cut them all the way down to the ground, toss the plant in a large paper lawn bag to dry and share the seeds with friends and family. I share all my flowers, I have flowers growing all over the United States, its a bit of a hobby.
I got my first seeds from my friend and neighbor Vicky she is responsible for the many columbine I've shared though out the many states I travel.
Columbine Flowers
My Daughters Cat Jellybean
Our Bees
Perenial Flower Starts
I've collected may starts and bulbs over the years most given to me by friends.
Flowers are a great way to both connect to nature and people. I've enjoyed sharing flower starts and bulbs with many family and friends. It's a great way to share and enjoy the beauty of nature. I've even successfully shared trees. I planted a weeping ornamental cherry tree down the street at my neighbors house four years ago. I waited for this tree to get big enough to transplant, did so and today it is a big beautiful tree. The neighbors love it.
All of the flowers you are about to see can be shared, simply dig up a portion of the plants in the areas you would like to thin giving those sections to friends, neighbors and family.
Purple Iris
Fourth of July Roses
Daisy's
Budding Apple
The Bees
Blooming Ground Cover
Mint
Hens and Chicks
Stone Walls
Old Fashioned Wives Tales Sayings Expressions and Phrases from AmericaRead and share old fashioned and old timey sayings wives tales funny hillbilly and other expressions and phrases of the past from all around America
Blue Hostas
Green Hosta
Fun Ways Teens Can Earn Money this SummerIf you wanna have fun this summer you know it takes money to do it. Learn how you can have fun and earn money right in your own home.
Variegated Hosta
Hosta and Rock
Beautiful Colorful Landscape Rocks
I have an extensive collection of rocks, I've received them as gifts from friends and family.
One of my best sources adding to my collection is my uncle E.J. and aunt Kathy. He's an air force polite, now trains others to fly, and travels extensively. He has brought me rocks from all over the world. It amazes me as to how he brings such heavy additions to my collections and yet I am so grateful. Now I'll dabble a bit in my rocks showing you a few I have added to my landscape.
A Buckeye Rock
Ohio Rock
Unique Rocks
My Stone Hinge Rock
Big Rock Little Rock
Table Rock
Rock on Pedestal
Stone and Pebble Sidewalks
Rock and Pebble Path
Rock Trails
Old Treasures and Keepsakes
The best and most authentic landscaping ideas come from hand me downs.
Many great additions can be found in the old family attic, old buildings and barns as you're about to see below. I live in the suburbs near a big city. You can have nature where ever you live without spending much I live at the end of a culdesac. Cul-de-sac - French for dead end. which makes for a great living experience. I have the best of both worlds, I've created my own little natural habitat while enjoying the many attributes of the big city, next door neighbors and a quick run for anything I can imagine and all on a budget. Thanks for sharing with me, it's been great having you. I leave you with a few images of my eclectic side adding the many family treasures and oddities I've found.
Q & A section, add any questions you have about landscapes and yard beautification below.
katiem2Oct 29, 2018
DerdriuMarrinerFeb 8, 2018
katiem2Apr 22, 2013
Stephanie HenkelApr 22, 2013
I live in eastern North Carolina, and we have a constant battle with insects and humidity. Ants, slugs, mildew, grasshoppers... It's frustrating that plants grow so fast and beautifully only to be eaten by voracious insects!
By the way, the old milk can you have pictured does make a great accent piece!
kimJun 17, 2012
katiem2May 31, 2012
justin-yaoMay 31, 2012
katiem2May 29, 2012
RubyHelenRose, Great to hear from you and your poetic expression of spring.
MladenMay 26, 2012
I enjoyed your selection of photos. I am amazed by this garden of yours. You really have sense for nature, and plants. Oh, and that tea pot. :)
RubyHelenRoseMay 24, 2012
katiem2May 24, 2012
katiem2May 23, 2012
teddletonmrMay 22, 2012
I still dig the tree saver thing, that is what made me think of the Red Baron skit / day dream of Snoopy's.
Make it a great day, Mike
katiem2May 22, 2012
As for Dustytoes nicknaming me Charlie Brown tree saver, that's a nickname I'll take. Thanks Dustytoes, I meant to comment about that, thanks for bringing it up again Mike.
teddletonmrMay 20, 2012
Here is an idea for you, How about inviting everyone share their favorite flower and vegetable seeds? That might be not only fun, learning about different plants is I believe you will agree a lot of fun as well.
Enjoyed the tour of your beautiful gardens, and landscape, Mike
katiem2May 19, 2012
Mike, I'd love to trade seeds, we'll arrange something, soon :)
Cindy, Thanks so much :)
Holistic_Health, I agree
samsara, The rocks here are amazing we get so many interesting rocks that were moved here by lake Erie ages ago, a few I've been told are glacier rocks, those having been moved by glaciers years and years ago.
Holistic_HealthMay 19, 2012
CindyMurdochMay 18, 2012
teddletonmrMay 18, 2012
Love the pic of your kitty on the pavers, the pump caught my eye, until I saw the kitty basking in the sun and thought oh my, check out the black cat.
Happy gardening, Mike
dustytoesMay 18, 2012
katiem2May 18, 2012
SusanZutautasMay 18, 2012
katiem2May 17, 2012
TolovajMay 17, 2012
katiem2May 17, 2012
BrendaReevesMay 17, 2012