Some more pictures:

This is a view from the corner of the property. I'm standing at the Northeast corner looking southwest.

We are a corner property and this is on the east side of the house and a closeup showing what was planted back in April and how it's filled in already.Looking due west from the east corner towards the front porch. The newly planted corner looking east from the front of the house. That is the garage.A close up looking towards the front entry. The narrow window is a stained glass backsplash window in my kitchen, so when working at my prep sink, I have a view of my garden.

Two more:

A view from the side of my house. I'm standing on the southeast corner looking towards the garage. The driveway is to the left.

And a closeup. I'm in Fl so had to have a plastic flamingo even though flamingos don't come this far north in FL.

That is stunning and looks as if it will become even more so as things mature.

Here are a few before pictures:

Hope it inspires the block and then the town! The design is ecological water wise so I assume a fair number of the plants are natives?

Just perfect!!! SO nice to see someone have an actual landscape budget, not just $1000 left over to do the entire property. One sees that so often these days. The stone swale is brilliant and will prove very useful. I love the palm trees - you're so lucky your idiot contractor didn't "accidentally" cut them down or kill them.

Great job!

Looks very nice and going to be so lush looking too. Love it vs. the normal lawn thing too.

That is stunning and looks as if it will become even moreso as things mature.

Thank you and yes it will fill in beautifully. The side yard just since April has totally filled in.

Hope it inspires the block and then the town!

It's already inspired my neighbor across the street so it's a pleasure looking out my front door at her small garden.

The design is ecological water wise so I assume a fair number of the plants are natives?

Yes, the front is all perennial peanut. The walkway from driveway to front door is mimosa between the pavers. We planted jasmine, firebush, beach sunflower, gaillardia, muhly grass, passion flower (in the backyard), milkweed, cinnamon fern and lantana.

Just perfect!!! SO nice to see someone have an actual landscape budget, not just $1000 left over to do the entire property.

While I didn't go over budget on the house, we did go over budget for the landscaping! LOL. But it's so worth it since we do spend 12 months a year outdoors.

One sees that so often these days. The stone swale is brilliant and will prove very useful.

LOL. We actually didn't have a choice as it is a huge help when it comes to keeping water from ponding and flooding. We've had some nasty rainstorms and the swales really do their job keeping the streets from flooding.

I love the palm trees - you're so lucky your idiot contractor didn't "accidentally" cut them down or kill them.

We had to lose one for the bridge (had to first get city approval and we had to "replace" with another approved tree elsewhere on the property) but otherwise all the trees were required by city law to stay or the idiot contractor would have been fined thousands of dollars. (Thankfully the city is big on trees or you know he would have cut them down!)

Great job!

Thank you but in this case all credit goes to my landscape/horticulturist. She's amazing. My only instructions to her was that I wanted a cottage like garden.

Looks very nice and going to be so lush looking too. Love it vs. the normal lawn thing too.

Thank you. I was adamant about not wanting lawn.

You can see the huge amount of work and planning that went into creating and executing your landscape design. It looks amazing and it will be exciting for you to watch it grow and change. So nice for you and for your neighbours!

Love it.

What fun to visit your home via the bridge, really lovely and we are all very happy for you!

I'm in Fl so had to have a plastic flamingo even though flamingos don't come this far north in FL.

Every garden needs at least a small touch of whimsy. <3

*Love* your bridge!!! Sooo glad your municipality permitted it. It really pulls the Cottage Garden look together.

So pretty, CP. So pretty. <3

PS -- And sooo cool to see someone use Passion Flower! Do you remember which cultivar you bought? I foolishly assumed that my nursery wouldn't sell many native perennials in the dead of summer (since it's best to plant them in the fall around here), so I missed out on 'Incense'. Have to wait until late Spring/early Summer. :-/

That is lovely, and you'll have to post photos every six months so we can see the progress : ) .

It's 13F outside right now, so my three potted passion flower vines and two jasmines, all of which I've overwintered for several years now, are indoors and wishing they could be with you!

Well you had me at the bridge, but you know I love a path, too, so naturally I love it! Nicely done, and I hope you occasionally park in front just so you can traverse the bridge from time to time. Why should the UPS guy get all the fun?

Why should the UPS guy get all the fun?

I would totally expect young children walking with their parents to dart across the bridge, too! <3

Wow and such brilliant execution. Oh and that florida sunshine, oh me oh my!

So pretty! Now the outside of your home is as beautiful as the inside!!!

You have such an unusual site condition with the drainage swale in such a tight space between the house and sidewalk. I do believe you have made some lemonade with that. The use of different ground covers looks like a good way to get a cottage garden feel in Florida. I like how you made your garage door disappear too. What is the red door to by the garage?

Being a northerner, of course I’m curious what the garden looks like at different times of the year, so be sure to give us quarterly updates!

You can see the huge amount of work and planning that went into creating and executing your landscape design.

And the sourcing of plantings too.

It looks amazing and it will be exciting for you to watch it grow and change. So nice for you and for your neighbours!

The neighbors have definitely enjoyed watching it take shape. Thank you.

Thank you Mark, Denita and Diana.

What fun to visit your home via the bridge, really lovely and we are all very happy for you!

Actually it's just nice now having a way to get to the front door! Thank you.

Every garden needs at least a small touch of whimsy. <3

I have Perry the Pelican in the backyard and now the two plastic flamingos on the side. I have a feeling eventually some more whimsy will show up. I do like to mix up fun and serious.

*Love* your bridge!!! Sooo glad your municipality permitted it. It really pulls the Cottage Garden look together.

If they hadn't, we'd be up the creek without a paddle. Well with no way to get to our front door.

So pretty, CP. So pretty. <3

Thank you.

PS -- And sooo cool to see someone use Passion Flower! Do you remember which cultivar you bought?

No I don't remember. I'll be sure to ask. I also have a variegated pink Myer lemon, aloe, oregano, chives and two Fl cherry trees.

That is lovely, and you'll have to post photos every six months so we can see the progress : ) .

Well maybe not every 6 months. LOL.

It's 13F outside right now, so my three potted passion flower vines and two jasmines, all of which I've overwintered for several years now, are indoors and wishing they could be with you!

Brrrr!!!! I hope to never see temps like that again. I'll put up with hot and sweaty in the summer just to avoid that.

Well you had me at the bridge, but you know I love a path, too, so naturally I love it!

Then you'd definitely love the winding path between the flowers from the driveway to the front door. The path has concrete stepping stones interplanted with Sunshine Mimosa which is a pretty ground cover that sends up small pink fluffy flowers.

Nicely done, and I hope you occasionally park in front just so you can traverse the bridge from time to time. Why should the UPS guy get all the fun?

I have driven by it quite a few times already. LOL. And now it's nice to be able to walk out the front door and over the bridge to chat with my wonderful neighbors.

Wow and such brilliant execution. Oh and that florida sunshine, oh me oh my!

Florida this time of year is wonderful. Cool nights and days that can range from the 60's-80 with no humidity.

You have such an unusual site condition with the drainage swale in such a tight space between the house and sidewalk. I do believe you have made some lemonade with that.

We are on small lots here as we're in a small enclave downtown in a small city.

The use of different ground covers looks like a good way to get a cottage garden feel in Florida.

That and the wonderful assortment of other flowers including things like Bird of Paradise and Heliconia's, and some of the other plants mentioned.

I like how you made your garage door disappear too. What is the red door to by the garage?

My house is a corner lot so that is the side door from the driveway into the house. It leads to what I call our friends' entry but is in reality our "mudroom". Here is our "mudroom". The red door is directly to the right of the door on the left.

Here is the interior with the red door. Both the front door and the friends' entry doors are painted the same red inside and out.

The door on the left leads to this:

Being a northerner, of course I’m curious what the garden looks like at different times of the year, so be sure to give us quarterly updates!

The big difference is what blooms different times of the year. Similar to up north. I've even got pansies in the ground now since we are coming into the winter time. They'll be good until about mid February.