My Great Outdoors: Amanda's Yard & Garden

Name: Amanda Hughes Location: Greenville, South Carolina Type of space: Yard & Garden Tell us about your outdoor project and how you enjoy it: My house is on almost 2 acres, but a majority of the yard and land is filled with gardens — plants and vegetables, and garden paths — some out of pea gravel, some out of flag stone. It is gorgeous and full of color year round. I spend a lot of time walking around the yard with the dogs and use the open field in that back for frisbee. I also like to sit by the fountain and read. It is very peaceful. Usually when I have people over we sit by the fire. I have a huge vegetable garden that I share with my Aunt and Uncle who live across the street. We fill it up with a variety of veggies and cutting flowers to share.

How did you create it? I was lucky enough to buy it after it had been abandoned for over a year. The yard is very mature; it has just been a matter of pruning, bringing things back to life, and adding my own personal touches. There is still much work to be done, but what fun would a garden be if there was no work to do?

Recommended store, site, product or resource? I get a lot of my plants and flowers and gardening tools from Home Depot. They will always take plants back if they do not survive in my yard. I get most of my decorative pots from IKEA and almost all of my outdoor furniture is recycled from previous owners.

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