This is a sponsored post, the last in a series, written by me on behalf of The Home Depot. Big love to them for wanting to work with me and OWTK, and for helping me get my yard in order for the 2013 outdoor season.
If I were to be perfectly honest, I’d probably admit that there is no way Project Red Stone happens, at least not this year, without the generous help of The Home Depot and The Home Depot Garden Club’s #DigIn campaign going on right now. As with anything that requires a budget of time and money, our propensity is to delay for another, more prosperous day. For with more financial resources comes the ability to pay others to do the hard, manual labor portions of the work, leaving for us the artistic, fanciful activities that require only heavy doses of imagination. But then there is the Frederick Douglas quote by which I have lived the better part of my adult life: “Without struggle there can be no progress.” That is as it should be.
My wife and I WILL enjoy the front of the house more because it was our sweat that dripped into the new sod, our fingernails that the dirt got under, and the weeds we whacked with the new string trimmer (to be fair, that is a relatively sweat-free enterprise — see video below — as the thing is so light and easy to use…but still, you get the point.)
We’re filled with much inspiration after completing what easily is our most ambitious home garden project to date. And it’s something as simple as a kink-free garden hose with a wicked-cool nozzle that will lead to an increased desire to plant more out front, because in the past we were bending over filling up watering can after watering can to tend to anything we placed out there in pots or in the ground. More often than not, those hanging baskets, and vibrant annuals encircling the mailbox post like a candy wreath died prematurely because we didn’t put in the extra effort. Well, away with those days, thanks to spiffy new gardening tools designed to make our outdoor jobs more pleasurable and doable, even when the temps rise towards 100.
When you are ready to #DigIn to the 2013 outdoor season, consider heading to your local Home Depot, poking around, and asking some questions. If I learned anything over the past two weeks, it is that there are some really great people with a firm and real knowledge base at the ready to make your outdoor gardening jobs easier and save you money in the process. My guy was Charles. Maybe yours will be Duane, Rob, or Alice. Also, don’t be afraid to go bold when choosing your gardening tools. For example, I never considered owning a rechargeable battery operated string trimmer before, but I am so glad I now do. And I’ll be able to buy additional Ryobi products that take that same battery, like the portable Ryobi vacuum which is ABSOLUTELY coming with us on road trips, so I can keep the back of the car clean after the girls drop pieces of graham crackers and copious amounts of pretzel salt into the folds of their seats!
Here I am using the string trimmer to eradicate some pesky wild grasses around the yard, including in front of where the red stone was later filled in. Special cameo by my rad new car! Once upon a time, I feared anything nice bumping right up against the grass, because I didn’t think I’d be able to keep a clean edge. No more!
Driving through the neighborhood across the street today, where every 1/2 million dollar house has an unused basketball net on the driveway and there are never kids riding their bikes outside, I saw a line of landscape service trucks on every street. I realized that it’s not about being magazine-cover perfect, not at all. It’s about working your own land, growing something more than just a lawn, and beaming with pride at what you can accomplish with your own two hands. And then scheduling a spa manicure. And maybe a hot stone massage. On second thought, NO MORE STONES!!
Plus, who needs professionals when you’ve got helpers with rainbow sparkle shoes?
And riding boots with a cupcake nightgown?
Oh, you’ve gotta sign up for The Home Depot Garden Club, I mean they are throwing $5 at you. Take it, geesh!
It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too. Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to homedepot.com/gardenclub to see some of the many benefits of membership.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.
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