I had a busy week and took advantage of the spring-like temperature (60-70) to begin some outside work. First I installed a security light. Access to the light from the attic was not possible so I removed an eave vent and drilled into the attic from outside, then snaked wiring into an accessible area of the atic.
I also decided to clean up my flower beds. I replaced 11 dead or dying bushes around the house and then cleaned out the mulch and debris in the flower beds. I then weeded the beds, leveled them and placed new yard fabric and mulch. Here is one side after completion. I think that the red mulch really makes the color of the bushes pop.
Around the air conditioning coils I placed white gravel. This gives me a place to leave the water hoses. This is also an area that I do not want anything to grow in since I need to maintain access to the A/C hoses and wiring.
This shot of the front shows how the mulch's color brings out the greenery.
Last year I installed a french drain to keep water from accumulating in front of my patio. I found this solar powered lighthouse, which I mounted to a concrete slab and placed over the lava rock at the head of the drain. The flower bed here was full of 'stuff'. I cleared out everything but the Hibiscus plants and trimmed them back since they were about four feet high. The small tree was transplanted from the front. I used a total of 47 bags of red mulch or 94 cubic yards of the stuff.
Finally, a sure sign of spring. This tiny Gecko was watching me work and when I stopped to watch it, it came closer to me, unafraid. So, I picked him up and took him inside to show my wife, who wasn't as enthusiastic about the whole thing as I was.
