It's Curb Appealing!

Improving the curb appeal of my front entrance has been quite a job!  It started several months back with the removal of several very large shrubs in the front of my house. This is how our entrance looked last summer.   I really don't know what these shrubs are but they are some of the hardiest shrubs ever!

 They continue to grow like crazy and require regular clippings  all year long to keep them from totally blocking the front porch.  Please note how tall they have to get to do that.  It's Amazing!  They also have small peculiar smelling blooms that are not the most appealing to me.  It's always hard for me to remove a thriving plant, but with a little help from my DH we finally did it. 

We removed just enough on each side to add several of my favorite shrubs, Gardenias!  Can you imagine just how wonderful this will be when these babies are blooming?  I can!  I have several in my backyard already and had them all around our other house.  There is nothing sweeter then Gardenia's in bloom!

With the removal of those very large shrubs my poor little bird bath needed some company.  I found this sweet little wrought iron chair at Tuesday Morning, then the Foxglove and the Coreopsis at Walmart. 

  All this blogging has me thinking vignettes everywhere.  So this is my lovely little outdoor vignette.  I think I want to add something more and am working on that, stay tuned.

 There are two very large light purple lantana that will fill in nicely before too long on each side of the steps but you will have to wait on those also.  Every year they come back even larger then before.

I also moved around these pots from the back deck with the ones I had here previously.  My larger clay pots eventually gave way to chipping so I retired them to backyard and moved these forward.  I just love the bright pink and orange geraniums!

And finally one more thing you will have to come back for, these lovely window box planters.

  I found these at Tuesday Morning also, but they only had one in this size so I am still waiting to see if another one turns up.  I really hope so since they are the size and shape I prefer.  We have (3) Tuesday Morning's here w/in easy driving distance for me so I know I find another eventually with a little patience.  I plan to hang these on the railing on each side of the stairs, here.

Did you notice I have these lovely PVC railings that pose a dilemma?  Ordinary planter brackets are not going to work here.  I do have a solution I am saving for later.  However,  I would love to hear your solution ideas or if you know of an inexpensive supplier of PVC planter brackets if there is such a thing.

Well, that's a sneak peek into the makeover of my front entrance.  I'm not all there yet but a whole lot closer and I am loving it.  I am almost ready to move on to the front porch.  Come back for that one too, K?

Leave me a message if you please, I love hearing from you!

I am linking with the following parties today, please go by these sites for more wonderful stories and pics!

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ for Outdoor Wednesday

http://www.thestoriesofa2z.com/ for Ready,set, Vignette

http://alwaysnesting.blogspot.com/ for Woohoo Wednesday