rosemary on the tv

Last fall, I planted a few small mums in the bed across the front of our house. These were just a few bucks a piece at Lowe’s. And I splurged on two of the large, $39.99 mums for the pots by the front porch:

The plan was to enjoy them during the fall and winter, then plant something else in the spring. But I was busy and a little lazy and that never happened. The mums stayed green all winter, and by spring, I had big, round ball-shaped shrubs all the way across the front of the house:

They didn’t look too terrible, and I didn’t really get a chance to do anything else, so I let them grow. By summer, they were waist high! In July, I trimmed them back once, until they were about a foot tall. By last month, they were huge again. AND NOW:

WHAT?! They are even bigger and yellower than the $39.99 mums I planted in pots last year (though, I still have those as well!). With sixteen of these bad boys, if I were to go to the store and buy them this size, it would cost me more than $600. A lesson in laziness, friends. For funsies, here’s a look back at the house over time:

The first time we ever saw it.

Right after we bought it and had a new roof installed (thanks Google Street View!)

After our big landscaping project.

And now, with a fresh paint job and a ridiculous amount of yellow mums. Next up: black shutters!