there are 11 beds of various sizes scattered around our property, so the trimming and mulching job took a while. but it’s always worth it once it’s complete – everything is so pretty! and the beds were the perfect hiding spot for Easter eggs last weekend. π
standing at the top of the front driveway here, you can see some of the front beds…
this viewpoint is standing in the front driveway and looking up in the other direction…
this is our left side yard, heading down to what was the swing set area that we have been updating this spring…
i’ll continue the tour by heading down that lawn toward the backyard/play area. here is the play area itself that i’ve been sharing reports on this spring. you can read more about those updates here and here…
the view of our patio from the backyard…
once you are outside the yard but still facing toward the fenced area…
here is the full viewpoint of our backyard area…
just above the backyard is our garage/rear driveway…
and here is the rock pathway again…leading us toward the front driveway….
this rock path has changed quite a bit since january. to show you just how much it has improved, here is how this area looked just a few months ago…
and how it looks today…
the path changed dramatically because we added a border to keep rocks with rocks and mulch with mulch. we also moved all of the rocks from the play area up to this pathway, which gave the rock area a fuller appearance. after the mulch was added last week – it looks fabulous! so clean and defined.
since we are talking about dramatic changes, have a look at what was once the front landscaping of this home 5 years ago…
as compared to now…
amazing what a little love can do!
we are so grateful to have a large outdoor play area for our children, but having this much outdoor space comes with its challenges too. along with the inside of our home, the landscaping came with a learning curve for us – and we learned a lot given we are not from this climate. in our previous home on the west coast our lawns were green year round. it seemed so foreign for us to stop watering and let the grass essentially die each winter. ??? we were also not accustomed to the amount of rain we now have each month.
when we first moved here, we hired a landscaping company to help with the lawns and beds. but after living in the space for 2 years and educating ourselves, we are proud to say for the last 3 years we have done all of the outdoor work on our own. and we are much happier with the results when we do the job. my husband spends one afternoon each week mowing the lawns with a push mower.
the only service we pay to have completed each month is a lawn fertilizer. it has tremendously improved the quality of our lawns – you have no idea. we had areas go downhill over the years and after hiring tru-green to handle the fertilization = we have amazing, green, healthy lawns that are barefoot-worthy.
a reader asked what the pretty pink flowers are around our home…
these are azalea’s. they only bloom in the spring and last about a month. we love them and look forward to them blooming each year…
so in case you were wondering too, they are azalea bushes. π
that concludes the outdoor home tour! in case you got lost on the tour, we went clockwise starting in the front of the house, around the left side toward the backyard, into the backyard, around the right side of the house where the garage is, and then back around to the front.
thanks for stopping by our home!
Your landscaping is beautiful! What are the pink flowers I see around your home? They add a lot of color and life to the evergreens they are next to. Nice!
hi there! thanks for coming by and leaving such a sweet comment!
i added some close-up photos of the flowers…just for you! π they are azalea's…and they are so, so pretty. check out my post again so you can see them close-up.
and thank you for coming by again!
samantha π
Ya, know….I thought that shade of pink could only belong to an azalea! Beautiful! I planted 6 azaleas late last fall…and I'm still waiting for them to bloom. π They have lots of buds, but no flowers.
Your home is lovely…thanks for sharing…
humm, maybe those buds will bloom soon for you. you will definitely love them when they bloom each and every year – i always get so excited seeing those buds just waiting to open – b/c i know soon the perimeter of our home will have that beautiful shade of pink.
thank you for coming by! and again for the sweet comment!
What a lovely home you have! I am a new follower from Savvy Southern Style…stop by and say Hi soon!
ciao
hi! thank you so much for coming by and following along with my adventures in this blog. i appreciate that so much and i will definitely swing by your way. the "newport beach" part of your name has ben curious…do you live in NB? we moved here from a town that was very close to NB.
thanks again!!
samantha π
Absolutely gorgeous! Love your pretty home. Hope you'll stop by my blog when you get a chance. I'm your newest follower, btw.
hi! thank you so much for stopping by and for sharing such sweet comments! i appreciate it so much! thank you for following along with me as well. i will definitely come by your blog to see what you are up to. i love making new blog friends. π
thank you again,
samantha
What a gorgeous home!! The property is just lovely. I love azaleas too – it's too bad that the blooming season is so short but they now have varieties that bloom twice per year (once the Spring and once in the fall) which are nice. Thanks so much for sharing your home The Creative Spark. I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of your house!
Jenn π
hi jenn! thanks for stopping by! i love sharing each week at your link party. π
thank you so much for the sweet compliments – we love our home too. and i hope you enjoy seeing the rest of our home too.
thanks again!
samantha π
Thank you for sharing the outside of your house, it is gorgeous. I love all of the spring colors you get. I also really like the open space your kids have to play outside.
thank you so much!!!
I really enjoyed the tour. You have such a beautiful home. I'm so excited to see more of it and I'm now your newest follower. Hope you have a great weekend.
hi! thank you so much for the sweet comment and for becoming a new follower!
have a great weekend too! thank you again!
samantha π
You have a gorgeous home and yard. I know how much work that it. I am the yard keeper here. Thanks for sharing at Wow.
hi kim! thank yo so much for coming by to see our outdoor home tour! i appreciate that and your comment very much! π
yes, my husband and i know all too well how much work (and sweat, tears – sometimes blood) is involved in keeping up with outdoor landscaping. it took a while for us to figure out what to do and in which beds and what works for the various seasons. after almost 5 years, i think we have a handle on it now. lol! good for you doing your own yard keeping – it is hard work but the reward at the end – priceless!
thanks again and thank you for allowing me to link up on wednesday. π
samantha
Wow, what an amazing yard and home you have. Thanks so much for sharing at Whimsy Wednesday.
Amy@homehappyhome
hi amy!
thank you for coming by to see our outdoor home tour! i hope you are feeling better! i was by to see your powder room the other day – love it!
thanks again,
sam π
You have a gorgeous home and yard. Just stunning!
hi linda!
thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a sweet comment!
thank you!!!
samantha
Your home is beautiful! From the azaleas I'm guessing you must now live in the Southeast. We're in Durham, NC, and the azaleas this year have been amazing! I'm impressed that you do your own landscaping–that's a lot of work, and it's all just beautiful. Thanks for giving us a look at your lovely place!
hi!
thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a sweet comment. yes, we live in the mid-south region…and the azaleas, tulips, daffodil's…etc were all so beautiful this spring. seems like they aren't around long enough. i could take photos of them all day!
yes, the landscaping is a LOT of work. my husband needs to get credit for the lawns. there are several of them and he mows them each week – it's a great workout! especially in the humid summer.
thank you again for coming by! i appreciate it very much!
samantha
Your home is just beautiful. I really enjoyed the tour!
hi suzy!
thank you so much for the sweet comment and for coming by to see our home!
samantha
So beautiful. Thank you for inviting me in. I'm your newest follower.
hi! thank you so much for stopping by, leaving a comment – and now following along. i appreciate that very much!!
thank you again!
samantha
Your home is a French country dream! Just beautiful!!
hi pamela!
thank you so much for the sweet comment! and for stopping by to see our home π
samantha
Beautiful home and gardens!! Looking forward to seeing more! Your newest follower:) Stop on by when you have a chance.
hi martina!
thank you so much for stopping by for the tour, leaving a comment, and now following along. i appreciate that so much!
thank you again!!
i will definitely come by your blog next π
samantha
Your home is so gorgeous! Thank you for the tour! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Happy to find you via Kim! Have a great day!
Tammy
Hi Tammy!
Thank you so much for coming by, but more importantly, for leaving such a sweet comment! Thank you! It really means a lot!
I'm glad you found me too via Kim – she was so sweet to feature our outdoor home tour. So thank you for clicking through to see our home. π
Have a great day!
Samantha π
So lovely! Such a beautiful home you have π
Visiting from Sweet & Simple
Greetings from Australiaβ₯
~Pernilla
Hi Pernilla!
Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing such a sweet comment. I appreciate is very much!
How fun to have someone reading in Australia too! π
Thank you again,
Samantha
Thanks for your outdoor home tour, it is a beautiful home, also love the azaleas, they are my favorite blooming plants.
Hi Judy!
Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing such nice comments! I appreciate it!
Yes, we loves the azalea's too! They are stunning and wish they would stick around a bit longer. Always sad to see them go…most of the blooms have fallen off as of now. Boo! π
Thanks again!
Samantha
Samantha thank you so much for joining Treasure Hunt Thursday! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Hi Pamela! Thank you for taking a moment to stop by! I appreciate that and your sweet comment!
Thank you and have a great weekend!
Samantha
Hi Samantha, Your home and landscaping are beautiful! I just found you through Savvy Southern Style and I am now a follower. Hugs, Sherry
hi sherry! thank you so much for coming by, leaving a sweet comment, and now following along. i appreciate that VERY much! thank you!!!
samantha π
Samantha,
What a beautiful estate you have. I love how you have designed the gardens and the paths are fabulous! Thanks for sharing on Simple & Sweet Fridays. New Follower.
Jody
hi jody! thank you so much for stopping by! i appreciate that, as well as your sweet comment, too! and thank you for following along around here. you never know what will happen! π
thanks again!
samantha
I love your home…just lovely!I especially love the rock path and how the railing curves off the back terrace…very graceful!
Blessings, Lorraine
hi lorraine! thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a sweet comment!
thank you!
have a wonderful week! π
samantha
Came over from the Centsational Girl Party! Wow what a gorgeous home you have! Love all the brick and your landscaping. So So pretty! Off to explore more of your blog!
Following!
Ashleigh @ Live Gorgeously
hi ashleigh! thank you so much for coming by – and following along! it mess so much!
and thank you so much for your sweet, sweet comment about our home. thank you!!!
samantha π
Samantha,
You have a gorgeous home and I enjoyed the tour of the landscaping. We just faced the choice of hiring a landscaper and decided to go ahead and get some help. We had to have the entire front landscaping ripped out and re-done because it was in such bad shape. I wrote a post about it and included a video about why it was important for us to hire a landscaper. We hope to tackle some of the other outdoor projects on our own. Thanks for the tour. VIsiting from Satori Designs. Lesley
hi lesley!
thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a sweet comment! thank you!!!
yes, i understand your need to have some help. we had a landscaper when we first moved to this house. this house is much larger than our previous home and we had no idea how to get a handle on it. then a few years ago we took the plunge and have been so happy to do it ourselves. but there are definitely times i wish my husband didn't have to be outside mowing….especially when it's 100+ degrees and 90% humidity π
thanks again so much! will check out your blog too! π
samantha
Beautiful home!
thank you so much, jean!
xo,
samantha
Hopped over from Iheart Organizing to see your master closet and instantly fell in love with your house!! Can you tell me what house plan it is?? LOVE it!
hi!
thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a sweet comment! thank you! we love our home…it's a bit french-countryish style. what would you like to know about our house plan? wasn't sure if you were looking for a specific name…i don't think there is one. our builder came up with the plan and he's been building homes for a long time…all kinds of homes π
let me know more specifics and i'll see if i can help you out with an answer π
thanks again so much for coming by!
samantha π
What a beautiful job you've done with your landscaping, Samantha! You can feel good about that! Thanks for the tour! ~Zuni
hi there!
thank you so much for the sweet comment! it's been a lot of work but we are so happy with the results of our hard work.
thank you again for stopping by!
samantha π
Your house is beautiful! I love the combination of stone and brick and your shutters are awesome π
hi stacy!
thank you so much for coming over to see our home! and thank you for the compliments! we do love our house…but we love the people that live inside even more π
i can't wait to check out all of the other links at your party – super fun idea!!!
thank you again,
samantha π
I adore you home. For a large home, the builder made it look so cottage and it is so homey and appealing. A great home. Blessings.
hi,
thank you so much! i appreciate your sweet comments!
best,
samantha π
Samantha your home is absolutely incredible!! It is so obvious that a lot of love and care has gone into making it the welcoming place it is and your landscaping choices are just perfect. Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Inspiration Friday last weekend! π
Vanessa
hi vanessa!!
thank you so much for coming by and leaving such a sweet comment :-). thank you!!!! i was happy to share at your link party too!
all the best,
samantha
Your house and your yard are stunning! I am loving the azaleas and will be putting some in my yard now. π
Thanks for linking up to Point of View!
Jonie
I'm a new follower and you home is just beautiful. I have been experiencing a lot of financial hardships these past two years and your blog is an inspiration to get back into it. With hard work and motivation, I hope to own a home as lovely as yours. Thanks so very much for sharing.
<3 Amber
[…] means more to me than the fact that our outdoor home tour came in at number 2. especially given the fact we are about to say good-bye to this gorgeous home […]