Yay an update! Your yard looks great man. I mean you have the total package with the trees and the garden and the planters. Oh man and that deck is awesome! Looking forward to seeing the progress on it all.
Hi Josh,
It has been my experience that although coco shells smell like chocolate and look oh so nice in the yard it also tends to hold water and foster fungus. It’s especially bad when used in shady areas where the sun can’t dry things out between waterings. it turned many of my hostas and other shade plants yellow and even killed a few before I removed it. You can keep it but I’d suggest making sure there is a good 6 inches of clearance around each plant so that the mulch never touches them.
Congrats on your house! and I agree being a homeowner is so much responsibility!
thanks for blogging!
My sister - who lives in Michigan- recently vacationed in the Grand Rapids area and took in some things that you featured on your vlog – like the Gaslight Village and its obscene monstrosity of a sculpture, the beach at Grand Haven, and Yesterdog. Apparently, they had a marvelous time. I told her to track you down but apparently, you were under your deck at the time.
You have a lot of potential in that yard! Hope you can have fun working in it…. and your house looks like a really nice home – congrats on that. My suggestion with the skunk is to either befriend him and maybe even train him as a pet, or else, buy a gun and send him to a better place than under your deck:)
Ask my father-in-law about ways to handle the skunk issue…although I suppose you’re not allowed to use shotguns in the city.
Up North, we forget about lawn care and instead focus on turning “useless” green space into food garden space. You should so totally get into urban farming–and you can do it in ways that don’t make the neighbors mad. Green beans can definitely compete with Boston Ivy…
Maybe next summer I can come down and leave Henry on the swingset while I help you fling dirt!
Was that a play ground swing set i saw in the back yard?
Anticipating children for the future i see.
Corner house i assume, nice spot.
Definitely do something about the plants in the front yard.
Hope the moving in and unpacking went well for you guys.
Josh, Kinda stumbled upon your video of your fetching cat! Loved it, so I continued further without disappointment! Your site is very refreshing! Yards, Yeah alot of work, especially the motovation to get started! Once I do, it is very satisfying! Now house work is a different story! When people ask me if I collect anything, My response { DUST ! }
Great Luck with your home! { And Pepe Le Pew ! }
when my parents first got the house I grew up in there was NO landscaping at all and my father screwed up plenty of times. I started helping out (cause that was the son’s thing to do -help your father with the yard), and it gave him some authority and confidence I think. he took classes at home depot, bought gardening books as my mother had wild (and quite ephemeral) visions of what she wanted her landscaping to look like and my father astutely listened and followed.
long story-short, I’m 21 and my father is still working on that yard… but it looks great!
the work will never end, but then one day you’ll have a neighbor say “nice yard” and by that time you’ll have your son saying “thanks”
Hi Josh,
Just wanted to weigh in on the grass issue. Having tried to grow grass, in my unenlightened days, under trees, I found that ground cover and flowers were a better option. Also as the food for grass gets into lakes and streams and encourages plant growth in them, many are advocating an end to the feeding of lawns.
I have many hostas that I would be happy to share as well as some perenials and ground cover. Stop by on your way home from work some day.
Aunt Leslie
Yay an update! Your yard looks great man. I mean you have the total package with the trees and the garden and the planters. Oh man and that deck is awesome! Looking forward to seeing the progress on it all.
haha… “another little jerk!”
It’s the Travelocity gnome!
One good thing about a yard that needs a lot of work:
it keeps you outside.
Great to see you. Have a nice autumn! (I had typed fall but that sounded like I was wishing bad things upon you lol)
Hi Josh,
It has been my experience that although coco shells smell like chocolate and look oh so nice in the yard it also tends to hold water and foster fungus. It’s especially bad when used in shady areas where the sun can’t dry things out between waterings. it turned many of my hostas and other shade plants yellow and even killed a few before I removed it. You can keep it but I’d suggest making sure there is a good 6 inches of clearance around each plant so that the mulch never touches them.
Congrats on your house! and I agree being a homeowner is so much responsibility!
thanks for blogging!
personal landscaping crew = children
Think putt putt.
I like your trees! I want to see the skunk! You’ll have to catch him on camera.
Glad to hear from you again.
My sister - who lives in Michigan- recently vacationed in the Grand Rapids area and took in some things that you featured on your vlog – like the Gaslight Village and its obscene monstrosity of a sculpture, the beach at Grand Haven, and Yesterdog. Apparently, they had a marvelous time. I told her to track you down but apparently, you were under your deck at the time.
You have a lot of potential in that yard! Hope you can have fun working in it…. and your house looks like a really nice home – congrats on that. My suggestion with the skunk is to either befriend him and maybe even train him as a pet, or else, buy a gun and send him to a better place than under your deck:)
Ask my father-in-law about ways to handle the skunk issue…although I suppose you’re not allowed to use shotguns in the city.
Up North, we forget about lawn care and instead focus on turning “useless” green space into food garden space. You should so totally get into urban farming–and you can do it in ways that don’t make the neighbors mad. Green beans can definitely compete with Boston Ivy…
Maybe next summer I can come down and leave Henry on the swingset while I help you fling dirt!
you had me at the gnome – but i’m definitely opting for a condo!
Was that a play ground swing set i saw in the back yard?
Anticipating children for the future i see.
Corner house i assume, nice spot.
Definitely do something about the plants in the front yard.
Hope the moving in and unpacking went well for you guys.
Josh, Kinda stumbled upon your video of your fetching cat! Loved it, so I continued further without disappointment! Your site is very refreshing! Yards, Yeah alot of work, especially the motovation to get started! Once I do, it is very satisfying! Now house work is a different story! When people ask me if I collect anything, My response { DUST ! }
Great Luck with your home! { And Pepe Le Pew ! }
Pamela { dolphin }
P.S. Josh,
Someone should pick you up for a television show! You do have That Something!
Good Luck!
Pamela { dolphin }
Ahhh the joys of new home ownership!
Can’t wait for the Garage Edition!
great work Josh!
BTW…we had a Momma skunk and 5 youngens once under our deck.
Love the videos! Keep it up!
when my parents first got the house I grew up in there was NO landscaping at all and my father screwed up plenty of times. I started helping out (cause that was the son’s thing to do -help your father with the yard), and it gave him some authority and confidence I think. he took classes at home depot, bought gardening books as my mother had wild (and quite ephemeral) visions of what she wanted her landscaping to look like and my father astutely listened and followed.
long story-short, I’m 21 and my father is still working on that yard… but it looks great!
the work will never end, but then one day you’ll have a neighbor say “nice yard” and by that time you’ll have your son saying “thanks”
Hi Josh,
Just wanted to weigh in on the grass issue. Having tried to grow grass, in my unenlightened days, under trees, I found that ground cover and flowers were a better option. Also as the food for grass gets into lakes and streams and encourages plant growth in them, many are advocating an end to the feeding of lawns.
I have many hostas that I would be happy to share as well as some perenials and ground cover. Stop by on your way home from work some day.
Aunt Leslie
can’t believe you didn’t include the buddha…. the yard is my nemesis as well.