Are you still hiding those 'bird-watching' glasses?! LOL

Loretta, while I was busy on your other thread, you were busy creating THIS one.

You are right. This makes for a clean and clear presentation of your projects before AND after.

Your porch project remains one of my favorite transformations, giving you far more use and pleasure per square foot than any other project I've seen. Sort of the same way I feel about OUR little 10x10 sun porch too.

Can I make a suggestion about your chainlink fence?
I will show you what I am about to plant to cover my chainlink. I think the star jasmine will be hardy in your neck of the woods too. It stays green. It stays green top to bottom, It can be sheared if you like to keep it flat like a hedge, or allowed to grow unimpeded. They use it extensively in Italy. I have 100 feet of chainlink that I plan to plant with about 40 jasmine in 1 gallon pots. In about 2 years it will be up to the top of our 7 foot tall fence, and then start filling in. It could do the same for you, even if you plant it only down one side of your yard to start with. You are young enough that you will have a second chance to expand the effect of the jasmine to other areas of your yard, when you discover that it does prosper.

Let me know if you are interested, and I will certainly give you some pictures to drool over!

AH Loretta,
I remember back when you were wanting a sitting area to look out front but were trying to get it into your kitchen and we were all thinking so hard on it. And now you have ended up with a Gorgeous kitchen AND front porch sanctuary. You have come such a very long way with all you have done. And so much of it you did yourself. NOT to mention the change you made in the laundry room area. I need to take some more inspiration from you and get off my fanny and get to work. I keep waiting for winter to come. I will have more time But for now this house has stood still in progress.

I am so glad you posted this tread in this way to help us reflect back on all you went through to come to this and how wonderful it all turned out. So what you gonna do next??? Hehehe Smiles.

Oh and a broken leg to boot. Hope it is feeling good for you now???

Chris

Mama, my neighbors are getting old like me - nothing interesting happening around here (thank goodness for that).

Chris, I often wish I could figure out how to 'prettify' my laundry room - but I can't. But it is very functional though. Very plain, but I love having an entry door to it from my bedroom.

Ml, I would love to see pics of your Jasimine on the fence. I have had no luck getting new grass to grow in the front. There is grass but it is very thin because of the shade. My real desire is to remove the front of the fence some day.

Loretta lets see laundry room pictures. We will prettify it up for you. Hehehehehe I have kind of forgotten exactly what you did out there. Other then you moved the washer and added a door.

Chris

great idea to put the pics in here loretta. I love how the porch looks from your LR it's like you have a proper foyer. I would love to do something like this on my house but my "porch" is just a square of concrete with no roof over it but it would be great to have a foyer like this out there. hmmm, I wonder if it could be done without altering our roof

Second time to try posting to here. My Firefox browser had to be updated with a new version of FlashPlayer 10.1 and I lost the whole thing when it crashed.

Anyway, I wanted to show you the way they used the star jasmine in Italy. Gorgeous. The first picture is the two rows of low hedge growing over a wire fence (like chain link I think), with that pergola in the background literally covered with the jasmine too. This is around the swimming pool at the Tuscan villa we stayed at in Italy.
{{gwi:39162}}

And now for the picture of the ONE PLANT climbing the post in our front yard. The photo was taken in April 2008 after the plant had grown for one year. I will next put in a picture of it from this spring, when it is massive and in full aromatic bloom.
{{gwi:358950}}

This is without it being trimmed. As you see in the Italian picture, you can trim it to grow flat and tall like a hedge.
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To recommend it: It stays green all year, top to bottom is never bare (unlike Carolian jessamine which makes a big top knot and is bare on the lower stems), it smells wonderful, and blooms all over itself in May and June. It is not invasive, it is not poisonous. When newly planted, it needs to be watered until established, but then is drought tolerant.

And that last photo above is ONLY ONE PLANT which is now three years old.

Loretta, I hadn't seen a picture since you added the chair. I love that chair! It's hard to believe it's an outdoor chair, it looks so sleek and comfortable.

ML, I love your house! I don't think I've ever seen a picture of it before either. Your sunroom or screened porch looks so inviting.