Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

House Tour: A Walk Around the Property

Today’s post is a continuation of the 2017 House Tour. We are celebrating our three-year home and blogiversary by giving our readers an updated tour of BHH. If you search House Tour on the sidebar, additional 2017 posts and tour posts from previous years will pop up.

Presently, there is a torrential downpour happening out my window. I refuse to go in the basement today because I know what I will find there. I am counting down the minutes until this storm passes. However, In this post, I will take you on a little walk around the property; No umbrella required.

Blake Hill House sits on slightly over one acre of property. Prior to the ’50s or so, BHH owned many many acres. Eventually, the property was sub-divided, and now the house is on a residential street with about twenty additional homes.

During the summer, the giant Buckeye tree obscures the view of BHH from the street side of the house.

I know that as a blogger, I am supposed to show you perfection. But, If that were what I was shooting for, this blog would be a big ol’ blank page every single week. Instead, I’m going to give you the “warts and all” tour of the property.

We have done precious little to the area on the back side of the house. This side features a combination of old landscaping and new weeds.

I love the grass. We have a huge yard perfect for running around and tossing the ball to Millie. All six of us take turns mowing the lawn almost every week. When we lived in California, we did not have grass at all. We used xeriscaping because it was such a dry climate. Living where it is lush and green in the summer is still such a novelty for the whole family.

A portion of the property is undeveloped. About 1/3 of an acre or more is just woods. I have dreams of creating a fire pit back here.

We purposely leave this area as-is because we think it is important for kids to be able to tromp around in natural spaces and observe what happens to things like a fallen log or a swampy depression in the ground.

My kids take this idea very seriously which is why there is a deflated mylar balloon on the ground that has been there for three weeks.

The balloon initially blew over from the neighbor’s house. S. discovered that there was a spider with an egg sac attached to it. He invoked a “Do Not Disturb” order until the babies hatch. For my readers that do not like spiders, I am sorry that we are allowing possibly hundreds of new baby arachnids loose on the planet.

Our property line parallels a drainage ditch. On occasion, we hear that we have neighbors beyond the woods and the ditch, but we cannot see them. The trees make a nice privacy barrier.

All through the woods, there is evidence that Dorothy’s husband was an avid gardener. My neighbors told me that he used to be fastidious about the lawn and grounds. There are a few unkempt blueberry bushes back there, and large sections of Lily of the Valley. He preceded Dorothy in death by several years. Gardening was not her passion, but she did hire people to keep the lawn cut and healthy.

Once we pop out of the woods and to the other side of the house, we are almost back to where we started. Last weekend, at my request, Andy used the weed trimmer to obliterate the grown cover. This is where the new drainage trench will go. In the meantime, I could not stand to look at all the weeds within the ground cover.

We thought we would make that area half landscaping/half lawn. Now, we are strongly considering putting a flagstone patio there instead. I will keep you posted.

Remember when I said that our children take nature observation very seriously? I offer another prime example of our kids’ weirdness charming curiosity. For the past couple of summers, a large weed started to grow in the pachysandra. At the beginning of its growth cycle, the leaves were two feet long and at least a foot wide. We nicknamed it the prehistoric plant because it looked like something a dinosaur would eat. When the plant reached about two feet tall, we always chopped it down. This year, the kids begged us to let the plant continue to grow just to see how big it would get. Well, now we know. It gets this big:

Using the Plantsnap App, which I highly recommend, they identified it as a Burdock plant. Our Burdock is over six feet tall. Since we let the experiment go this far, we are going to see the life cycle all the way through. Right now, it is blooming. S. wants to collect some seeds and see if he can get another one to grow in the woods next summer. Whatever keeps them busy, I say.

Someday, when we get everything neat and tidy, we can probably elevate the word “property” to “grounds.” Right now, it’s just a hot mess, but we are making progress.

Do any of you live on a similar type of parcel? Even though we are in a residential neighborhood, it feels very private and rural.

PS: The rain has stopped. Hallelujah!

 

 

 

 

18 Comments

  • Anna
    Posted July 13, 2017 at 2:24 pm

    Millie might not like your Burdock plant. Burrs and dogs aren’t a good combination. And I still think your mini hostas are lily of the valley 😉

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted July 13, 2017 at 2:29 pm

      Did I mess up that Hosta/Lily of the Valley thing again? Lol I know you are right. I’ll fix that error right away. Thank you!

      As for the Burdock, I know you’re right about that too. I’m going to clip off all the low flowers that might get stuck on her. As for S. replanting a seed, I’ll have him stick to the back boundary. Millie cannot go back there. ?

      • Anna
        Posted July 13, 2017 at 2:52 pm

        Sorry to bug you about the Lily of the Valley but when I saw your crop (and your woodland garden) I was jealous. They are my favourite flower and smell fantastic and I always clip some and bring them into the house when they bloom.

        • Post Author
          Stacy
          Posted July 13, 2017 at 3:16 pm

          You don’t bug me at all. I appreciate the correction. I will have to bring some indoors next spring.

  • Chad
    Posted July 13, 2017 at 2:30 pm

    My back yard (10×14 and paved in concrete) couldn’t be much different, but I grew up with something that at least felt similar in a way, at least when I was 9. My parents have about a quarter of an acre but the 30 feet or so between their house and the rear lot line used to feel wooded. The neighboring property had installed a row of hemlocks on the property line in the 30’s, then when my parents’ house was built the original owners planted a row of rhododendrons in front of that. 45 years after that when we moved there, the rhododendrons had grown forward toward the house to keep away from the hemlocks, leaving their old limbs tangled up like a jungle gym. The hemlocks lost most of their low branches and a few of them had come out, leaving a thicket of ivy, pokeweed, grape vines, and random plants. The neighbors’ property had a few massive Japanese hollies that further closed off this area. I had at some point built a crude brick patio in the middle of all this and had ideas of carving winding paths more cleanly through the ivy. In the first couple of weeks we lived there I played hide-and-go-seek with the neighbors and there were search parties out looking for me and I had no idea. I could see into the house and my mom was pacing on the phone. She was furious when I finally got bored sitting in there by myself and went inside.

    The rhododendrons died and all of this is gone without a trace now. They have a semi-formal garden with an oval lawn that used to be entirely in an impassable thicket. Luckily, the neighbors’ Japanese hollies are still going strong and provide plenty of privacy without taking up any space in my parents’ not-so-big yard.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted July 14, 2017 at 6:50 am

      I really enjoy when you comment, Chad. You always have such great stories. I can imagine the thicket exactly as you described it. Your poor mom during that hide-and-seek game! 😀

  • SH
    Posted July 13, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    “old landscaping and new weeds”…best line I’ve read all week. Been there, done that, sort of thing. And I see so much lush green potential–no warts at all! Lovely tour, thanks for the walk around.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted July 14, 2017 at 6:51 am

      You’re welcome, SH!

  • Vanessa
    Posted July 13, 2017 at 6:58 pm

    Oh, the burrs in my horse’s mane when I was growing up! I think you might just want to enjoy the picture of that and get rid of the plant as soon as possible. It’s a lovely big yard to go with the lovely big house.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted July 14, 2017 at 6:52 am

      That poor horse! I can just picture what a job it must have been to get the burrs out.

  • Julia at Home on 129 Acres
    Posted July 13, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    I love that you’ve let such a large section naturalize. That’s such a great spot. Our forests and marshes are my favourite spots on our property.

    I have only just reclaimed the back of our house, which seems to be the same style as yours (and we’re five years in). Seeing the new grass filling in is rewarding.

    We also have a huge burdock “grove.” I can’t say that we’re as big of fans as your family. We burned it in the spring, but didn’t clear the rocks we uncovered, so we haven’t been able to mow it and they’re as tall as ever.

    I love your “grounds.” You’ve got a wonderful spot and you’re making it even more lovely.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted July 14, 2017 at 6:56 am

      I will keep an eye on any Burdock so I can catch it before it turns into a grove. I enjoy following along with what you do on your property. I would love to read a post with a walking tour of your 129 acres. That’s probably too much to ask, right? 129 acres is a lot! 🙂 I really wish we had more acreage, but I probably would not have time to take care of it if we did.

  • Ame Jo Hughes
    Posted July 14, 2017 at 2:22 pm

    Our properties are very similar, weeds and all. Mine is also on a residential street, but it’s the last house on the block and set away from the other homes. There’s a house sort of across the street, but it’s more in line with our property line than our house itself. We are bordered on all four sides by wild woods (though at least two of those sides were not originally so wild). A natural gas easement runs through one of the more wild areas of the property, parallel to a creek, and it’s currently got massive amounts of milkweed, poke weed, nightshade, jewelweed, and a few wildflowers growing in it. We have almost three acres, and in summer it’s totally private. The privacy was the big attraction here. There are interesting plants and trees growing here, as an avid gardener lived here as well, and when she moved out, another one moved in. The time in between that owner and me was a time of neglect for the “grounds.” I am much more into houseplants than outdoor gardening, but I have managed to clear out quite a bit of smilax and wisteria (wisteria is, sadly, an ongoing battle that’ll last for years).

    I love all the work you’ve done outside. Landscaping is on my list, but it’s pretty close to bottom.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted July 18, 2017 at 11:51 am

      Wisteria is nuts! When we lived in California, there was a plot of land nearby, about 3/4 of an acre, completely covered in Wisteria. Supposedly, there was an entire cabin and two cars somewhere in that mess! I believe it. The long California growing season meant that it never truly went dormant. Here in the frozen north, it is fairly easy to control Wisteria “outbreaks.” 🙂

  • carolbaby
    Posted July 14, 2017 at 8:34 pm

    I love your kids’ charming curiosity – this is exactly the sort of thing I do. I’ve a few strange plants (unkind people might call them weeds) growing in pots that just kind of appeared which I’ve let grow just to see what happens.

    I love your grounds! We have precisely no yard, grounds, garden – which is absolutely fine by me, but I do like to admire those of other people!

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted July 18, 2017 at 11:48 am

      Thank you, carolbaby. 🙂 I love it when people just get us like you do. We have let things grow in pots too!

  • Devyn
    Posted July 15, 2017 at 9:20 pm

    Your yard is absolutely delightful. I love that you have the semi formal-ish areas and the unscathed wooded areas. I have fond early childhood memories of visiting a family friend who lived on a large rural lot (7 acres) with lots of nooks and crannies. This was in Northern California so the flora and such was quite different but we had such fun running through the forest behind the barn.

    As an urban dweller, I have until now, never had any outdoor space of my own. The rear yard in our new (old) Philly house is the same as Chad’s (we are only about a mile and a half from Chad’s house) only slightly larger at 12′ x 16′. Our concrete pad and cinderblock walls are about as un-rural as you could imagine, and privacy is almost non-existant being surrounded by other row houses.

    But…. Since I’ve never had any outdoor space since as an adult, I am beyond ecstatic for our teeny tiny yard. I have been pouring over hundreds of ideas on Pinterest on how to cram an outdoor kitchen, dining area, living area, pergola, garden, dog potty area, lawn, and Koi pond with a water feature into less than 300 square feet. Any ideas? ?

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted July 18, 2017 at 12:00 pm

      Two of my favorite bloggy people, you and Chad, now live close to each other. I think a road trip in your direction may have to happen someday. 🙂

      I am excited about your yard too. While we are dreaming big, I think you should try to fit a small putting green tucked in the back corner. It should fit between the Koi pond and the outdoor kitchen. Seriously though, Rather than a pergola, you might look at retractable awnings. Even though you and Y. must be part-vampire, Some sun in the winter might feel really good and welcome. I am 100% on board with an outdoor room with all of your ideas except the dog potty. I am a big fan of taking our buddies off-property to do their business. Think of it as one less thing you have to take care of at your house. At the park or wherever, you just have to pick up after the pup and move on with your life.

Leave a Reply to Stacy Cancel reply

0.0/5