April Landscaping: Hiding an Air Conditioner

April is our Landscaping Month, so we worked on, of course, landscaping.  This week, we tackled hiding our air conditioner.  It's ugly and, in our case, it's exposed for the world to see. 

Before:

Not very attractive, huh?  It's in desperate need to be beautified.  I had a plan to move some of the grasses from the front yard, but after some research, grasses are not the best option.  The long, little blades of grass can get caught in unit, and reduce it's capabilities.  I went back to the drawing board, and headed out to my local Home Depot to get some plants.

After:

The Goods:

We planted 2 Hawaiian Ti-Red Sisters, 2 Japanese Boxwoods, and 1 African Iris.  We had top soil, and mulch on hand, so we only had to pick up the plants and perimeter barrier.  We used our Sunday paper in place landscape fabric as a more green alternative.

Cost:

Perimeter Barrier:      $14.50
Hawaiian Ti:              $20.00 for both
Japanese Boxwood:  $10.00 for both
African Iris:               $  5.00
Top Soil:                   On Hand
Sunday Newspaper:  On Hand
Mulch:                      On Hand

Total:                        $49.50 plus tax

So for less than $50, we were able to make the air conditioner a little more attractive, and with a little time, hide it.

Next week we will be moving the grasses from the front yard to North side yard, and adding a new plant to the front yard.