About that former tall birch tree ...

The renovation effort, in progress. Stones were rearranged, etc.

All done, and the grassy area was being watered

The tall white birch tree came down several weeks ago but the spot where it lay is now rejuvenated.

Yes, it took some thought, muscle power and a little cost, but the space has been re-jiggered and filled with what used to be called: "a little old, a little new, something borrowed and something blue."

The garden itself was very spacious, so I felt comfortable in cutting it off and adding grass seed at one end. In the new style, it features a hanging basket for instant color, two heucheras (also called coral bells which used to be there), a bit of mother-in-law's tongue, or sansevieria and some seed for morning glories.

It's doubtful the morning glory seeds will have time to grow, but it was a simple 99-cent investment, and who knows what kind of weather we'll have this fall. Otherwise, the grass seed was watered on a regular basis and is now growing.

The yellow-green and red heuchera plants were an investment, so I removed them while my husband and his friend, Rick, took down the birch tree. (Branches of the tree blew off several times, and it was threatening the house.) These two were replanted in slightly different spots, with lots of good soil included in the process.

Obstacles included great numbers of weeds, and outbursts of ants, from time-to-time. The ant colonies like to spawn below the decorative rocks, and they are tiny monsters when it comes to biting one's feet, ankles or legs.

New mulch was added and the space looks pretty good!