The Craigslist Garden

Last May the company my husband worked for let more than half the employees go. He was one of the unlucky ones. Even though this was a stressful time for us, we tried to make the best of it and enjoy the time we had together. We ended up having one of the best summers.

One day, my ants in his pants husband decided he wanted to use some of his new free time to cut the beds in the front yard for a bigger garden. Of course I thought he was crazy because our budget was a big zero! If the beds were in place, of course I would want to plant something. It turns out craigslist is a great place to find avid gardeners giving away their extra plants.

This is the way to the front door from the driveway. The previous owners wanted a very low maintenance yard so they used rocks instead of mulch or plants. Imagine rocks on both sides of the sidewalk and how much work it was to remove them.
Our first spring here we planted the Japanese maple tree and the ground cover next to the sidewalk. The river birch you see in the distance was next. Our house and yard has been a work in progress over the years. We have done so much work here and there and finally the front has a real garden.

This picture was taken the other day; it has already filled in quite a bit since last spring.

We inherited the stone border when we bought the house and kept it. It had a very narrow bed that ended just past the front steps. The whole thing was filled with a row of daylily and hosta plants that we removed and used in the back and side yard. The rest of them were sold on craigslist and given away to neighbors.

About eighty five percent of this garden was given to us for free or bought for next to nothing at neighborhood plant sales and craigslist.

We still have some empty spaces that we are just getting to this year. The pink azaleas under the tree were recently bought at Home Depot for ten dollars each.

The exterior of Sixty-Fifth Avenue needs a complete makeover...the plan is to have it done next spring. I'm ready for the outside to match the inside.

Sharing with diy day  the thrifty home