Need landscaping advice

I love your house Percy...the bricks are beautiful. I will be watching this thread as well, since I need some advice in this area!!!!

...such a cute Bellevillian home!

Take out the shrubs, bring some SoWal sand home, set up a beach chair and an umbrella. Voila! SoWal in BelleVegas.

This is the area in front of our front porch. Over the weekend, we took out a dead evergreen that was next to these two shrubs. The original plan was to find a new plant for this space, but now we're looking at this whole area and thinking maybe we want to take out the shrubs, too, and do something from scratch. Gardeners and landscapers--help!

Call the boys over at Daisy's Garden Shop --- either Roger or Tom should be able to give you some professional advice .... if you haven't been over to their garden, stop by sometime ... they have done a real nice job!

Daisy's Garden Shop
(850) 622-3279
82 Veterans Rd, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459

Call the boys over at Daisy's Garden Shop --- either Roger or Tom should be able to give you some professional advice .... if you haven't been over to their garden, stop by sometime ... they have done a real nice job!

house is in St. Louis...

Rip out those big green balls. They are doing nothing for the space.

You have a beautiful brick foundation with an interesting pattern. You do not have to hide the brick or fill up that space with more gian green balls. Choose evergreens that will stay either low to the ground (like a japanese spreading plum yew) or that you can keep in a small tree form (like a wax myrtle or an emerald green arborvitae.) You may consider some sort of non-aggressive vine for the wall. Ivy, jasmine, and japanese or chinese wisteria are very aggressive in the south; I'm not sure about your zone.

As for the rest of the space, I would use dwarf shrubs and perennials. In general, in order to have the best impact, you should plant in groups of no less than 3. Because of all the straight lines and rectangles, I would not plant anything in rows--groupings with curves.

That's all I got right now--got to get back to yelling at my students.

Love the house! I bet Mermy will be alot of help with this. Until then I would take the shrubs out and do low plants. I put some pretty pots in my flower beds for elevation changes and added color. I changed the flowers with the season. Can't wait to see what you do.

I'm anxious to hear a little more too. I have almost the exact type of space. A few years ago we ripped out 2 or 3 boxwood bushes and just a really big ugly bush that was on the end. We replaced them with smaller lower to the ground shrubs. I'm terrible with names but the taller ones are a burgandy-ish color and the lower ones start with an e and are kind of varigated...green and yellow. They are very common so I know NoHall or Mermy will know them. We extended the mulch bed out to the end a bit and planted a dwarf cherry tree that is now turning out to be not so dwarf. I usually plant geraniums in the summer add color. I like Cheering's idea of adding pots for height and color.

I looked them up...barberry and euonymus.

You don't need too much Percy because you have such pretty brick work and you don't want to distract from that. I like NoHall's ideas of ground covers. I just bought some of these for a small garden that I don't want to mess with, blue festica and I am putting it with black mulch.

http://www.directgardening.com/detail.asp?nav=&pid=5728

I also have ajuga as a ground cover and I like it when it flowers which should be soon. Warning: it spreads like weeds, but it looks good around small shrubbery.

You don't need too much Percy because you have such pretty brick work and you don't want to distract from that. I like NoHall's ideas of ground covers. I just bought some of these for a small garden that I don't want to mess with, blue festica and I am putting it with black mulch.

http://www.directgardening.com/detail.asp?nav=&pid=5728

I also have ajuga as a ground cover and I like it when it flowers which should be soon. Warning: it spreads like weeds, but it looks good around small shrubbery.

I'm getting some! But the trouble with tribbles...

I'm anxious to hear a little more too. I have almost the exact type of space. A few years ago we ripped out 2 or 3 boxwood bushes and just a really big ugly bush that was on the end. We replaced them with smaller lower to the ground shrubs. I'm terrible with names but the taller ones are a burgandy-ish color and the lower ones start with an e and are kind of varigated...green and yellow. They are very common so I know NoHall or Mermy will know them. We extended the mulch bed out to the end a bit and planted a dwarf cherry tree that is now turning out to be not so dwarf. I usually plant geraniums in the summer add color. I like Cheering's idea of adding pots for height and color.

I looked them up...barberry and euonymus.

I love the look of barberry, but I always prick my fingers on them.

I have the same" dwarf" problem OL. We have a Southern exposure and everything takes off. We just ripped out a huge holly bush that was 14 years old, and 2 other evergreens, and now we're making a trip to the nursery for different replacements. So right now part of my landscaping is naked. We tried to re-plant it, but the root ball was so huge that I would have had to rent a back hoe.

My cat misses the holly though. She used to hide behind it. We did get a variegated holly already, but it is much smaller, and her tail sticks out. She is not happy. On a good note, I get to go and plant some perenials I have always wanted to plant because I have room now. Unless of course, MANgo buys something that takes over again. He can't buy small. He wants instant gratification. (which means if I still live here 5 years from now, I will be ripping shrubs out again :roll: )

I'm getting some! But the trouble with tribbles...

Yep. I dig them up in spring and stick them in the woods along a path that I have. I've walked on them, run them over with the mower, cussed, threatened deportment...... still here.

I hate barberry...besides the horrible thorns, they look dead in the winter. Chinese fringe (loropetalum) is a good substitute. It's the same color, evergreen-ish and has a tiny, hot pink, fringed flower in the spring. Just be sure to get one of the dwarf varieties. I've seen the 'Burgundy' variety go crazy and grow to 8' x 8'. :shock:

I love ajuga, too. It's okay if it grows like a weed--It doesn't get huge or cover up other plants, but it keeps other weeds down and keeps you from needing so much mulch. I also like dianthus and creeping phlox around the edges.

Rip out those big green balls. They are doing nothing for the space.

Come on, give it to me straight, NoHall.
Thanks, everyone, and keep the ideas coming. I love pretty landscaping but am a total novice and will probably need this mapped out.

I hate barberry...besides the horrible thorns, they look dead in the winter. Chinese fringe (loropetalum) is a good substitute. It's the same color, evergreen-ish and has a tiny, hot pink, fringed flower in the spring. Just be sure to get one of the dwarf varieties. I've seen the 'Burgundy' variety go crazy and grow to 8' x 8'. :shock:

I love ajuga, too. It's okay if it grows like a weed--It doesn't get huge or cover up other plants, but it keeps other weeds down and keeps you from needing so much mulch. I also like dianthus and creeping phlox around the edges.

Yeah, the thorns are dangerous....everything here looks dead in the winter! Except evergreens. I still need to replace my butterfly bush that died last year. I'm going to get another one but maybe a different color this time. I really miss my butterflies .

I hate barberry...besides the horrible thorns, they look dead in the winter. Chinese fringe (loropetalum) is a good substitute. It's the same color, evergreen-ish and has a tiny, hot pink, fringed flower in the spring. Just be sure to get one of the dwarf varieties. I've seen the 'Burgundy' variety go crazy and grow to 8' x 8'. :shock:

I love ajuga, too. It's okay if it grows like a weed--It doesn't get huge or cover up other plants, but it keeps other weeds down and keeps you from needing so much mulch. I also like dianthus and creeping phlox around the edges.

Never heard of this Chinese fringe. Not sure they sell it in our cold zones.
I have my barberry buried amongst evergreens, at the back of a garden, against the woods. Then I get some pretty pink/burgundy color in the spring/ summer and I don't have to mess with it. Notice I said "I don't mess with it. Not anymore. We have all these "gardens" of plants that got moved from the "landscaped" area.

Oh, and creeping Phlox in zone 5 only seems to come back when it's planted in a warm area or a rock garden. My neighbor has it in a rock garden and I didn't, and hers comes back, but mine doesn't. I think Pea would be ok with it since the brick absorbs heat.

Yep. I dig them up in spring and stick them in the woods along a path that I have. I've walked on them, run them over with the mower, cussed, threatened deportment...... still here.

I def need things I can't kill.

We did this same thing a few years ago. And I agree with the others since you have a small rectangular space, you can't change the footprint into something with curves (unless you replaced the walkway). I would suggest a small/med. sized ornamental tree to the right, about 3/4 of the way down toward the drive (w/ white blossoms against the dark brick), then add very low ground cover. Then add seasonal color planted sporadically throughout and match come of the color plantings in large pots to set on a few of your steps.

Your house is beautiful.

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We did this same thing a few years ago. And I agree with the others since you have a small rectangular space, you can't change the footprint into something with curves (unless you replaced the walkway). I would suggest a small/med. sized ornamental tree to the right, about 3/4 of the way down toward the drive (w/ white blossoms against the dark brick), then add very low ground cover. Then add seasonal color planted sporadically throughout and match come of the color plantings in large pots to set on a few of your steps.

Your house is beautiful.

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No, but you don't want to put your actual plant material in straight lines. A lot of people line shrubs up against the wall like they're waiting for the firing squad...

I was going to suggest a weeping cherry on the opposite side of the walk on the far right. Mine is blooming now. So pretty. We're making more work for poor Mr. Pod.

No, but you don't want to put your actual plant material in straight lines. A lot of people line shrubs up against the wall like they're waiting for the firing squad...

Exactly NoHall. Mr, Pea can lay out a hose to get a curve to the existing bed and we've used a little spray paint to mark it so we can dig it. Just adding a soft curve and small low growing plants and shrubs in groupings of 3 will totally change the look. I'll bet if you take this picture to your nursery they could probably show you what would look best and thrive in the exposure the bed gets.

Love your house Pea! Make some after pictures for us. I know Mr Pea will want to thank everyone for planning out his yard work for him.

I vote for an assymmetrical combo of a flowering tree/shrub or a freestanding trellis/tall plant, several larger plants, and a border of something like hosta so you don't have to edge it. Mix in some seasonal plants for spring etc. so that once you get it planted you don't have to fuss beyond an occassional weeding or trim.

Was thinking tree (maybe a redbud?) to give some color in the spring and fall and large enough to break up the line of the brick and that you can put lights on for the holidays.

I like the look of barberry, but it hates me. The dang stuff is MEAN!

I think we should tailgate this event of yardwork the Peas are doing. Percy (and we wench types) can sit and watch, directing MR. Pea as he completes the plan we pick out.

This is the area in front of our front porch. Over the weekend, we took out a dead evergreen that was next to these two shrubs. The original plan was to find a new plant for this space, but now we're looking at this whole area and thinking maybe we want to take out the shrubs, too, and do something from scratch. Gardeners and landscapers--help!

Pea, did you say what the sunlight is? That'll make a difference in what you can plant. I'm not going to tell you about hostas if that's a blazing southern exposure!!

One thing you might want to consider is fragrance since it's the path to the doorway, and something that doesn't leap out of bounds onto the path. And something soft. Unless of course you want to keep visitors away, in which case, do the barberry.

NoHall's suggestions are much better than mine, which is to plant pinestraw (no maintenance). ; )