The 3 random plants in a row are Stoke's Aster. I would like to plant some more of them so that they are in a cluster rather than a row. I would like something creeping to trail a bit down the brick border... maybe sedum? I'm considering some lambs ear and maybe pincushion flowers? I want some variety of textures and colors.
As for the area on the far right, I had posted this thread for ideas for that particular spot. https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48396
Help please!!! My back yard is nicely planted and we get to enjoy it, but no one sees the back of our house. The curb appeal is seriously lacking
Are you committed to keeping the hedge? Is it hiding something you don't want people to see? It is massive and square and hard edged and takes up most of the room in your tiny plot and appears to block a lot of the view from the windows behind it. If it were me, I'd get rid of it. If I were going to keep it, I would cut it down by half (or replace with dwarf version) so that it tops out at the level of the landing in front of the door. Among other things, hiding the windows, etc, makes the place look fortified and unwelcoming.
Partly why your front yard looks boring is that it looks like it was designed by Monk (you know, TV's obsessive-compulsive detective, who is always going around straightening things). Everything is all lined up, centered, matchy-matchy.
Haha omg yes, Monk was definitely the previous owner! The whole house was like that. All of their furniture was placed symmetrically... fortunately this also meant the house was VERY well cared for and in great condition
I'm not in the least bit attached to the hedge. The only thing I like about it is that it's evergreen and will be nice in the winter. Hacking it down to the height of the front porch sounds most appealing. I might also round the corners when I give it a trim. I've actually never trimmed anything to be so square lol. Right now it has berries, would it be best to wait until Spring? Will it tolerate being hacked like that?
I'm glad you brought it up, I kept thinking about what I could add to soften it, when really whatever I do, that hedge as a backdrop will probably keep it square forever!
fall is a good time to trim and it should survive a hard pruning. On the other hand, if it doesn't, oh well, then you have an excuse to plant something else
If you shorten it and plant a bunch of other stuff, the square effect won't predominate so much.
Think about getting a couple different railing planters, and scatter stuff, plant different stuff in them, reduce the lined up, centered, matchy effect on the upper level. And (at least in spring) put some containers on the balcony behind them. It would be a great place to grow a few herbs.
Glad it wasn't your design and I didn't hurt your feelings....
So, for your original question, what else to plant there.
It's almost time to plant fall bulbs, so you can put in some bulbs for early spring flowers, crocus, daffodils, tulips.
Then there's a lot of choices for summer wildflowers that butterflies and bees like,, including milkweed/butterfly weed, anise hyssop, bee balm, baptisia/ wild indigo, bluebells/ campanula, coreopsis, purple coneflower, blazing star/ liatris, sundrops. Your space is small, so you have to choose like maybe three.
For fall, your asters (once they are done blooming, feel free to dig them up and move them around), mums, fall sunflowers, the sedum you mentioned. In a corner somewhere, tuck in a JoePye weed. It gets really tall, like over 6 feet, so you won't want it in the front area. But it is a really nice fall bloomer that butterflies like, that keeps its flower heads for winter interest. About the mums, the stores are full of them now covered in blooms, that you can just pop in. You can do that, but understand that they will likely not survive the winter. Buy them again in SPRING, so that they have a chance to get established before fall/winter and they will actually be perennial.
Add in a couple more shrubs. Look for really dwarf things to fit your space. Viburnum, azalea, kalmia, dogwood, caryopteris (fall blooming), leucothoe/ dog-hobble/fetterbush, fothergilla all are very small (or come in very small versions). The leucothoe is not well known (you would have to look for it on line), but I think a way under-used native shrub. The new leaves come in red, and then it has brilliant red fall color, white blooms.
Don't overcrowd - remember all the shrubs/perennials you plant will get bigger and spread. I planted two flowerbeds at the front edge of my lawn. The first year they were very sparse and looked a bit pathetic. The second year was better and by the third year it was well filled in and starting to have that cottage garden look. Now, I am constantly pulling stuff OUT of them because they are too crowded.
PS afterthought. One choice is that you could keep ONE of the hedge shrubs, probably one end, prune it a bit smaller and more rounded, to have it for winter green, and then get rid of the rest, to make more room for more interesting things...
Ok, so I have to admit the boxes were all me... I think I was having trouble fighting the symmetry lol I'm hoping to have some fun with them next Spring now that I've done a bit more research on container planting. It's funny you mentioned herbs because if you look closely, I actually have an assortment of pots on the left side of the balcony near the sliding door (they're washed out in the photo). Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, Oregano, Tomato plant, and a tropical plant in the large pot. I'm hoping to find a cute Bistro set for the far right of the balcony. We just moved in at the end of July, but we'll get there eventually.
Thank you for letting me pick your brain! You've provided me with a wonderful list! It's so helpful to go into this with a plan and have some good plant options that will be appropriate for the space.
Here's a full view of what I'm dealing with [img]https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z379/pinksand11/Carlinda%20House/02-AfterFront.jpg[/img]
One day I'd like to dig up some of that lawn and plant some curvy gardens along the other side of the path to the door and I haven't decided what to do about all that juniper along the driveway. It gives me a rash and is boring Although we always end up stepping on it because our driveway is so narrow. My husband wants to expand the driveway and build a stone wall... that's WAYYY down the road if it ever happens.... we have a lot of "One day, we'll improve" lists!
I'm also going to create a garden at the bottom where I was standing beside the mailbox. Hopefully that will happen in the Spring! I figured it was a more practical project to start with
Remove the parallel path and add nice sweeping path to the front door. Now you can increase the size of the excisting bed. I think you will find it more comfortable getting to and from the car and house.
I like multi stemmed Maples. Maybe Autumm Blaze or Red Sunset to match the brick house. It will cool the house in the summer and let the light in in the Winter.
Eric
Last edited by DoubleDogFarm on Fri Sep 14, 2012 3:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I LOVE that idea! I'm not positive we'd be able to pull it off... the hill in front of the house is pretty steep and difficult to walk on (it's one of those you have to run down). We would have to do something to level the path. We definitely don't have the funds or time for that kind of project right now, but I think it would make for a beautiful improvement that we can keep in mind for down the road.
We could also maybe create a sweeping garden where you have the path and eventually redo the brick path to be a bit more winding and natural in the existing space.
I agree with Eric, especially seeing the bigger picture. For some reason I was thinking that little strip was all the space you had. People putting in foundation plantings usually put a little narrow straight strip across the house. Not only is is straight and unnatural, it is all out of scale with the large house behind it.
And all that huge expanse of lawn is boring, a pain to mow on a slope, and ecologically useless. Read Sara Stein, Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of our Own Backyard.
Definitely put in some planting beds in the lawn, at the bottom where you said, as islands, or whatever. I have a veggie bed in the middle of my (much smaller) front lawn, which I love. I have some in the back too, but there's a bunch of trees in the back and it is too shady. I love my front lawn veggies and I think it is quite decorative.
To turn lawn in to flower/veggie beds, just water well, lay down a bunch of thicknesses of newspaper or a layer or two of cardboard and water well again. Add several inches of good topsoil/compost mix and plant into it (you can make holes in the cardboard to plant into, if you are doing plants not seeds). You don't have to worry about removing the sod or anything. The cardboard smothers it and then rots away, leaving a nice bed. I've done it for two flower beds and the veggie bed.
I sort of like the way the hedge looks but it makes a good place for burglars to hide when breaking into your house. I would trim it low and extend the garden in front of them, you have plenty of yard to do so. I would consider a stone wall in front of the garden.
Ok, so I played around a bit in Photoshop. The only real plants are the black eyed susans and stokes aster, the others were clipped out from google images I found. Keep in mind they aren't really true to size.
Before
[img]https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z379/pinksand11/Garden/Front2.jpg[/img]
After
[img]https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z379/pinksand11/Garden/Front-Garden.jpg[/img]
First I "trimmed" down the hedge (sloppy photoshop job, but you get the picture)
From the left:
Black Eyed Susans
Liriope (just because my mother-in-law dug some up for me and we're on a budget so I can't refuse free plants)
Coreopsis
Sedum
Stokes Aster (which will hopefully grow and fill in nicely)
Lambs Ear (also free from the MOH)
More Sedum and Lambs Ear
Butterfly Weed (I can't find this at any local nurseries right now. Should I wait until Spring or purchase it online?)
Abelia (I couldn't resist this guy, the leaves were just so striking)
This is a random idea that just came to me... what do you think about a clematis plant growing up the post on the far right? Do you think it would work? Around here I've only ever seen them growing up lamp posts and mail boxes... I don't know if it would get enough light.
Down the road I'll definitely be planting a swooping garden on the other side of the path, but for now I have to work with what we have. My husband and I are 23 and just starting out... hopefully in time we'll be able to transform this house
A lot better!! If you are keeping the hedge, I would still cut it a few inches shorter. Most of what you list/show is summer bloomers, though I think the abelia (which I'm not very familiar with) would go on into fall and the aster is fall blooming.
I like having something blooming a lot of the time, so I would plant some spring bulbs now for spring blooms. You can wait until spring to plant the butterflyweed. Yeah I think clematis should do fine on the garage side post. It likes to have its "feet" (roots and base of plant) shaded. Feet in the shade, head in the sun.
For being so young and just starting out, you are doing a great job of thinking and planning. You have plenty of time, building a garden isn't a one year project. Over the years it will keep getting better and better.
