Roots and Routes

August 8, 2026

After almost four months, our front yard landscaping project is finally complete!

We took the plunge and removed all of the grass, giving us a blank slate to completely rethink the space. We matched the existing pavers along our walkway as closely as we could and added a new path straight through the center of the yard to the driveway, along with another path on the opposite side leading to a small pad where we’ll eventually place a glider.

We also removed the star jasmine, which was slowly being overtaken by some mysterious unnamed plant, and replaced it with a trellis for climbing roses. From there, the planting began—and there was a lot of it! We added thirty-three roses representing thirty different varieties (three of the climbing roses are duplicates), fourteen varieties of azaleas in the shadier part of the yard where roses wouldn’t be as happy, and 174 small boxwoods lining the walkways. With a little time and patience, we’re hoping the boxwoods will grow together to form a low, tidy hedge that frames the garden.

Perhaps the most time-consuming part of the entire project, though, was something you barely see: the irrigation. We installed a new system so that each of the 221 plants has its own individual soaker head, allowing us to deliver water directly where it’s needed. It was painstaking work, but with so many new plants to establish, we wanted to make sure everything had the best possible start.

It has been a much bigger project than we originally imagined, but after months of planning, planting, irrigating, and watching it all come together, we finally have the beginnings of the rose garden we envisioned.