I'm looking for some change...

More than 2 years ago I moved into a condo and I'm looking to make some aesthetic changes in the courtyard appearance. Again. When I first moved in, the 'garden' near the mailboxes had a flat area 6 feet by 10 feet filled with mulch. There were some shrubs along the back wall, but nothing along the walkway.

Asking first, the president of the association gave me to okay to plant some things as long as I maintained it. No problem. I selected some small shrubs that I've seen line the walkways to a few gated communities. It's year round, slow growing and survives direct sunlight to shaded areas. Placed about 18" apart, I allowed for a few years of growth before the will need to be thinned.

All my gardening tools remained with the house I sold a few years ago. All I had was a floor scraper and trowel. I'll make-do with that. After clearing back the mulch, I dug some holes about 6" by 6" and loosely placed the potted plants to confirm they were in the right spot. It was done on a Saturday morning and the project took a few hours. Lots of people came by checking mail and to make comments... I guess they never experienced someone taking an interest in their 'front yard' so most of the comments were in praise for adding some charm to the walkway. Two woman complained. One must have been denied her suggestion at an association meeting as she didn't believe I had approval from the condo president. The other bitched about the purple flowers I used to fill-in the perimeter. Something like they would outgrown the entire garden.

More than a year ago, one of the palm trees died and it appeared that nothing was going to be done. To my surprise the landscaping company removed it and filled the area with sod. The color of the new grass was 10 shades darker than the original lawn. I bought a bag of fertilizer and threw handfuls around the garden. It's been 2 weeks and with all the rain this month, the old lawn has started to darken and look more like the new stuff.

My other plan will require approval of the association as the end of the paved walkway that joins the asphalt parking lot has some bare areas and the rain washes the soil into the parking lot. I'll run some plastic retainer the keep the grass edge from running out.

10 minutes a week pulling weeds and the change is already noticeable. My neighbor saw me making adjustments this morning and ask why... it's my front yard and I want it to look nice, that's why.