Taking the UGLY out of a worn out rent house

I purchased a home that had been a rental for 7 years. It was known to the neighbors as the smoke house or dirty dog house. The previous owner did many things right, but some things just plain wrong.

What is with the paint color? Can we say PLAIN?

First the trees had to go. They were too close to the house to get reasonable home insurance. They were poorly planted, very weak and dying. 

It took two days for the guys to take them out. They hauled off all the branches in two trucks! Then the stumps had to be ground down. Total tree removal was $700.

Then I added some container plants!

These wonderful stands I already had that were purchased years ago in Canton, TX at their First Monday Trade Days. I do not know how much they were. The plants were hanging plants from a local home improvement store I purchased for $15 each. I removed the plastic hangers from the pots and just dropped them into the terra cotta pots that came with the stands. Easy removal later and they drain well.











I just love pot feet! I got these terracotta pot feet in the section of my local home improvement store near the garden supplies. I really had to hunt for them and the associate at the store had no idea what I was talking about. They are used to raise pots off the ground to drain and dress up even a simple potted plant. They come in sets of three and cost about $6. Look near the drainage dishes for the planters. That is where I found them.  

The red flower is from the dollar store. I have found so many cute things like it there. When they fade or break I just toss them. At just a dollar I can switch them whenever.

Sweet potato vine and Petunia in purple were all I planted in these. I plan to switch that out soon for more heat resistant plants when the heat arrives in late July. They are in a concrete urn a friend was nice enough to give me.

The walk up is better with some grass starting to fill in the dirt. I only used water and some liquid fertilizer.

The concrete planter to the right is from the same generous friend who gave me the urns. In it I planted two Carolina Jasmine plants. They will have yellow flowers on them eventually I am told. Right now they add much needed interest to the garage wall.





Now in the heat of the summer I plan to stop on the outside for the most part and focus on the inside for the remaining hot summer months.