pretty pictures of my yard

It stopped raining yesterday! It has rained A LOT this month. So far we're at 5.49" of rain, 1.54" above normal for this point in the month, and actually a freckle above the normal total for the month. It's been warm too, which is a mixed blessing because I had to unclog the pond drain yesterday afternoon. Wadding out into the overflowing pond would not have been fun if it had been any colder.

I took advantage of the fact our days are getting longer to take some pictures of the pond and my new yard. I hope you enjoy them :)

Looking up from the pond, you can see my house sitting up on a small hill surrounded by lots of trees.  A project for this winter/early spring is to clear out the underbrush.  This should give the larger trees room to grow, and enhance the view of the pond from the front porch.  I plan on spending quite a bit of time on the front porch this summer :)

This HUGE Magnolia needs more space

It's hard to see, but this tree lost it's top

 The driveway starts beside the pond, and winds around the hill to the back of the house.  This old rock wall lines the driveway beside the house, and there are quite a few hollowed out tree stumps lining the driveway at the rear of the house.  I like them, but I haven't decided if I'll keep them there or move them.  It probably depends on how heavy/sturdy they are.

A few years ago one of the tenants "helped" with the landscape and cut the box woods back to nothing.  They're coming back, but are in need of some TLC this year.  Any suggestions?

There are are two more sad looking boxwoods at the front of the house, along with some empty beds.  I know my Grandmother & Great Grandmother didn't keep them empty, so we'll have to wait and see what comes up this spring.  I have a feeling that there are bulbs in the bed at the side of the house, and that mulch/soil amending will be a top priority this spring.

Yes my Christmas lights are still up, but I haven't turned them back on.

These last two pictures are a testament to how unseasonably warm it has been. These poor little daffodils are barely blooming, and I've got bulbs coming up in one of the tree stumps with a pansy tag still in it.

I hope you enjoyed my walk around the yard.  I haven't shown pictures of the hosta bed at the entrance of my front walkway, the raised bed in what may be my only sunny spot, the empty beds by my garage, or the garden at the center of my circular drive.  This post was getting a little long, so I hope you can forgive me for holding those for another day!

NOTE  I had a version of this post written earlier today, but blogger's website and app do not get along.  I hope the second version is as good as the first.  I had to take a time out before I felt like writing again. 

Weather data from Weather Underground. 1/24/12.