How My Garden Grows 2009

I have to preface these pics by explaining that I come from a family of non-yard work people. My husband comes from a family of people who love to work in their yard. Neither Tim nor I are really big on yard work, although I am trying to be more of a yard work person, so while this may not look like much of an accomplishment to most of you out there, it is for us.
Our yard also poses a few obstacles. In the front we are fighting salt grass like crazy since where our planters are uses to be covered in grass, this year the crab grass won once again, but we held it off longer and I hope as our plants fill in more and more every year it will be choked out! Our back yard has 4 HUGE elm trees in in which shade 90% of the yard, making it hard for most plants to grow, or on years when the elm beatles win (like this year, even though I paid a lot of money to have them injected), then the leaves make our grass brown. Anyway, now that you know the background, here is how we faired this year:

One planter in the front. I just weeded it this week and it's already bad, but notice that the plants are all still alive! I love this purple sage brush (there's one on the other side also), but it attracts bees like crazy, so I wouldn't suggest putting in where your kids play, luckily ours don't playin the front!

Two of our trees in the back yard that hopefully will be gone next year. We plan on using our extra large tax refund to get rid of these two. Our neighbors said they would split the cost with us!

Blossoms that will soon be raspberries!!! We transplanted 3 raspberry bushes from Teri and Brett's yard, and they have taken and are producing!

Our first raspberry almost ready to pick!

The tomatoes that just rippened this week! Our tomatoes have always done really well, the only vegie that I have yet to be able to grow in our yard!