Very pretty and inviting! Your hard work is paying off.

Irma, I remember your photos of the circle drive and fence when you bought the house. You've done a lot of work and it is beautiful! I know it is a happy paradise.

By the way, your tall, pink cane begonias are still going strong. We had some very long, hard freezes this past winter that took them back to the roots but they are coming back nicely. I originally only had it in pots but now have also planted clumps in several places around the yard. I had stands over five feet tall before this past winter (no freeze in winters 2016 and 2017)!

Carol in Jacksonville

Carol, thank you, it is a happy paradise! However, that wasn't me who posted photos back then, or with a circle drive. Wish I had shared begonias... my own are still in pots...how wonderful to have 5 feet tall ones!

Hoping to see some other folks' before-after photos ... or, what you do when it rains day in and day out? My bathroom scale says I do too much sitting!

Irma, you're right. I had you confused with Hester, who is the one who sent me pink cane begonia cuttings back in 2011. You can see Hester's in [this link[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/learning-how-to-take-pics-dsvw-vd~1916261?n=11). Magnificent! Mine are now about 8-10" up from the ground (returning from the winter freeze).

Carol

Oh wow. What a transformation. I love yard before and after shots.

Here's a couple of mine. First pics are from Fall 2006 when we bought this house. You can see me on the porch signing the contract on our FSBO home. Latest shots are today.

I can't believe how big our river birch tree is getting (on left). We planted it in 2013 as a 15 ft sapling!

Gorgeous! Love the many layers and textures! What is the large red-ish bush?

An old rhododendron.

I love all the before and after pics. I won't be moving in to my new home for a few more months, so it will be at least a couple of years before I can do any before and after shots. Right now, I just have a bunch of plants in pots waiting to go in the ground at my new place.

Love the photos. You two ladies did wonders!

vml, take lots of "before" pictures... time does fly by!

Irma, I just knew you had a beautiful yard, because from your posts, you seem to have every plant imaginable. It's a wonderful space, and I"m sure you sit at that table just looking out over all you've accomplished.

Kaileen, yours is lovely too! Is that your home in Vancouver, or here in FL?

In Vancouver. Sadly I do not have a home in sunny Florida. Lol. I just horned in your forum because I love before and afters. Lol

dg, Thank you! What I have are the easy-to-grow-here plants - nothing exotic. Stopped bringing in tropicals in "winter" a few years ago, so what has survived HAS survived. This year only live plants I bought were Lowes' sale table cheapies. Butterfly attractors my 1st choice, Flowering vines my second... though not very successful... they persist but don't flourish (unless Ma Nature helps a lot).

Kailean - well, you are always welcome here. We have a lot of people who drop in here to visit. You grow some things I wish we could grow, like that beautiful rhododendron. My son is in Vancouver, and I'm planning a trip up there next year. We'll probably pop up to Vancouver for a visit.

Irma, you and me and our plant rescues! LOL I'm working on a blog post titled "Hello, My Name is Deborah and I'm a Propagation Addict." I started looking at all the little seedlings and cuttings I have this morning, then was thinking that the purple lantana needed to be trimmed, and where was I going to put the cuttings. I stopped, shook my head and said "I have to stop this." but I know I won't. *heavy sigh*