After much deliberation, Bruno and I decided to tackle a bunch of changes in our yard this summer. We were originally going to put it off until next year, but then we figured since we're around a lot this summer we may as well just get things started so we can enjoy our outside space more. Mostly there has been a lot of ripping out things (especially a TON of cedar shrubs) that the builders had done initially. The yard was so sterile, it looked like landscaping around a parking lot.

But now that we've got all the shrubs pulled out, it's amazing how much more space there is! We've got a couple little raised beds for veggies and are figuring out how to start making the rest of the space into a nice lush, low maintenance garden space. We kept some of the nicer plants that have been here since moving in, and have added only a couple others so far. There will be much more to come, but it's really going to be a work in progress for the first few years. It's such a blank slate I hardly know where to start, but we'll figure it out!

These are my favourite photos so far this year:

First clematis blooms earlier this spring after a good rain

Hosta bud, they still haven't quite flowered yet

Nasturtium - they're so beautiful I can hardly bring myself to eat them

The one pink rose bush, it's the sweetest smelling (the rest are white and less fragrant). Slightly smushed by the contractors, but managed to revive them!

How are your gardening adventures going this summer?