Here's a quick recap. On the 4th of July our neighbor shot a firework into the juniper bushes in front of the house and along the driveway. This resulted in 30' flames that destroyed the bushes, almost killed the beautiful flowering cherry tree and melted our brand new vinyl siding that we were still in the process of having put up. The positive note on the siding, if we had still had the cedar shake, we would have most likely lost the house.
After much hemming and hawing and waiting for paperwork we finally got the check at the beginning of August from the neighbor's homeowners insurance. Mid-august we had the bushes ripped out. It was dramatic, but done so quickly :) We went ahead and had all the potentially flammable bushes removed that were right next to the house. What are the chances this could happen again, probably zero, but what were the chances it was going to happen in the first place?
All clean and ready for landscaping. This step alone was a huge step. It put a lot behind us and it was finally nice to drive home at the end of the day.
Now the final step! As my friend, Kathy, has put it, the landscaping is very fireproof :) It has taken some getting used it, but in the end I think I really like it. The front section has a water system hooked up, so watering is pretty easy. Now we are just eagerly awaiting the plants to grow. Right now the rocks are a bit overpowering, but as the plants grow, Donna from Shady Creek, has assured us it will look great. In the second photo you can see where we replaced the tree at the top of the driveway. It will eventually grow to give some nice shade to the house.
All in all quite an adventure. I would have preferred not to have had to do the landscaping yet. I really did like the bushes there, but knowing now the hazard they posed, I think I will keep that in mind for future landscapes.
