Reader Remarks: Where Should I Put This Outdoor Eyesore?

Jeez, how is it Wednesday already?! Is anyone else experiencing a springtime blur like I am? The weekend disappeared before I could blink, and I find myself sitting here with a post I intended to publish on Monday. I guess life just goes that way sometimes, though it would be nice to hit the pause button every now and then.

A quick update on some recent DIY: I've been working on a few projects around the house in the last week, and I very nearly finished all the window casing…

I was shy by about 6 pieces thanks to some too-tired-to-math errors, but I've picked up the remaining pieces and will be completing it today! I predict a lot of patching, sanding, and painting in my future, but it will be nice to have this goal finally crossed off the list.

Also, I am SORE today. Softball season has started again, and I needed new cleats after one of my soles literally peeled off of my last pair during our fall season tournament (tournament champs, by the way… woot!). Our first game (and first win) was last night, so I had to run out and get a new pair. I was baffled (and annoyed) by the complete lack of selection.

Why the heck do manufacturers assume I must like pink if I'm a chick? Nothing wrong with pink, but the assumption always irritates me, and I take my shopping dollars elsewhere if it's the only option. I'm much more drawn to blue and green, and this was pretty much the only thing I found in the first few stores I looked through (I don't often do online shopping with sports shoes because the fit is so important… I need to try them on!). Thankfully, I found one simple, black pair and was even able to do a little haggling with the store's comparison shopping guarantee, so I walked away with a great pair that will last for several more tiresome seasons. That also isn't hot pink.

Anywho, I was recently brainstorming with a friend about where to hide the super ugly trash bin that I've been lazily stashing in front of the garage door when it's not at the curb:

In previous years, when the house looked like a pile of dog shit, the trash bin really didn't catch my attention. Between the rotting and termite-infested siding, overgrown landscaping, and other improvements needed, I had far too many other things that stood out and screamed MAKE ME PRETTY AGAIN to even care that there was a plastic eyesore sitting in front of… well, all of the other eyesores. At the very least, I didn't have to worry about it disintegrating, increasing my heating bill, or otherwise damaging me financially. But after all of the work I've done on the exterior and spring rolling around once more, I have found myself silently admiring my house when I either make the turn down my street or pull out of the driveway. And each time, the trash bins have been capturing my eye, too.

My friend Jacque and I were kicking around a few ideas for a good place to store them, and I just couldn't seem to pull the trigger and make a decision. That's when I realized that instead, I should just ask you guys! You've helped me make decisions like these in the past, and I've grown to like the debate it sparks whenever there are a lot of equally good suggestions out there. So, let's break it down to the basics, and you guys can let 'er rip.

What I want to do:

Create a leveled-out spot, somewhere near the house, to keep as a semi-hidden and designated area for the trash and the recycling bin. Kind of like the one my buddy Nick from The Sawdust Maker did here, but not exactly this:

This is a simple idea I like as well:

The challenge:

It's not really about what I'm planning to build (I already have a pretty good idea), but where. I have been trying to think of a place to put it that I'll also actually use - in that it's already sitting in my driveway because this is as far as I'm usually willing to drag it when I haven't had my morning coffee yet. And that trash guy always comes early when I have forgotten to drag it to the curb!

Also: the bins are supplied by my county and are LOUD when dragging them anywhere. This little, irksome trait is actually kind of a pain because my neighbors always seem to pick the exact moment when I'm half-asleep to move theirs to or from the curb each week, and I don't want to inflict the same kind of extended boulder-rolling sound on them whenever I do it (I often remember to move them at, like, 2 AM). I know this probably shouldn't play any type of influence on where I stash these for the majority of the time, but it's just annoying, and I like to make the loud noise stop as soon as possible. Especially when it's my bin, and therefore right next to my earballs.

Expectations vs. reality:

In every DIY project, it's good to be honest with yourself. How much effort do I want to put into this? What are my usual habits? I know there are going to be some folks (coughcoughMomcough) who will suggest that I move it to places like behind the backyard fence or around the other side of the house, but I also recognize that I'm far too lazy. Essentially, this is a project about what will work best vs. my usual routine, because I know myself and I don't plan on changing it for a stupid trash can. If I pick the wrong spot that feels like too much effort compared to putting it at the front of the garage door when I'm half asleep, I'll have spent time and money on a solution that actually isn't, and an eyesore it will remain.

The options

1. I know I could easily stash it in the garage… if it weren't already tiny and I needed the space for DIY projects.

2. I could move it over to the left side of the house, near the A/C unit, where there really isn't anything already growing or taking up space. The space itself is pretty much perfect, save for having to style the area a little (more on that in a summer project post). And the fact that the chimney juts out from the house on this side is (probably) one of the reasons why the A/C is over here, because it's hidden from the street view. But I'm already too lazy to do this because 1) it requires dragging the trash can across the entire front yard to move it to this side, so 2) I'd already be doing this if this were the easy choice. So, it's still a “meh” option overall.

3. I could drag it behind the backyard fence, but I'm clearly not really willing to do that currently, so it's again kind of not an option either. I'd just wind up sticking it back in the driveway when I feel lazy, which is always.

4. The best two options seem to be to somehow find a way to work it into the garden on the right side of the house, right next to the garage. Which, I guess, is good that I hadn't yet finished landscaping it. But I guess I'm debating over whether I should put it really close to the front area (such as behind the first large shrub) or move it closer to the back, where I'm planning on adding a small tree (where potentially the tree's limbs would kind of grow over the top of whatever I build and shield the structure even more, but will take some time to grow in well). The only downside to that idea is that maybe I'll still be too lazy just to drag it another few feet closer to the back of the house.

I know, I know… we're talking a supreme level of laziness here. But this is not a high-priority project, just a get-it-out-of-the-driveway sort of deal. I know I'm not going to try all that hard on a weekly basis to make sure I stash something neatly and I constantly forget to drag the bin to the curb every week, so I'd rather play into that than give myself something else I need to remember to do all the time Hell, I manage to wash my clothes and dishes on a regular basis these days… so let's just call this another baby step towards adulting the way I'm supposed to.

If you have any ideas for what the actual structure should look like, I'm all ears, but I'm attracted to this idea (or a variation) the most. I see lots of options on Pinterest using gravel at the bottom, but I'm hesitant to use it if I know that the gravel will probably start spreading into my mulch or onto my grass if I'm carelessly dragging a trash bin on top of it (which will then be a nightmare for my mower). So, I think creating a paver bottom, even though it will take a little more work, will be the easier way to go long-term. Got any other ideas to offer? I'd love to hear 'em!

The post Reader Remarks: Where Should I Put This Outdoor Eyesore? appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Six Years of Blogging

That's not really a title I ever knew would be on this site, but I'm pretty damn happy that it is: I started blogging exactly six years ago today, April Fools Day, 2010. And considering how often I need to laugh at myself over the crazy DIY shenanigans that happen in this house, I had no idea just how appropriate it was that I start blogging on the biggest prank day of the year. One way or another, this house has shown me time and time again that the universe has one hell of a sense of humor.

The first thing I want to do, of course, is say thank you to all of you guys for reading along. It never sounds sincere enough, but so much gratitude for all of you guys is the first thing that came to mind after I thought “holy crap, SIX years?!?!” Thank you for all of your kind words. Your encouragement. Your advice. And laughing along with me… and even at me, as the case may be.

It's been a lot of fun to share this weird, hilarious, unexpected, disgusting, absolutely amazing mess with you over the years. Perhaps the best part is that I've made some really awesome friends I would otherwise never have met. And whenever I share a new recap, my favorite part is looking over the comments of similar DIY tales from readers. They crack me up and remind me that as much as these projects can feel overwhelming to do alone, I am never really without a community who is just as into the smell of fresh sawdust as I am.

To “celebrate” today, I'll be crossing a nice little item off my to do list: finishing all of the interior window trim for the house. I completed the guest bedroom and office earlier this week, so with the final measurements in the master bath and bedroom, the whole house will be done! (At least, window-molding-wise - I've got plenty more other projects yet to do. In fact, my summer project pipeline is nearly ready to share… and some MAJOR changes are in the works!)

Also, I heard that today is a Black Friday of sorts with lots of DIY products on sale. So, perhaps a coffee and a mysterious new hole in my wallet is in my future too. And then, maybe, a beer to polish off another year of progress. Cheers, friends!

2010

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Six Years of Blogging

That's not really a title I ever knew would be on this site, but I'm pretty damn happy that it is: I started blogging exactly six years ago today, April Fools Day, 2010. And considering how often I need to laugh at myself over the crazy DIY shenanigans that happen in this house, I had no idea just how appropriate it was that I start blogging on the biggest prank day of the year. One way or another, this house has shown me time and time again that the universe has one hell of a sense of humor.

The first thing I want to do, of course, is say thank you to all of you guys for reading along. It never sounds sincere enough, but so much gratitude for all of you guys is the first thing that came to mind after I thought “holy crap, SIX years?!?!” Thank you for all of your kind words. Your encouragement. Your advice. And laughing along with me… and even at me, as the case may be.

It's been a lot of fun to share this weird, hilarious, unexpected, disgusting, absolutely amazing mess with you over the years. Perhaps the best part is that I've made some really awesome friends I would otherwise never have met. And whenever I share a new recap, my favorite part is looking over the comments of similar DIY tales from readers. They crack me up and remind me that as much as these projects can feel overwhelming to do alone, I am never really without a community who is just as into the smell of fresh sawdust as I am.

To “celebrate” today, I'll be crossing a nice little item off my to do list: finishing all of the interior window trim for the house. I completed the guest bedroom and office earlier this week, so with the final measurements in the master bath and bedroom, the whole house will be done! (At least, window-molding-wise - I've got plenty more other projects yet to do. In fact, my summer project pipeline is nearly ready to share… and some MAJOR changes are in the works!)

Also, I heard that today is a Black Friday of sorts with lots of DIY products on sale. So, perhaps a coffee and a mysterious new hole in my wallet is in my future too. And then, maybe, a beer to polish off another year of progress. Cheers, friends!

2010

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How I Replace Overhead Light Fixtures… without Cursing Anymore

Happy Friday!

Confession: for the last week, I haven’t really picked up a tool of any kind. I know. It’s making my eye twitch just reading that sentence. My excuses: lots of design work (which I’m quite happy about), a series of friends’ birthdays making me leave the house on the weekends, and some warm-weather hammocking with a cute guy (dating takes up a crapload of time… why didn’t I remember that?). But, I’ve realized that a week is about my limit. Somewhere around seven days is how long I can go before I get the urge to smash something with a hammer or hear the whir of a blade in the house. It could possibly qualify me for some kind of My Strange Addiction television appearance if it weren’t so boring, but I’ll happily let the folks who eat cat food and date their cars take the spotlight instead.

(Actually, I haven’t seen but a few clips of one of the shows before looking up the TLC site to nab a few links. I know reality TV is staged, but still… holy crap, folks. I had no idea of the examples that were out there!)

But since tools are on the brain today (twss), I wanted to backtrack a second and do a recap of that new cordless screwdriver I promised I’d share more about a couple of weeks ago. On the scale of things-I’d-go-gaga over, a small thing like the Hammerhead cordless screwdriver seems hardly enough to mention at first glance. But once I used it to install my new DIY light fixture in the breakfast nook area, it made such a difference in my lack of f-bombs that I knew a few details about its features might honestly help your next DIY.

Note: this is not a sponsored post, as I got it as a Christmas gift (thanks to my buddy Ken!). And you don’t have to buy this tool to install a light fixture. But like anything I review on this blog, I’m both sharing my honest opinions and excited to pass along some info, as well as some general tips about how to install a ceiling light (there might be some affiliate links, which if purchased through me earn me a small amount of income that helps to support this blog). The pics below are from different light installations, taken the more I realized that this tool was making things easier for me. The other new light fixtures I’ve been installing will be revealed soon!

How I Install Light Fixtures (Now) – Without Cursing or Throwing Tools*

*Honestly, this lack of swearing statement is not entirely true. I swear frequently, but there’s a big difference for me between normal casual-conversation-swearing and rage-swearing, which I’ve definitely participated in when a project just isn’t going my way (or if I drop something really heavy on my foot).

Anyway, I’ve never really enjoyed installing light fixtures. It’s not that installing them is all that complex; you just need to turn the power off, connect a few wires, and turn the power back on. After you’ve done them once or twice, you might even foolishly forget how frustrated you get installing them (like I do). It’s just that holding something that’s somewhat cumbersome over my head, while I’m on a ladder, and I have to do things like be on the phone with someone ahead of time just in case I fall off said ladder and need someone conscious to dial 911 (sure, it sounds like overkill, but you have ONE nightmare of exactly that scenario after your dog trips you on the stairs…) and well, it’s just kind of a pain in the ass.

This was not a dream, actually. This is how I behave with the tools I love. And not in a My Strange Addiction way.

But what I really dislike the most about installing overhead lights is that I always feel like I’m missing two extra hands and forget to bring all my tools up the ladder with me (“Where’d I put my wire stripper… and crap, the wire nuts were just here!”). So, what basically caused me to go all heart-eye-emoji on this tool is that it combines a bunch of the stuff I need in a single tool, and the install process was miles and miles improved with this handy little gadget (even better than my normal multi-function wire stripper/cutter). I went from snarling and swearing at this light to over the moon excited about the new one, and part of that was definitely due to my lack of desire to throw it across the room before I could even see it in place.

Materials:

• The light you want to install; I’ve picked out a few at the bottom of the post if you are looking for a few ideas!


• A tall ladder (size varies, but tall enough to save yourself some extra arm exhaustion if you can rest it on the top of the ladder vs. having to hold it during the entire install)


• Wire nuts (these usually come with a storebought light fixture or kit along with the rest of the light hardware, so you usually don’t need to really worry about size, but it’s just worth noting that they do have different sizes and are color-coded to distinguish these)


• Hammerhead cordless screwdriver

Step 1: Turn the power off!

I know many folks who will simply turn the light switch off and go about their business replacing a light fixture. But my advice to DIY installers will never change: even if you turn the light switch off, you need to go to the breaker and turn the power to the lights off there, too. The fact is, you just want to make sure that the power in any of your exposed wires are totally dead before risking a nasty shock. And you won’t/can’t always know that the previous installer did the job correctly. In older homes, you may even find several pairs of wires sticking out of the ceiling box, and not all of them might belong to the same circuit breaker or fixture. Thus, my advice: it’s better to turn off power via the circuit breaker and then do some testing on the spot with a circuit tester to make sure none of the wires are “hot,” aka live and volting. The easiest way to do this is to turn the light on, then stop turning breakers on/off when the light goes off. Labeling the circuit breaker properly might help too, but I keep forgetting to do that between projects (all the existing labels are pure guesswork, it seems).

Step 2: Remove the bulbs, old fixture, and test the wires

Remove all the bulbs from the old light fixture. You mainly want to do this so that they don’t break if you drop something, and reusing bulbs is far cheaper than stepping on a broken one and needing stitches.

Find the nut or screws securing the old fixture to the ceiling. If it’s a boob light (the worst), unscrew at the finial and then remove the glass bowl, then unscrew the base to find the crossbar and wires underneath (shown below is a gumball light with a similar base that the bowl fits into). If it’s a chandelier or a semi-flushmount ceiling light, you’ll find a canopy (a cover piece) close to the ceiling and attached with screws, and the wires will be directly underneath.

Either way, unscrew everything until you see exposed wires. Next, you’ll want to detach the wires coming out of the ceiling from the wires going into the old light fixture, but use a voltage tester on the exposed wires first to make certain that the power is off before touching them with your hands.  Conveniently, the Hammerhead cordless screwdriver has a circuit tester built right in, saving yourself the hassle of remembering a separate tool. All you’ve gotta do is press the live-wire detection button. Both a buzzer and a red light will come on if the wire is hot. The photo below was staged because I turn the power to the light off well in advance of testing for hot, but the red light comes on if so! Additional tools eliminated: 1.

Once detached, this lightens the load and will allow you to put the old light fixture aside. Then, you can unscrew the old crossbar (as long as the new light fixture comes with a new one, which it usually does).

Step 3: Identify ground, neutral, and hot wires

Once you’ve got the old fixture off, you should pretty much be left with a ceiling box and only three, color-coded wires: ground (green or bare copper), neutral (white), and hot (black). These will (usually) coordinate with the same wires in the new light fixture as well (older homes might not have exactly this, but in my tutorials, I go with what I can take pictures of, and this is what it looks like in my house!).

Step 4: Install new crossbar

Use the new crossbar that comes with your lighting kit and attach it to the ceiling box with the screws provided.

Step 5: Snip and strip wires (where applicable)

With the initial work out of the way, now is the time to assemble the light fixture and prepare it for installation. The order of assembly will vary from fixture to fixture, especially if you took it apart like I did to create your own (take pictures if you do this so that you know how to put it back together). The wires coming out of the ceiling box should already be stripped away enough, but you might need to make adjustments to the new light fixture. In my case, I had to snip off a few inches of cord to shorten the total length that the fixture would hang from the ceiling. Do this from the end that already has exposed wires (the end that goes into the ceiling), not the end that connects to the light bulb housing — it seems obvious, but you know… just in case someone really needed that info. Considering how short I am, cutting enough wire so that I didn’t hit my head into the fixture was actually quite a lot of extra length of cord! I suppose if you suspended the ceiling from a tall staircase or something, it would make sense, but in most cases, you’ll need to shorten it. Cut it with pretty much whatever you like (I often use a utility knife), just be careful not to damage the insulation of the wires themselves once you cut away the cord sheathing.

You will also need to re-expose the wires and strip away about a half inch or so (enough length for both wires to twist around each other when connecting) from each insulated wire in order to connect each to the ceiling wires. The Hammerhead tool I used had both a wire bender (which I didn’t use) and a wire stripper included (which I did use).

You may need to try this a couple of times to get it right, so you may want to start with just a little bit to get the technique figured out before stripping away too much. But all you have to really do is thread the wire through the side of the Hammerhead screwdriver that looks like a wire stripper, push down to clamp the wire at a slight angle, and pull to strip off the insulation. The goal is to cut off the insulation, but not the wire. There are graduated slots within the wire stripper that vary according to the size of the wire you’re stripping, but it just takes some practice to get it right. Try wiggling the stripper while clamping down if it’s not budging (Michael Scott, eat your heart out).

Because the copper inside the wires tends to fray easily, threading the wire through this little channel in the tool to the other side of the wire stripper once I’d stripped a little bit was kind of annoying, but for the most part, it worked great. And I was much happier not to have to need (read: remember to carry with me) a separate tool for this. Additional tools eliminated: 2.

Step 6: Connect ground wire

Now that your light fixture is assembled, climb the ladder once more and get ready to install. For safety reasons, first connect the ground wire by wrapping the wire that’s coming out of the ceiling around the ground screw (usually green) that’s attached to the crossbar. Then connect the ends of the wire that’s coming out of the ceiling to the ground wire from the light fixture together with a wire nut.

Whoops! Sorry folks. I seem to have deleted this photo in the editing process. I’ll update this post with one when I do the new light fixture install over the weekend!

Step 7: Connect remaining wires

Just like with the ground wire, connect the neutral and hot wires using wire nuts (white to white, black to black). I usually twist the copper ends together first, then use the wire nut to twist them together even more.

Step 8: Screw canopy into crossbar

Again, my little Hammerhead came in useful in this step. It was far easier to maneuver a small, motorized screwdriver and line up the screws through the decorative canopy to the crossbar beneath with one hand while supporting the fixture with the other. Holder-of-the-things is very much a useful assistant, but if you don’t have one available, tools that do half the job for you are incredibly valuable!

Step 9: Turn the power back on

With everything now installed, screw in the light bulb and turn the circuit breaker back on. The light fixture should now light up, and you’re all set!

And that’s how you create a pleasant before and after… with far less snarling and glaring from yours truly:

For more about the light fixture created above, see this post.

Don’t want to DIY? Try out these light fixtures:

The post How I Replace Overhead Light Fixtures… without Cursing Anymore appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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How to Prevent Weeds with Newspaper and Mulch

This is a short post, but I just wanted to share with you guys an update on how effective adding newspaper to your flower beds really is… even with a TON of neglect for an entire season!

Last year, I began working on the garden area on the side of the house (some of which you saw an update as recently as yesterday). But one of the new things I’ve been doing to each bed has been the addition of a layer or two of newspaper underneath the mulch. Some areas, like the mailbox and garden bed directly in front of the house, have annuals. Others, such as the garden bed I started working on beside the garage, are full of perennials and I’m hoping to get closer and closer to a flowery, but relatively maintenance-free, garden bed. I typically pull back the old mulch, plan the placement of flowers, dig the holes as needed, and surround the rest with either full sheets or small strips of newspaper (tip: wet the newspaper before putting the mulch down to keep it from blowing away while you plant). Either way, as long as the stuff is layered enough to cover everything but the roots of the flowers I just planted, weeds are so much more manageable than mulching alone. You could also use landscaping fabric if you desire, but a local newspaper gets delivered to my driveway every week for free, so it makes for a great repurposing option. I also sometimes use the recycled paper lining that comes in packaging (again, free).

Last fall’s mums

I’m probably the least active gardener, and even though I started working on the side of the garage with plants, I didn’t get around to finishing before the winter (I got about halfway, got distracted with other projects, and just plain blew it off until spring). It’s embarrassing to reveal this prior to cleaning it up again (in that it looks like total trash), but this blog has always been about showing you the uglier side of home improvement, so why not? Just before starting on the weeds yesterday, I snapped a few pics to show you just how dramatic the difference is. Keep in mind, this is ZERO effort put in this part of the house since last fall. Here’s what half of the bed looks like with having the newspaper-mulch combo in place, then leaving it to the elements for the entire winter:

And here’s what it looks like without. Yeah… I’m going to need a wheelbarrow.

(FWIW, it’s not visible from the street when you drive by, so thankfully I can clean this up in the next few days without being too ashamed with my neighbors for my lack of follow-through.)

The new garden beds along the backyard fence are also in amazingly good shape after doing some “lasagna” layering before putting them in. Other than throwing on some fertilizer, these things haven’t been touched all winter. And they’re thriving! New mulch will go on top, but I can’t wait for them to bloom and fill half the yard (and add bouquets to the kitchen) with the scent of gardenias!

So, if you’ve ever been curious as to whether or not the extra step is worth it, I’m definitely a convert. The addition of the newspaper is going to make a HUGE difference in the amount of time I will need to spend cleaning everything up for spring.

More updates on the interior progress soon. And Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Cheers to all of you sharing a green beer or two. I will be as well.

(By the way, today’s the last day to enter the storm door giveaway… if you haven’t checked that out yet, enter here.)

The post How to Prevent Weeds with Newspaper and Mulch appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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My Biggest Mistake When Learning How to Garden

Thanks to all of this amazing warm weather going on in Georgia this week, I have become THAT person… the one who’s been taking pictures of every flower I pass on my runs, walks, and trips to the coffee shop. If you see one of my fellow amateur smartphone photographers out in the open and blocking you on the sidewalk, resist the urge to “accidentally” spill your drink on them or to push them into the pile of flowers they are proudly posting to Instagram. While I can sympathize with that impulse, just remember that they, too, are simply excited about the newness of the evening sun, and they will soon begin to take it for granted once more (and okay, a sneer in their direction is still fine).

These first few weeks of spring always seem to spur my list-making habits. After realizing how productive 2015 really was, I’m getting so excited about all of my plans for DIYing over the next few months, and I’m toiling away behind the scenes to try to align everything just right for some major changes (especially to the back yard!). I just came inside the house from planting and fertilizing a bunch of new flowers in the garden beds, so a post is coming on that soon, too. But as I was busy planting, a thought occurred to me that I actually garden a bit differently these days than how I used to when I started with this house six years ago (wow, six years?!?). Since I know there are a number of brand-new homeowners reading along, I wanted to share these thoughts with you. It was a lesson that took a few years to learn, so hopefully, you can skip to the front of the class a little faster than I did!

When you’re learning how to garden, don’t forget that plants are freaking zombies. It sounds weird, but that’s an easy way to remember that sometimes, you might need to walk away and come back later… rather than start over completely.

The Biggest Mistake I Made When Learning How to Garden

The biggest mistake I kept making when I first began planting? My lack of patience. No, wait. Doubt. Ah, hell. It’s some kind of combination of doubting that you did things right, your garden’s dried and ragged carcasses convincing you that you failed completely, then not having the patience to see if it’s really working.

mailbox garden bed

It was no secret when I began DIYing that I killed a lot of plants. I tried, though. At least, I really wanted to try… hard enough to have a few flowers and fresh herbs to show for it, but not hard enough that I needed to maintain things but a few times per year (I was, after all, renovating a whole house, working, attending school, trying to still have a social life as a single twenty-something, etc.). I would plant something I thought I could (maybe?) grow, get excited, think I was getting somewhere, only to learn that it wasn’t really working out after all. I didn’t understand my house enough yet. I didn’t understand the kind of light it got each season, and I didn’t have the right instincts on what to buy. Basically, before this house, I’d never really planted anything or even bothered to learn much about gardening in general. So, I had to experiment. A lot. Most of what I learned at first was outside, slowly figuring out which plants thrived from neglect, which ones were recommended by garden centers for their “low-maintenance” attributes (but were wrong for my house), and what my own level of effort was with each area (spoiler: it ain’t much). Eventually, I found a few species that I know I can rely on without batting an eye… and some of them, I even really like to have in my garden (vinca, yes… marigolds, no).

But the thing is, plants can look like the dead — and it’s all a trick. Because some really are dead, and some are just about to explode into something awesome. And I had to learn to stop self-sabotage by being patient.

Take this little garden area I added last year to the side of the house, for example. I still have a lot to do in the garden opposite this one (more on that later), but shortly after planting, two out of the three seemed to be doing just fine… while the third drooped, dried up, and looked like it was on its way to landscape heaven.

2015 new garden area

My old instincts would have told me to rip it out as soon as it dried up, then try again later. The plant was only a dollar thanks to knowing when to shop for perennials, and I was confident the other two were thriving just fine, so even at full price to replace the third, it would be an inexpensive upgrade. But over the winter, things were looking a lot more bleak. I didn’t really do much to the area except the initial newspaper and mulch for weed control, and the first few warm weekends this spring still looked ragged. The flowers themselves had all dried out into sickly, brittle sticks. Perhaps, more than likely, they all died and the weeds are all that was left.

Again, my old instincts (or lack of them) said to yank the weeds out of the ground to create a blank slate for new plants. Maybe the ones I planted were all wrong for this spot after all? But I started with the outermost weeds and worked my way to the center of each plant. As expected, the dried and spindly parts of each (now certainly dead) flower stem broke apart just from being brushed aside. But then… it was the ZOMBIE effect in action!

Upon closer inspection, it looks like this is one of the many plants in my yard that look nearly-dead or all-dead in the winter. I first learned about this with my hydrangeas when a guy I hired to clean it up thought they were dead and cut them down to the root (when I asked him why he cut down my hydrangea, he insisted it was dead… given that he was the expert and I wasn’t, I believed him… NOPE!). Thankfully, the plant grew back, and I learned to wait a little longer before ripping “dead” plants out of the ground. Once I peeled away some of the weeds, I could see that the root of the old “dead” flower was exactly where one of these new plants popped up.

And once all the weeds were gone (and I’d snapped off the dead parts), it was a healthy, vibrant plant.

It needs some new mulch, but any day where I go from some expense to $0 is a good day!

I guess that when you don’t have a lot of natural instincts of your own to rely on, you have to go at your own pace to learn the things that others seem to just “get” without much effort. But after a little trial and error, I realized that if things look scraggly, it’s okay; as long as I set up the beds properly, fertilized them, etc., the next best thing I could do was to back off and give them time to establish themselves. Eventually, you take all of those lessons on how not to do something and actually figure out what works. And then you have a yard full of hydrangeas to show for it. ;)

What was the biggest mistake you’ve made while learning how to maintain your gardens?

The post My Biggest Mistake When Learning How to Garden appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Storm Door Giveaway!

Hey guys! It’s been a while since we last ran a giveaway, but LARSON Doors came to me a few weeks ago and asked about sponsoring a giveaway for one of their popular storm doors to one lucky reader. And since a close friend of mine was just talking to me about needing a new one herself (and we’re heading into the rainy spring season soon enough), it seemed like perfect timing (I promise though, winners are chosen completely at random, so no playing favorites here… sorry L!).

You guys might recall a long while ago, I actually removed the craptastic and ankle-chewing old storm door that existed on my front door before I spruced up the exterior. Here is the before:

And here is what it looks like these days (ahem, well not right now… I haven’t bought new flowers for the front this season!)… note to self: take a wider-angle shot this spring.

In case you’re wondering: the front door color is called Night Shade.

I probably should have looked into just replacing the storm door with a new one back then—especially since these updated models like the Premier Classic Elegance Easy Vent® with Retractable Screen Away® (the one I’m giving away!) seem like they have quite a lot of nifty features, including some possible energy savings:

• Two-color-matched adjustable speed closers. The bottom closer features a Hold-Open button that holds the storm door open with a tap of your toe.


• Add Low-E glass for increased energy efficiency. The high performance Low-E glass option will help reduce your household energy costs and increase the comfort of your home. Low-E glass reduces the amount of UV light that enters your home and protects your entry from fading.


• Full glass design allows maximum natural light into home


• Maintenance-free aluminum frame and overlapping edge seals out harsh weather and provides a tight seal to keep out drafts


• Double weatherstripping delivers superior weather protection


• Designer screw covers conceal exterior screws for a finished look


• Decorative lever handle includes a built-in keyed deadbolt lock

And if you take this totally-not-staged guy modeling his superfly popped collar into consideration, it looks pretty easy to hang for a DIY project as well (hehe, sorry, couldn’t help myself!):

(Stock photo from their website. I actually have no idea who this is.)

LARSON actually even offered to provide me with a storm door of my own to try out, but after moving and replacing the doorbell and making a few other cosmetic changes to the front, adding a storm door back into the mix would have meant moving everything back once more. And um… since I’m much lazier than that, I would rather just let you guys get one and brag all about how much more equipped for Mother Nature you are than I am because of my vanity. So, let’s get on with it, shall we?

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post and update the Rafflecopter widget below that you did the one and only thing I require to enter one of my giveaways. I love it when you guys make these entries fun for me to read, so let’s go with this question: are you the type who sleeps like a rock during storms (uh, me!), or are you the type who spends the entire night barking and/or whining out of worry (Charlie, obviously)?

DETAILS:

• Prize: One (1) LARSON Premier Classic Elegance Easy Vent® with Retractable Screen Away®


• Number of winners: One (1)… technically I guess if you had a family that lived in your house with you, you all get to benefit from the door equally, but one entry per email address ;)


• Giveaway ends: Let’s make it a week from today, March 17th at 11:59 PM EST… I’ll be wearing green.


• Geographical restrictions: sorry, continental U.S. only


• Yes, you have to leave a comment. Or don’t, but if you don’t, you probably won’t win. I check them because I’d much rather reward a reader (usually giveaway jumpers don’t stop to leave a comment, so that seems to help your chances!).


• Please update the Rafflecopter widget to confirm you’ve left a comment. Winner will be chosen at random via the widget auto-generator.

Ready, and… GO! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Storm Door Giveaway! appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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