DIY SIDE OF HOUSE LANDSCAPING

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Hello friends; happy July!

As always I'm glad you stopped by. I hope you are staying cool and hydrated in this summer heat.

In the last post I shared with you our backyard which I had cleared in spring 2024. Since then, I took a break. There's so much I want to do around the house yet I'm on a tight budget. To make it work; I have divided the project into phases, aiming to tackle one phase per month.

Phase 1: Side of the house 1
Phase 2: Under trees
Phase 3: Around the front porch 
Phase 4: Foundation garden 
Phase 5: Side of the house 2

April was phase 1; left side of the house. The project gave a real feel of DIY landscaping and also the courage that I could really do it myself!

This is how it looked like before. Just generic. Nothing had ever been done to the place.




The plan was to clear out the grass/weeds and trench edge the bed and plant some flowers.

I did it; This is how you can also do it.

Tools used:

  • Twine
  • Measuring tape 
  • A digging shovel 
  • A wheelbarrow
  • A rake  

Step 1. Mark out the desired area with twine. 

I measured out the size of the bed; 2.5ft by 25ft.

Step 2. Dig and dig and dig

I was shoveling the dirt to the wheelbarrow and taking it to the back fence.


The entire job of digging was surely back breaking. My arms were so sore the next morning that I had to rest them. I started the at 2pm and by 6pm, I was storing up the tool.

Isn't this so neat?



Step 3. Shop for plants.

Not all plants will grow/thrive in your area. So it's important you choose plants according to:

  • Your area's planting zone
  • Soil type; and 
  • Sun/shade exposure 

I wanted a low maintenance perennial flowing plant with low height. I went with 2 Japanese pencil hollys at each end and petite knockout roses in between. A mature petit rose plant is  said to be 18 to 20 inches which makes it what I wanted. 


Step 4. Planting

The rule of thumb is to dig a hole size twice larger than the plant container and 3/4s deep.


Digging the holes was another laborious task. The native soil being red, I added some garden soil in the hole and also mixed it up in the native soil to amend it. The plants are 2ft apart; the recommended spacing. 

Step 5. Water and mulch




It's now 2 months since I did the planting. I watered them twice a day for 2 weeks straight. They seem to be doing well as they continue to bloom.

I've since then gone back and added some small paver along side the edges. I liked my natural edge better, but I the lawnmower was ruining them.


Like they say; hard work pays; indeed it does. I'm liking how the area looks like now. Stop by for more updates around this little house. 

Peace be with you. 

Rita. 


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