Everyone Loves Before And After Photos, Right?

Today I thought I’d share a few photos of how the big landscaping project is going over at the studio. Because seriously, everyone loves before and after photos, right? 

This is what the cottage looked like the day we got the keys to the place. 

Call me crazy but it looked kind of sad and unloved. 

This is what it looked like one week later after we had removed the plastic shutters, moved the fence forward and ripped out the overgrown landscape.

And this is what it looks like now. 🙂 

I hesitated even showing you because there’s still a lot of work to do outside {more plants, fencing, maybe a surprise or two} and we’re still waiting for the grass to grow in.

But I had to share because I am SO in love with how things are turning out. 

I LOVE GARDENING. And I love creating new spaces. And I am SO, SO lucky to have a husband who goes along with {most} all of my crazy ideas.

The idea for the flower pot swag came from a trip to Quebec City. A little French restaurant had a similar one above their doorway and I thought it was the cutest thing!

The idea for the benches came from the restaurant too. Originally I was going to have my husband build some window boxes and just plant flowers in them. 

But the more I thought about the benches, they just seemed more versatile for around the holidays. The man loves to build things, what can I say? {He made me the door last fall.} I told him he should turn pro. 

The flower pot swag was super easy to make. I took pictures while I was making it so let me know if you want me to write up a tutorial. I’m planning on adding fairy lights for Christmas. 

Yesterday our first two visitors arrived. Two pretty little house finches. They’ve been working hard at building a nest just behind the flower pots on the branches.

It is the SWEETEST thing! I’ll have to try and get a photo when they’re not around so I don’t disturb them.

This place is so different from the Lobster House!

The {hydroseed} grass and landscaping is coming along. The grass is starting to fill out in the {parking} pavers which has been fun to watch.

We were able to repurpose the three mature hydrangea plants that were previously swimming in a mound of bark alongside the cottage.

I was a little worried they wouldn’t transplant well because they were so big, but we were able to get them in the ground before they started to leaf out so I think they’ll survive. 

We were given a couple of white hydrangeas last fall from a neighbor who was thinning their garden and those seem to be doing great as well. The catmint came from Costco as did the begonias.

The goal is to fill the garden with 90% perennials and save the other 10% for summer annuals and bulbs.

I still have a boatload of shasta daisies, chives, rhubarb and English lavender growing in pots that I need to get planted. But I’ll wait to do that once the fence is installed {end of June?}.

I also bought an enormous packet of hollyhock seeds that I’ll scatter in the fall as well. Fact: I am rather excited about the prospect of a garden with a gazillion hollyhocks in it!!

When I was planning this garden, I knew I wanted some flowers, but I wasn’t exactly planning on a total cottage garden vibe. 

But hey, but I think that’s where we’re headed… And it’s fine by me. ♥

~Mavis