Brent Lineberry

Brent Lineberry

Web and app developer. Coffee, beer, and running, in any order.

Landscape Project 2024: Before & After (and Thoughts)

I cleaned up the magnolia leaves for some better “Before/After” photos and “Give It Three Years.”

I cleaned up the magnolia leaves to get some proper before/after pictures of this year’s project. Unfortunately, the phlox and foamflower have both stopped blooming, so it doesn’t look as immediately impactful.

A while ago I read an article about someone systematically planting new areas and the author said something along the lines of “Give it three years. It never looks right until about three years in.” That’s become my landscaping mantra: give it three years.

This is perhaps particularly evident with the euonymous americanus which I expect to get about 4.5 feet high and 4 feet wide but is about one foot high right now.

I intend to plant next year’s bed in the fall. Some recent reading has indicated that transplanted perennials and shrubs do well with a season of root development (winter) before leafing out and blooming.

A paver stone path with a garden bed and house to the left, a narrow planting strip and retaining wall to the right. The planting areas are full of leaves.
Before, A
A paver stone path with a garden bed and house to the left, a narrow planting strip and retaining wall to the right. Plants are planted on both sides of the path. Both sides have been mulched.
After, A
A paver stone path with a garden bed and house to the right, a narrow planting strip and retaining wall to the left. The path winds around a sun porch. The planting areas are full of leaves.
Before, B
A paver stone path with a garden bed and house to the right, a narrow planting strip and retaining wall to the left. Plants are planted on both sides of the path. Both sides have been mulched.
After, B