dragon lady

How's that for a blog post title! haha. Dragon lady is the kind of holly tree we got for a natural privacy screen on the back of our property. It's a narrow holly that can grow up to 8-12' high and 4-5' wide, but also responds well to pruning. It has the glossy dark green leaves of most holly but they are not as spiny as some. Deer tend not to like them so that's also a plus. It looks nice to have the back yard cleared out and leveled a bit...

This is the view from off our deck. We have a small property with neighbors right against us on all sides. The idea is to create natural sight barriers. Those plants in front of the shed are the ones that survived the initial transplant.... we're still deciding where exactly they'll end up.

I wish I had a photo of the front yard because it's a MESS. All the shrubs that didn't make it are in a pile on the front yard. It looks pretty awful.

But the backyard is getting there...Behind the dragon ladies will be a french drain. I think Greg graciously left the pile of dirt to the right in this photo because my precious peonies are somewhere in there. The plants all died back in the winter-- but the tubers are in there somewhere. I have a feeling that as soon as it warms up a bit, I'll be out there with my trowel to hunt for them.....