My favorite thing about Carolina landscaping is how natural it looks. It appears as if we plopped our homes down amid the dogwoods and azaleas where we found them. Our lawns are mowed but not overly manicured. The time other regions spend on trimming boxwoods, we spend tending the tomatoes. This sort of beautiful, lazy yard is what I’ve come to know and love. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind my home has.

My yard is what I’d call stately-unkept. Full of Japanese maples, boxwoods, English ivy, moss, and nandina. It all grows in pretty little beds lined with monkey grass. There’s no blooms, and it’s a pain in the royal rump to maintain. Last year I spent more time digging out nandina than I’ve ever spent doing anything in a garden. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why anyone would want this bastard of a plant anywhere near their property.

After spending an entire spring and summer digging up nandina volunteers, I convinced (BEGGED) Brandon to hire someone to rip all the plants out of the front yard. He finally agreed. Now my yard is barren – except for the Japanese maple that I begrudgingly agreed could stay. (I mean, I had to. It’s a shade of ruby red that reminds me of fall in Canton). 

Our lawn has a clean slate. In my mind I see gardenia foundation plants, azaleas along the fence line, and a camellia over next to the carport. A wonderful symphony of blooms for each season. All that’s left to do is nag talk Brandon into letting me take a trip to the nursery. 😉