Well according to the weather forecast, it's supposed to be warmer than here, but not in the 70's. Kind of sad about that, but I'll take it lol It's still nearly 25 or more warmer. On Thursday, back here in Michigan, it's supposed to get a HIGH of 15.
I've already started planning on some hanging baskets to put over our awning in the back yard. I see some small bush like plants in the summer pictures the previous owner posted. I'm interested to see if they survive our winter and what type of plant it is. Besides that, it's a blank slate.
hmm.... maybe a Japanese maple bush here, hanging petunia basket there, veggie garden here, etc etc.
I'm so geeked!! Time to start saving up my cash for spring time when my favorite store opens up again.

oh and a funny story here...
While we were walking through homes last Thursday, I would walk up to the pine trees I found on some homes, to check the bark and other things on the trees to determine if their healthy or not. Sometimes before I even got into the home. It kinda embarrassed my hubby but made our realtor laugh out loud.

That's funny, Britnay. Landscape before house. I like the way you think.

When we bought our home, before it was final, DH brought some fungicide in a pump sprayer and sprayed the Crepe Myrtles that had Black Fungus. By the time we moved in, they were healthy!

My neighbor across the street (RIP) said he knew the neighborhood was going to be alright, when he saw me put down a moving box, went back to the truck and came back with sheers to cut the hedges. I have ADD but he didn't care.

When we looked at the home we now live in the first thing I said when we looked at the first time was "there are no plants and no landscaping!". I made my DH promise I would be able to bring plants with me from the old house and have a budget to add more. I'm thinking he's currently rethinking that landscaping budged as we speak

@Legalily, "budget" and "landscaping" are two words that don't belong together.

Congratulations Britnay! When i bought my house it was winter too. I asked the previous owners about the yard and gardening potential. They were high on my priority list too.

ShadyGreenThumb said:@Legalily, "budget" and "landscaping" are two words that don't belong together.

@shadygreenthumb
Oh my gosh I literally laughed out loud!

Worked anther 3 hrs. blowing leaves away from Christmas decorations and the yard. It's slowing down finally! Only 4 trips with full tarp if leaves this time. But it made me sore tonight. So when I came inside, I ate some yummy holiday cookies and fudge, then took a nap. I 've been relaxing all evening. There's so much that still needs to be done but I'm POOPED!

ShadyGreenThumb said:Worked anther 3 hrs. blowing leaves away from Christmas decorations and the yard. It's showing down finally! Only 4 trips with full tarp if leaves this time. But it made me site tonight. So when I came inside, I ate some yummy holiday cookies and fudge, then took a nap. I 've been relaxing all evening. There's so much that still needs to be done but I'm POOPED!

You did plenty!! Great job.

One of the reasons I chose this house, over another one in the running, was because the back yard faces north. Our last three houses (over 30 years) had west facing yards. I told my husband that I'm done with fighting that hot afternoon sun!

It's 71 degrees here. I've been out weeding and doing some general cleanup. I noticed that I have lots of daffodils pushing up leaves.

A couple pics I took outside yesterday. We ended up getting more snow later that night. Last I heard it was about 9 inches. Some places nearly a foot deep.
But of course, when I finally get my snowfall I've been waiting for, I leave state for a week. No snow here in Texas! Ugh. It better be there when I get back!

Oh, and a side note...
Upon walking through the new home for inspection, I discovered that the previous home owner left an I.D. tag on one of those mystery plants. Wedding ring hydrangea. Super pretty! I'm totally keeping them!

So happy for you!!!

Great stories about picking your houses.

When we bought this property..was just woods with a huge and perfect front yard tree...massive ..it cracked in half...hurricane Fran.....

As I walked the property a horse fly bit me....
That should have told me something about the tenacity of the woods critters

What I did in the garden today...
Went to my old place and started pulling up all the landscape fabric and pins. Gonna re-use the best parts for the gardens at the new place.

No use to waste what is perfectly reusable, Greene.

But it sure is messy work

Totally out of the current subject, but I want some opinions here.

I have a PH and moisture reader that I purchased from Lowe's earlier this summer. I need to test the soil on my new property in the spring.

Is it worth spending $25 on a kit and then mailing it out to be tested, or do you guys have experience with those prong self testing meters I already have?

Any personal experiences on either one?

We are comfortable chatting with each other here but when you have an actual question...it might be a good idea to also post it on the "Ask A Question" Forum to get a broad range of answers.

My experience is that the local County Extension Service usually does a soil test for somewhere around $4 and gives an accurate answer for your soil.

I really need to get all. those. golden. leaves. off my lawn. But there are still some on the tree. If I was smart and not so obsessed, I would leave them alone for next week. Sunday and Monday we are supposed to have cold snaps near freezing again. That way, they al might fall off once and for all (til next year, that is) it might be my last time to blow leaves out front. (Must stop the leaf obsession! Must stop the leaf obsession! Must stop the leaf obsession!Must stop the leaf obsession!)