Here's some before & after pictures of my garden. We moved into our house in 1999 and here the difference 10 years later, summer of 2009.

Here's another back yard picture

Some more of the back yard

Veggie garden

Front yard

We went thru a yard full of kid's stuff: 21' swingset that became a temp greenhouse one spring. An 8'X12' trampoline all in the back yard. I kept expanding the flower beds and squeezed out the kid's stuff as she grew out of it. We moved the trampoline to our farm, so she still uses it there.

My next door neighbor cut 8 - 50' evergreen spruce trees down in November. This has opened up a huge amount of sunlight for certain flower beds, so big changes are planned for this spring in the front yard. YEAH!!!

I love your garden, Joanne, and I'm looking forward to the photos of the new developments in the front yard.

Your garden is going thru such lovely transitions. A greenhouse make from an old swing set!! I will be looking for this in our nearby auction house that does deal with such wonderful reusables.

Looks great, Joanne. What a great idea - to use a swingset as the 'bones'.

Thanks, I have some pics of that swing greenhouse here: http://cubits.org/Germination/...

Joanne, your home has gone through such wonderful transformations! I bet you've inspired neighbors to work on their own gardens too, as they've seen what you could do over the years. I look forward to seeing what you do this season!

I started a community garden club and yes a few of the neighbors joined it
No one used to 'hang out' in their front yards, now there is a number of us gardening out front so it seems more friendly now

Okay, now tell the truth Joanne... is your garden club like the one on Desperate Housewives, where they joined for the margaritas???? ;-)

A little more "gardening" focused, but we all enjoy a glass of wine during a garden visit. I put some info about that club here: http://cubits.org/Germination/...

It's neat seeing how your gardens have been transformed through the years. This is going to be a great thread to watch later in the season. We can all keep tabs on each other. So many gardens so many styles.
cubits rock!!!

Well, now this is really odd. I am POSITIVE I responded to this thread a few hours ago, but now my response isn't here. I wrote about how I thought your garden club was a great idea and something I would like to try to duplicate here in my neighborhood.

Thanks for sharing the details with us, Joanne. You're an inspiration!

You did respond on the thread that was about the garden club. All these cubits can get confusing

Ohhhhhh! Okay! =P

What a difference 10 years makes! Bet you will have fun this summer with more sun. Don't you wonder what the people who lived there before you think when they drive by? You have totally transformed the house and made it a very special home. Are those stained glass window squares in your fence? I hoping to get a new fence soon to replace my ugly chain link and have been thinking of a trellis one somewhat like yours. Really like the idea of the windows. Or are they just hanging on the fence? So pretty.

Susan