We’ve been doing a lot of digging lately, and my arms can attest to it. This wasn’t a quick makeover—more the kind of yard project that will evolve over years—but focusing on one small area at a time keeps things manageable. Last year we limbed up the magnolia, transplanted and removed many bushes, and painted the front door, so this season we turned our attention to the sad little garden bed to the right of the front porch.
On the right half of that bed there was what looked like a small rectangular brick patio that prevented planting. For balance, curb appeal, and functionality, it had to go.
Sherry grabbed the shovel and started prying up bricks. They weren’t mortared, so one by one they loosened. It wasn’t fast or easy—carrying a neat pile of roughly one hundred bricks to the carport took time—but clearing that area felt like real progress. We’ll either reuse the bricks elsewhere or give them away later.
While Sherry worked on the brick, John dug up liriope along the porch edge, and Clara explored nearby with her new friends—worms. She’s genuinely fascinated by them: watching them wiggle, talking to them, and crouching close to observe. Whenever we found worms while digging, we gently placed them in front of her so she could watch. (For the record, we wore gloves.)
The liriope pulled out in a dense, sod-like strip of tangled roots. It was stubborn and required some effort to remove entirely, but clearing it opened up real planting space.
We also discovered what we thought was a giant worm but turned out to be a tiny garden snake. If snake photos bother you, you might want to skip the next shot; it’s small and harmless, and John obliged my request to “look scared” for a humorous photo.
After about four hours of work we cleared the roughly 13 x 7-foot zone and prepared it for new plants. Photos often make the bed look narrower than it is, probably because I can’t take aerial shots at 5’2”.
We shopped several nurseries and big-box stores to find plants that would thrive in part shade alongside the Otto Luyken laurels we’d already planted. Instead of filling the bed with repeats of the same plant, we chose two favorites: a small, feathery maple and a compact, white-flowering shrub.
We passed on red maples that would blend with the brick or grow too large. Instead we planted a Virdis laceleaf, a dwarf laceleaf maple that stays around six feet tall and fits well in a seven-foot-deep bed. We placed it about four feet from the house to give it room to grow without crowding the foundation.
The flowering shrub is a Dwarf Pieris Japonica Variegated. It tops out near two feet and produces white flowers in spring, remaining a leafy, attractive shrub the rest of the year. Both plants tolerate part shade, and both came with a one-year nursery warranty—always reassuring.
Gardening has lots of rules—grouping like plants, repetition for rhythm, and odd-numbered groupings are common suggestions—but our two guiding principles were simple: pick plants you love, and make sure they’re right for the spot. Early in our gardening experience we sometimes bought whatever was cheapest; those choices either died or needed to be replaced. Now we plan more carefully and follow the planting instructions on the tags for spacing, hole size, root care, soil amendments, and watering frequency.
Originally we planned to add two annuals up front while waiting for the new shrubs to fill in, but we found a low-maintenance perennial called variegated dead nettle. These purple-flowering plants only reach 6–8 inches tall and wide, suit part-shade conditions, bloom in spring and summer, and will return year after year—so they’re a better short-term option than annuals.
Once everything was planted and mulched to conserve moisture and suppress weeds, the bed already looked much improved.
Here are a few close-ups showing texture and color—no allergy meds required.
All told, the project took around seven hours spread over a few sessions—sometimes with Clara and her worm friends nearby and sometimes while she napped. We went from a bare, awkward bed to a tidy, intentionally planted area that should mature beautifully in the years ahead.
One practical tip we’ve learned from a master gardener: place plants slightly beyond the roof overhang so roots won’t affect the foundation, runoff won’t drown new plants, and they’ll get a bit more sun instead of staying perpetually shaded by the awning.
Next up is the bed on the other side of the porch while Clara keeps asking, “Worms? Where the worms go?” We’re also planning a big deck project—Miss Utility has been called to check for underground hazards, and we’ll pursue the necessary permit—plus finishing our bathroom and tackling a few long-standing tasks. Spring always sparks a new flurry of projects. How about you—what did you do this weekend? We spent time with family, visited with Clara’s youngest cousin, and enjoyed a mix of food, family, and DIY. More updates to come as the garden grows.