Please tell us your approximate location (nearest big city and state) for useful plant suggestions. Thanks! Would you prefer all shrubs or shrubs in the back and flowering perennials in the front? The hostas look nice which suggests deer aren't a problem. I'd like your shrubs to be evergreen for winter interest.

The most beautiful hydrangeas I've ever seen were along the Jersey shore so I think you MUST include hydrangeas LOL. Seriously, my SIL's neighborhood in South Orange looks as good in winter as it does in summer because the number of evergreens y'all can grow is incredible. Since your space is limited, you need to pick a favorite to create a cohesive landscape. I'm an azalea lover because they're tough, tolerate varying levels of sun and shade and can be pruned back to keep them below the windows. So my suggestion is pink or red reblooming azaleas (choose one color, don't mix colors) with hostas in front. Please kill the barberries as a public service.

I’ve been debating hydrangeas so I’ll keep that on my list lol I also originally planted what was supposed to be evergreen azaleas, but they were not and honestly didn’t grow at all so I took them out. Here is a better picture when we took everything out a couple years ago. I have some eyesores to cover.

And the far left window is set back so was thinking I should break it up and put something a little different there. Thanks for your input!!

Too late to prune now. Wait until next winter.

I'd soak it for a half day to rehydrate before planting. Yeah, epimediums don't need much water but that guy's desicated.

I think I'd really water for a bit longer, water it loads more, and not plant it until it looked happier. I'd plant it on a cool, drizzly day. And then cutoff what didn't live, once it was up and going again. But that's just me.

I've had it sitting in a bowl of water since yesterday, though sadly, more leaves have shriveled. I guess all I can do at this point is plant it (on a cool, drizzly day - Thanks Rob) and cross my fingers.

The beds are much too shallow back to front. Remove the peculiar looking wall and deepen the beds from to back front for starters, keeping in mind that every shrub you plant should be planted far enough from the house that it will not touch the house when it is fully mature. For example, a shrub that will be 8 ft wide should be planted 5 feet from the house.

Since your house is a low one story, you'll want small shrubs, but the same principle applies--4 ft wide shrub, plant 3 ft from house.

With regards to planting away from the house, I am going to throw in my two cents. When we first moved to our house almost 30 years ago, I was so excited to be able to have a multi-level yard that backed to woods. It was a relatively blank slate in the back once I got rid of the bamboo and ivy. Hmmm, still fighting both, but the bamboo was gone for a while and now returning from the neighbor's side of the fence. Anyway, there were shrubs very close to the house in front. I wish I had removed them! Anything I plant now goes pretty far from the foundation. It is true that the ground will be very dry under the eaves. Very dry. This year, I am regreting not putting evergreen trees in the far back since our elderly friend who owned the woods died and her heirs sold to a developer. I do have evergreens on the hill that are now doing a great job of screening one of the new horrors behind us (what is the allure of 9,000 square foot 'modern farmhouses'?). I have plenty of deciduous trees at the bottom of the property, but I should have backed them with evergreens. Sigh. Ah well, we all make mistakes, but I will be kicking myself every winter when I look out back.

Patience is a good thing and you sound like you are thinking everything through. That is great and you will be happy you did that in 10 years! And yes, asking questions is the way to help yourself make decisions! I hope you will keep coming back and sharing what you have done. I am sure it will be wonderful.

We are actually planting some evergreens in our backyard. It’s a sloped yard with the neighbors window facing our house. I hate it! But man are you limited when you have deer that frequently visit.

How wide is the strip of soil? A foot maybe? And is it soil or building debris?

Arborvitae are far too big for the space, even with constant trimming. And the sides against the wall would just be bare and brown.

You could try something like sedums in the gravel and settle for containers by the steps. I've also seen hollyhocks in similar situations. I'd make the containers pretty robust because they're quite likely to get scraped by traffic. In fact they'd protect the bottom of your stair rail. https://outofmyshed.co.uk/2015/07/07/greening-up-your-neighbourhood/

How long have they been planted? Many nurseries offer a one year guarantee so you could replace them.

I'd certainly investigate the possibility of a water issue. Both too much and too little water can produce similar symptoms. And either will not necessarily affect the whole tree. The only way you can determine which one it might be is to dig down into the soil just outside the rootball and to its full depth and physically/visually examine the soil moisture level.

How the planting areas was prepared, how the plants have been irrigated and how level the planting site is can all have a substantial bearing how water moves through the soil profile. It is quite possible to have very dry areas very close to very damp areas.

Aside from normal cultural concerns, not much bothers these tough conifers.

Thank you! I will give that a try as well since in the worst scenario it doesn’t make it and I’d want to replace, I’ll want to know if anything in that spot is causing the problem. This has all been really helpful!

I never put anything in the ground (there is none on my balcony), so not the same but I got a climbing Don Juan a month or two back and potted it up and think that counts. :) I had one of these which lived a short glorious life before succumbing to winter. The new one hasn't grown much at all since but it has only been warm sporadically and sun is scarce or non existent until mid April on my NW facing balcony.

I also started a johnson's blue geranium and Siberian iris rhizomes.

I also have no ground per se to plant in but I've been busy repotting and up potting many of my container plants. And I've been adding to my collection! Two lupines from the West Country series (bicolors), a perennial erysimum, Lobelia tupa, a 'Snow Fever' hellebore and red Asiatic lilies. I've also been acquiring some desperately needed broadleaved evergreen shrubs - Mahonia 'Soft Caress', nandina 'Gulf Stream', choisya 'Aztec Pearl' and a Honey Butter rhododendron. I still need more :-))

And I potted up a bunch of pure white zonal geraniums and cheated and bought an assortment of sweet pea starts. I am so not good with seeds!

Lugging 40 or 50 pound bags of potting soil through my condo and to my tiny little backyard planting area was not fun and I still need more of that as well.

even more so for properties with 20+ acres, an attractive house,

Im drooling ;). Maybe there could be enough room to accommodate myself, my partner and our two cats ;).

Take cuttings and propagate that sedum, it really likes you!

Holy cow that’s an incredible hosta! I doubt one would attain that size in my frigid environment. I will deginitely look into Blue Angel

There are well over 10,000 to choose from so here is another resource to help Don Rawson's Hosta List

I have not grown the hybrid but Birch hybrid is supposedly an offspring of C. portenschlagiana and C. poscharskyana, neither if which is drought tolerant. Both grow widely in my area, self sowing on walls and hanging down. They are seldom seen on the flat. They need sharp drainage but ample moisture at the roots. They will grow in bright or shady situations here but we do not get the heat or intense sun you appear to have.

C. poscharskyana

C. portenschlagiana

Rapido Blue is a cultivar of C. carpatica, a different species which I've never grown.

No shortage of examples. This is a common sight in my area. The attitude is that the shrubbery has been "taken care of". This CM had the beginnings of a beautiul shrub. How do we reverse the murder rate?

When I replace the snowblower with the lawn mower near the front of my garage.

tj

Wait, trilliums in the back yard? Dave, you’re killing me. Is this part of the garden or a natural area? My spouse and I tried Trullium and it was an utter failure. I’ve resigned myself to enjoying them in a public area a few miles north, which is a moist woods. Beautiful!

Here’s my $10 Magnolia ’Leonard Messell’. The flowers on this Magnolia are amazingly frost resistant. We’ve had back to back freezes, and they hang right in there. In the world of Magnolias, mine is nothing to crow about, but after our winters, it’s enough.

About a foot up from the base is a large oval shaped area where bark is missing. I'd replace the tree while it's under warranty.

It definitely looks like it's planted too deep.

So it's still not planted? Oh good.

It's been that way for more than a year.

I wouldn't accept it. Demand a different tree.

Central Pennsylvania?

No Rocks. None. Really, really bad idea.

" Ferns propagate like crazy, "

Depends entirely on the fern. Some do.....many do not.

The roots of Japanese maples are very sensitive to disturbance and you can introduce some dangerous and potentially fatal pathogens by damaging them. Whatever plant(s) you choose to plant underneath, make sure they are small to begin with (to minimize any cultivation in that area) and do not require digging up and dividing periodically. A spreading groundcover is ideal.

@marmiegard…. Thank you for your ideas. I previously had some DMG in full sun and it did not spread at all for many years. I had forgotten how expensive it is, and believe the drought + heat tolerant creeping type of ground covers are the way to go.

Georgia is NOT central British Columbia. The climates couldn't be much more different. What may work in one location may be completely unsuitable in the other.

I just want to say what a pretty home!

And definitely remove those huge shrubs first thing.

Cecily, you make a great point. I do have a favorite nursery or two and I will still need things that I can't easily reproduce. We use a lot of bagged mulch. Liquid seaweed fertilizer has really gotten dear, but I can't see not using it. I probably only use one large bottle a season. Perennials and shrubs I still can afford to buy a few every season. As you said, careful lists and no impulse purchases should make the best compromise. And of course, buying when on sale. I just got an email for 20% off lilacs this week. And another Perennials 10 for $49. They are $5.99 individually. That's a large increase from past years. I would think a lot of the increase has to do with shipping costs. Have you tried to ship even a small box lately?

We also still have a local plant sale every Mother's Day weekend. Other local gardeners who have established gardens and are always dividing and ending up with plants to share, sell and the prices are really still very reasonable. I end up with a lot for my money. And I know one of the sellers and he starts seeds in the winter to sell as a hobby and he makes a lot of money on that one weekend.

Berberis thunbergii, Japanese Barberry. Thunbergii is the species most often

seen growing in the wild. I found a bush growing in the middle of the woods, with no other barberries nearby.

They are highly invasive into the natural environment.

Barberry is an increasing problem in the natural areas in Canada as well. I personally just don’t get that plant, so I am predisposed to be negative about it, but now it is certainly on the invasive lists so my dislike is justified.

Thank you everyone. I have consulted with an arborist already and the tree is very healthy and this style of tree has deep tap roots. This tree provides habitat for local birds so I am not wanting to remove it. Thank you for your feedback.

Given the thousands of trees which happily survive in paved city streets around the world, I would not be concerned about rainfall not reaching the roots immediately around the trunk. They will be growing far out beyond the dripline of the tree and they'll find water.

Bloodroot:

Anemone Blanda (blue and purple)

So nice to see everyone’s bulbs! My year in bulbs continues with Ixia ”Buttercup,” Tulipa clusiana, Dutch iris (a little past their prime), Leucocoryne and (I think) Watsonia humilis

More likely it's Bermuda grass. Definitely not nutsedge, which doesnt have runners, but crowns that spring from tuber-like nutlets.

@BillMN-z-2-3-4

Bill, you are a classy example of helping people. Your demonstration is always clear and easy to follow. Thanks so much for taking this trouble🌹

Guessing a clickable link to his company will be inserted soon.

Siding colors can change, roof colors can change, brick.....not so much. It doesn't need to match that closely but I'd pick something that compliments or blends well with the brick.

Some plants are easy to talk about and describe.......others are not. Hellebores fit into that second group :-) So none of your questions are ignorant, Marie. I have just not explained myself well.

Let's move away from botanical terms and just talk about stemmed hellebores and stemless ones. And I am going to omit referring to any species plants for this purpose as species hellebores tend to be unknown to most US gardeners as they are often less hardy and rarely as showy as the hybrids and are typically found in the gardens of only mild climate hellebore collectors.

Stemmed hellebores are often complex interspecies and intersectional hybrids. They produce a leafy stem that will bear flowers at the terminal end of the stem. So leaves and flowers appear on the same stalk (stem). They also tend to have quite durable and often heavily patterned or marbled foliage that will remain looking good indefinitely so they do not get pruned back before the flower season and most gardeners will not remove these leafed stems until the foliage starts to get rather ugly looking (as all evergreen foliage eventually does). I have had some last a good 2-3 years before it needed to be removed. As stemmed hellebores will not rebloom a second time from the same stem, some gardeners don't wait and remove those flowered stems whenever the flowers fade. FWIW, a stemmed hellebore will push out new grow each season so there should be no lack of flowers even if the old stems are left in place. And these complex hybrids are also very often sterile and frequently patented so no self seeding and no division - clumps either need to gradually expand on their own or you purchase additional plants :-)

Until recently, stemless hellebores were the ones grown most often by most gardeners and are almost exclusively reserved for the xhybridus varieties or the so-called oriental hybrids. So-called because H. orientalis is the primary parent and for donkeys' years these were simply called oriental hybrids. Orientalis as a species is virtually unknown in this day and almost all xhybridus forms have ventured many generations beyond that simple parentage. That's where the complexity of colors and markings come from - a little dash of this species and a dash of another :-))

These are considered stemless because the leaves and flowers appear from the root crown on separate stalks - flowers first in late winter or early spring, followed shortly thereafter by a stalk that will develop into new leaves. These are the hellebores that most cut back the old foliage on in winter, as the foliage typically looks pretty done in by that time of year and removing all the old foliage lets the usually downward facing flowers show their stuff without being covered with leafy greenness. Few if any stemless hellebore/xhybridus are patented and all are very fertile so self seeding of an established happy clump is a given. They can also be easily divided to increase your stock and relocate to other spaces.

As I mentioned, almost all hellebores sold are hybrids with the exception of H. niger or the Christmas rose. You will find a few collectors growing argutifolius or foetidus but with only pale green flowers, they are not favorites, with most folks sticking to the hybrids.

Debra, your Ivory Prince is an example of a stemmed hellebore, a sterile complex hybrid. Royal Heritage is a seed strain of xhybridus, so a stemless and self seeding hybrid.

I hope this makes things a little clearer but feel free to come back with any questions and I will do my best to answer them :-)

GG, that is great info about stemmed/stemless. Thanks so much for that hellebore lesson.

I've been thinking about dividing my stemmed hellebores, but didn't realize they're not fans........

For fun, every few years I grab one of each of my hellebore flowers and put them on a platter. I enjoy studying the flowers up close (as opposed to my laying on the ground. LOL!)

The caulescent hellebores seem to have much "simpler" flowers, but I find the plants are much more robust with many more flowers so form quite a show when in bloom.

Yes, it looks like Stellaria media - common Chickweed.

Charles your seed exploding weed is most likely Cardamine hirsuta - Hairy Bittercress.

Garden not essential! On the canal this morning.

I was envisaging a couple of interesting single specimens out in the lawn, not a row of Arborvitae along the fence. They don't all need to be evergreen since I assume you're not likely to be in the pool in winter.

Ah, I just looked up 'French Hollyhock'. I am amending my comment 'I love the mallows too' and adding 'apart from malva sylvestris which is a terrifying weed with roots which reach Australia'.

At least once a month, there will be a 'falling over on my arse' incident which more often than not involves pulling mallow roots.

We're in a similar boat. Moved in in November, and having a ball watching the surprises unfold. Our downside is out of control golden archangel. Uggg. But the hellebores, crocuses, etc. have been gorgeous!

Anyone know what this shrub is? We're in western lower Michigan if that helps.

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Looks like Chaenomeles or flowering quince.

Yes, that's Chaenomeles.

nb I did say 'dramatic' changes. Obviously you'd want to deal with weeds and invasives. But get them identified first. Many a good plant has been removed before ascertaining its garden value.

The facade of your home is lovely. I would stick with low growing shrubs and perennials to keep it visible.

Priority: Granny will need assistance at some point to even getting to the back yard in time so focus on how to build multi level decks transitioning down from level to level to the yard with short ramps or at least steps with a 4" rise per step. At her age I'm sure mobility has already become a challenge and those existing steps need changed.

Buy or download a landscape design program. These are inexpensive and easy to use with nearly unlimited possibilities and grandmother can help you design what she may like.

I'd start planting my own woodland. Plant as many trees each year as you can afford. Basically recreating what the builder took away. Ask a local nurseryman which trees are best in your area.