March 2000
This is the front of the townhouse the first spring after purchase in December 1999. The first thing I did was hang flowers in the front. Now, I could have just stopped there...and don't get me wrong, this looked nice and most people would have kept this bush/grass arrangement. I, however, am not a huge fan of grass (unless I have a large area) and square bushes, so I wanted to use what was already there and "improve" upon it. I'm into low maintenance but high impact. Grass needs to be trimmed the bushes need to be groomed. When I started working I discovered that I had a tea olive on the far left, four mature azaleas and a Buford holly on the right, all trimmed together in a square.

April 2000
First I drew up a landscaping plan. In the front yard I was not concerned with using natives. I was more concerned with low maintenance and drought-resistant species. I chose Mexican heather, lantana, crepe myrtle, Chinese privet, Confederate jasmine, lariope and Aztec grass. I then killed and removed all the grass, severely trimmed the azaleas, removed one of the azalea bushes from in front of the faucet and removed the Buford holly bush from beside the doorway (gave to a friend for his yard and it grew back nicely). This picture was during planting and before laying down the mulch, landscaping fabric and stone. It took allot of work because of the heavy clayey soils, which I opted not to do any soil improvement on because of the hardiness of the plants I was using.

April 2000
 This is the finished result. You could now access the water hose and the meters easier. I was very happy with the new look and received compliments from my neighbors (most of which are renters). I left a small area on the left for planting annuals such as marigolds, periwinkles, and pansies to match the season. However, I did end up learning that the Chinese privet, planted in front of the tea olive, is an invasive species here in North Florida, so I later took it out in place of an Indian hawthorn (which hasn't done so well). I also took out the lantana from around the crepe myrtle and replaced it with more heather. What a wonderful perennial heather has turned out to be. These guys have spread by seed, so I have given the seedlings to a friend for her flower beds.

April  2001
Its all growing up! The azaleas grew back, but not in time to bloom for 2001. The crepe myrtle and jasmine sure has grown! I've had to battle with powdery mildew on the myrtle and lace bugs on the azaleas, but I have learned that prevention is the key (spray with a mixture of 1tsp baking soda, 1 qt water and a few drops of dishsoap). Recently, I moved the jasmine to the backyard to get it away from the house and planted some Texas red lantana in the annuals area. Also, the Mexican heather grew large enough to cover the Aztec grass so I have since removed that and the lariope. This front yard requires little to no watering, except for what's in the pots. The river rocks are difficult to keep clean of leaves and debris, so I am thinking about switching to a mulched path, but would miss the nice look of the rocks. I also have to keep the neighbor's (on both sides) hollies trimmed and what a pain (sharp leaves) that is! I don't recommend planting Buford hollies in an area where you would have to keep them trimmed, such as by a door or in a tight spot. (I've also painted the front door green, 'cuz I just don't like brown unless its natural wood.)

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