What do you mean? You have lots of color there...it just happens to all be green!! ;-)

You can grow too many nice evergreens in zone 7 to stick with just Yew and Junipers (I could not really tell exactly what you have growing there). I don't see a lot of hope for the LARGE meatball shrubs. You might be able to hack them back...they would look ugly for a few years...then they would start to get too large again.

What would I do? It is hard to say and it is a little hard to get a feel for you entire front yard. I would first try to think about how that large tree in front of your door fits in. It does not look to be in an ideal location, but sometimes you have to work with what you have. The bench looks a bit out of place. Do you really want to sit there and look at your front door?

The easiest way to add color without ripping out your foundation shrubs might be to create a perennial border on the other side of your walk. I notice a lot of surface roots that must be coming from the large trees in your front yard. Those will preset a challenge.

- Brent

Do you know anyone with a truck? I'd wrap a chain around them and yank'em out. Might not get every bit of them out, but would get a good chunk. Then just dig. Or offer a neighbor kid $20 or $30 bucks to help dig the rest.
It would be hard to really do much without taking them out, since they seem to be packed pretty good in there.

Lee

If you're not going to take them out the only hope you've got of getting color in the evergreen beds themselves is to put plants in large pots - the root competition would be something awful, even if you pruned them waaaay back.

I had a similar situation in a rental house - I grew vines over the shrubs - canary vine (tropaeolum peregrinum) did nicely. Mandevilla, morning glories, nasturtiums.

Just get the biggest pots you can, cruise through the garden center and get what appeals to you, seeds or plants.

A big old Lord Baltimore hibiscus would certainly give you color.

In LI you have sandy soil, so you might just get away with planting something in the ground that has a long taproot that can dive under the shrub roots - but you'd have to plant something little or start from seed. Which being fairly cheap is worth the experiment.

You can also plant in front of the shrubs (other side of the walk?) and just use them for a neutral background.

Get yourself a pair of loppers and a hand pruning saw and have at it. The roots may be too big to remove yourself, especially the larger ones, but you could at least hack them to the ground and dig out what you can and plant around the rest. Or maybe you can get someone to come over with a chain saw and cut the stumps flush with the soil.

They're really way too big and too close to the house.

If you absolutely cannot take them out, I would agree with the pots.

It doesn't look like you have too much space by the walkway to work with. The best thing you could do without ripping out those shrubs is a temporary fix of adding some more width to the garden bed a the right by bringing it out to the walkway and adding some colorful perennials. Stick to only a couple to a few colors and group the plants-for example purple salvia and golden coreopsis are long bloomers. It is hard to see by the photos but you might be able to create a similar look on the left side leading from the driveway up to the walkway leading to the front door. It won't be the perfect remedy but it would add some color. Hope this helps.

Lee

Thanks everyone for your insightful and oh so helpful suggestions. I have noted them all.

I agree with everyone - it really is hard to do much here with them - moreso on the left, there is absolutely no space where the 'meat balls' end and the walk way begins.

Do you think I could put some bulbs in there - to the right. Should I spread them out or group them.
The planting space on the right is about 8 feet long by 2.5 feet wide.
I already have some stella d'or.. hiding round back and Shasta daisy and some pink Echinacea (sp?)
Thoughts on this please?

Brent - I have only been living here exactly a year today. The very first time we drove up to the house the first thing I saw where the HUGE oversize meatball shrubs that word exactly jumped in my mind.
After a couple other viewings and hubby said this one was IT. I said on the condition that I get to rip out those horrible looking evergreens; well 1yr later he is still saying no. So for a peaceful life I am working around them. I'll try at him again next year.

I pointed out those roots to hubby at the first viewing.
I suppose it's gona take a cracked foundation for him to concede.

The bench is the safest way for me to keep my kindergardenr close to the house b4 school and wait for the bus. She insist on playing in the front yard b4 school so hubby put the bench there after a number of attempted abductions from the school bus stop. That way I get to sit with my newborn and keep on eye on things.

Bird - the pots idea is a definite answer for the left side. Any ideas what appropriate plantings to put in them?? Thanks. - anyone?

Sayp. - Just tonite I was asking hubby about borrowing his Pa's chain saw - a big no. so I rest my case at least for this season. Im afraid tho, that when he sees the creation he will love it and see the creative fix as a permanent solution.

Lee - great to see a fellow islander :) Are you familiar with any of the nurseries on Route 231?? There are TONS of them on there. I live just offa there. Would you happen to know if any of them carry the species you named? Pls. let me know. you could email me.

Well... I am gona definitely be posting pics of the outcome. It is going to be very interesting... so stay tuned everyone.

Regards and thanks again.

So many postings on this Forum jog an old landscaper's memories. The wife who wants to change something in the landscape. The husband who controls by saying "no". I'll bet there are other designers here who could write some amusing stories based on this theme. We all have dealt with your question in one way or another.

So, here is the advice I would give you if you were paying my consultation fee. Do nothing. Never mention the subject again. Bite your tongue! You have only lived in the house for one year. Your husband will soon tire of keeping the 'meatballs' trimmed to perfection. It is not a fun job. When hubby is forced to continually sharpen mower blades due to running over tree roots he will pay attention to the problem. He wants to make the decisions. Let him. I'll stop there.

Too bad you are in a stalemate regarding the dominating shrubberies. I'm into my fourth year of marriage and homeownership and am just beginning to attempt to apply the art of compromise when DH and I get backed into our corners. Unfortunately he is having a hard time believing me due to the previous non-compromise years.

Is there any chance you can attain some compromise on the situation? Perhaps if you could find pictures in some landscaping books that show what you would like to achieve (or something similar) it would help convince him?

I also think there is a weird rule that non-gardening DH's like big, impressive shrubs. A few years ago I rescued some boxwood's earmarked for the green waste bin; this year they were just starting to really get going so I pruned them back, hard, because they were shaped like rectangles and I wanted a natural look. Well DH had a fit, he wanted to know why I didn't just buy some normal boxwoods to begin with? (can't explain, just had some empathy for the plants and a big, empty yard with no particular landscape plan...) He said they looked pathetic and I had wasted two growing seasons on them.

Good luck biting your tongue, that is good advice but sometimes difficult to follow.

Regarding a solution, I think large pots of color would work well for you, the green shrubs can just try to disappear into the background. I hope you'll consider a few evergreen shrubs w/variegated leaves so when they aren't blooming you'll still have "color". I don't know your climate but your local nursery should be able to make some suggestions. Even better, when DH sees your beautiful variegated evergreen shrubs perhaps he will realize what you've been saying all along. I recently bought a purple-leaf Loropetalum and I think they are hardy in your zone. Pretty, arching branches and not too huge (they come in dwarf sizes as well). I think Shasta daisy, echinacea and daylilies will bring lots of color but why stop there?

-Melanie-

Speaking as someone who once inherited a similar (though less severe) case of evergreen meatball shrubitis when moving into a new home, I agree with aspiring - the shrubs are ugly and while a few cosmetic touchups are possible, the only real solution is to dig those things out.

As it is now, the meatballs will be a continual chore to keep trimmed into their grossly obese shapes, will provide hiding places for burglars and will probably trap autumn leaves making for more difficult cleanup in fall.

You could print out this thread and show it to your husband. Maybe the weight of public opinion will have some effect. ;)

Non-gardening men are very sympathetic to the Renegade Gardener (http://www.renegadegardener.com/) style.

I started with the link http://www.renegadegardener.com/content/dontdothat2005.htm#3 and in the next week or two, had him telling me how deep to plant the container shrubs! While there's no perfect article about overgrown foundation plantings, it might help. :)

I think those three little shrubs on the non-walk side of the house should get pulled out now, because they'll just confuse the issue as they grow. Right now, your evergreen hedge is a consistent backdrop - just plant in long drifts of one type of good, sturdy, performing plants, on the street side of the walk, flowing over to the walkless side to the edge of the house. You can underplant your summer plant with bulbs - early crocuses and late daffs, or whatever.

Best of luck!

I can't believe how many women don't properly train these husbands right off the bat. Ask him if I can remove a shrub? Not hardly. The yard is mine as much as it is his, so why should he have veto power?

As long as I don't ask him to do anything, I do whatever I please. He can lie on the couch and watch the game, and be quiet, which is what all husbands should do when they are not at work. Until it's time to go out for dinner. :o)

You should have just hacked them down right off, without even telling him what you were planning to do. What's that saying, "Easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission"!

I guess I am lucky. When we bought our house it had some dreadful meatballs, well, more like hot dogs, in front of the windows. DH and I both went to work right away to remove them, fortunately we both wanted to get rid of them. It was hard hard hard work, but we had a much brighter, sunnier, happier living room when we were done, and it was so worth it!!!

Do you and your husband go for walks? If you don't, this is something to start. While you walk you point out homes similar to yours but with nice landscaping and say, "Look, we could do that in our yard." Ask him to point out gardens he likes. Pry his mind open slowly.

Oh, one more thing: you could start bringing home paint swatches for the house exterior with the intent to brighten things up. Imagine having to paint around those meatballs! So much easier if they are removed -- hint hint.

Good luck to you!

Would hubby mind if you hacked them back? They seem healthy and the yews might green up as smaller plants. If you assassinated the plants, would hubby remove dead ones? (He wouldn't need to know why they died.)

If you're allowed to prune the shrubs, what about weird topiary?

Thanks again everyone. Wow! so many ideas here.

Ya'll know opposites attract - while Im adventrous (sp) and willing to experiment and try new things (gardening pls) hubby is afraid of change. some times some things Ive gone ahead and got done without argueing. but this is a little different ... i guess.. maybe not.. we'll see.

Catkim - with 2 babies and a K. we dont get to do too much but I always point out nice yards as we DRIVE by. :)

Fori - he has agreed to hacking them back. problem is he wants to do them himself cause he thinks we cant afford it. But ya know Ive lined up some peeps to come give estimates already (didnt tell him yet though) when I get the estimates. We have lots of hispanic landscapers working the neighborhood so I know whatever.. can be done cheaply and we generally give them a good tip.

I LOVE THE IDEA OF TOPIARIES. (got to get estimates for that) THAT WAY - WHEN THEY ARE SHAPED AND CUT BACK I CAN DIG AWAY AND PLANT - YAHHHHH!!

we shall see - I am really excited by all the ideas here.
keep em coming :)

Thanks guys :)

If your husband really likes the shrubs then maybe you could claim another spot of the yard for yourself. Maybe another spot in the front where you could plant some shrubs, some flowers and maybe a small tree. Make a peaceful spot for you bench where you can keep any eye on your kindergartener.

Good luck!

- Brent

Chuckle, Brent. I don't think DH "really likes" the shrubs; more likely, he has a stubborn streak of passivity with a dash of congenital tight-fistedness. Chiming in from the psych corner of the world, I'd go with a combo of Nandina's, Brent's and Saypoint's advice:

Drop the subject of the shrubs; let them grow to worse ugliness; continue to ignore them; let him be the one to either trim them himself or get someone to do it. It's my guess that no matter what estimates you come up with, he'll argue with you. If it gets to the point where he finally brings up the shrubs himself, just smile and say, "Oh, I decided to let you be in charge of the shrubs!"

Meanwhile, turn your attention to another part of the property and do what you want with it, without asking permission. Assuming you're not working, put aside a few dollars shopping money here and there, get some plants you like, and plant them!

Maybe over time, others, preferably male parts of couples you know, will begin to say things to him like, "Hey, guy! When you gonna do something about those ugly shrubs, man?"

Hardest part of this stategy is disengaging from how the front of the house looks! But hey, consider it an exercise in grace;^)

Karen

Hi , this is Jannie from Kings Park. Your pictures are lovely. It really doesn't look as bad as you had described. Those bushes look healthy and full. They would provide a nice backdrop for some flowers. Maybe you could clear a couple of feet in front of them , in a path, and use the area for flowers. Stores like Target sell hard plastic edging you pound into the ground. It looks fairly good, like stone or brick. I once tried a "meadow" with annuals- cosmos, larkspur, daisies, stuff like that. If you want perennials, get ecchinacea and black-eyed susans. One thing bushes do is provide shade for the front of the house. It won't get so hot in the summer. If you still hate the bushes, maybe you could dig out one at a time. When we first bought our house (yikes) 25 years ago, we spent a lot of time pruning bushes. I remenber we filled 30 lawn-leaf bags with organic debris. Of course, we were younger and healthier then. Whatever you decide, it will come out just fine!

By local standards, these aren't bad at all. On a scale of 1 to 10, these shrubs are about a 4, maybe even a 5. They also don't look particularly high maintenance. A few hours once or twice a year with the hedge clippers should do it.

The solution to this is pots or troughs of annuals. If it's shady, impatiens, if it's sunny, petunias. They can be put away during the winter. Perennials won't have the blooming power to solve this.

Aspiring, if you do your pots, get something dramatic that goes up (like purple millet or canna or elephant ears or small sunflowers or vines on a little trellis or those grassy things that are at all the garden centers). Get something that trails down. Get flowers that aren't all the same size. Pick a color combo that appeals to you.

Colorful leaves like ornamental sweet potato (ipomoea Blackie, Margarita, etc. ) or perilla Magilla are good because they're always there to pick up your flowers - sometimes different flowers don't bloom at the same time like you planned.

Make sure the plants like the same conditions as far as watering and light.

It's fun to experiment with all sorts of different things that appeal to you - see what you like and what grows well - but sometimes repetition of the same combo has more oomph. Your first few years in a garden are definitely a time for easy and low-budget experiments, to get your hand in. Try something new next year.

Fine Gardening magazine has container competitions you can look at, White Flower Farm has an online catalog with container combos. You can always make substitutions, according to availability, your budget or preferences.

Give your kindergartener some nasturtium or morning glory seeds to plant. Have fun.

There's a container forum here on Gardenweb and they have a photo gallery.

Well, you could always sign up for Wife Swap - the show, that is...

But failing that, Nandina and Karen have TOTALLY hit the nail on the head. If you keep it looking good with the meatball shrubs in place, you are literally ENABLING his control freak tendencies. I say that with the utmost sympathy and entirely without malice toward the guy, having been married to a similar man who is a perfectly nice guy and who I otherwise really like and admire for 24 years.

There is a funny convergence of threads here for me - your situation is exactly why I have always done what Frankie describes in her Bits and Pieces thread. I have spent many years buying a pot here (always the small one, not the big one), some plants there, a bag of soil from time to time, and even scavenging materials from the rich alley pickings in our semi-industrial neighbourhood (got some really great stuff too!) to avoid having to incur expenses. My yard was a disaster, and it was (according to him) all my fault. And in a way it was.

Our solution was that rather than me designing it alone and then going for approval, we finally designed it together from scratch. Turns out he has some good ideas, and has no objection to spending the money when we find the right thing. The result is better than anything I could have done alone, and because it reflects us and not just me, is a unifying force in the relationship, rather than being something we fight over. I'm still the gardener, but it's OUR yard.

But do give him time. This being the house he chose, maybe he does have a thing for such shrubs, and maybe he'll develop the gift of rejuvenating and shaping them. More likely, he'll begin to look at other people's landscaping if he's the one dealing with his. Let him notice it though, don't point out. He'll notice things that you don't.

Maybe you could start cuttings of some of those shrubs - perhaps he doesn't want to get rid of them because he wants something like them, and having small "aspiring" (sorry, couldn't resist) shrubs ready to plant, wherever he might like, would open new possibilities.

Oh gosh has this thread taken off, I am humbled. Everyone thanks so much for all your concerns, opinions, ideas and suggestions :) (wordy)

I have printed and highlighted and will give hubby to read - LOL :)
He glanced at the thread this morning and went hmmm... rolled his eyes and went to catch his train.
I have a good feeling tho.

We discussed it a bit last night and he didnt argue the hacking back or the idea of topiaries, he said I should get estimates. (wink ;x) (Can we say I'm on it already)

I know for sure if that is done I can dig and add stuff in there.

Im really excited with all the suggestions and will go browsing this weekend to look at pots.
Along with some pots I think euonymous gold (sp) will look good on the left side. There is really no space there where the 'shrubs' end and the asphalt walk way begins. (the pic looking at the bench give u a feel for this).

I am really getting a feel for this and all the colors are roaming thru my mind.

I am happy. :)

When the weather is nice enough outside for the kids to sit in a playard or play in the yard, you might want to try attacking the shrubs yourself. It's not that bad a job and you can save a bunch of money by doing it yourself.

What types of shrubs are they, anyway? It looks like some might be yew which is a pleasure to cut back--no prickles--and once cut back it'll take a long time to get monstrous again. with a little tough love, those bushes might be a nice foundation planting once again.

Poor hubby. All of us attacking him. :) But they're perfectly good shrubs. They're just in the wrong place.

Fori,

ya know ya gat me wondering if we can trim the bushes into shapes ourselves. using some kinda wire or tape or string to do the outlines - be it cones or balls or whatever....

thinking.....

;)

ps. they are all yews and three small boxwoods infront of the yews on the right.

All trimmable shrubs!

Try the shrub forum and maybe even the topiary forum if you're serious about balls and cones. It might not be an active forum but there's alot of good old info there.

And really, those bushes aren't terrible. Your first complaint was lack of color. I think the lawn has to get smaller--not just the shrubs! But you can get started with the shrubs this winter before it's time to plant the colorful stuff, whatever it ends up being.

Buy the hubster a book on pruning for his birthday or Father's day, whichever is sooner..., or just for the family library. You really don't have to shell out money for pruning work if you're both bright and able-bodied, which by the sounds of it you are - it's not rocket science, and it's fun. There may also be courses on pruning that you or he can take at some local institute.

"Turns out he has some good ideas"

HA! There it is!! Proof that not all husbands are worthless. ;-) Though I do have to admit that lying on the couch and watching the game sounds good! I try to include my wife into the garden design...she says she wants purple flowers so I plant some more purple flowers...she says that we should plant some Leyland Cypress trees like her mother recommended and plant some more purple flowers. ;-)

- Brent

Opps...I started off my last post thinking that I would contribute to this thread but I got sidetracked.

From what I have read, Yews are one of the few conifers that you can cut back hard and they will sprout new growth. They are likely to take several years to start looking good again.

I would find a new home for the boxwoods. That would at least give you a little spot to add some color.

- Brent

If you want to deal with the yews, sometime soon, like in the next couple of weeks, cut them back to about 2 ft. They will look like you are trying to kill them. Keep them fed and watered this summer, and by fall, they will be covered with fuzzy green growth. By the end of next summer, they will look like plants again. It's not mentally taxing, but does take a good pair of loppers and a pruning saw.

Don't try this with anything but yews.

Well.. I shall be perusing the library this weekend also for some books, looks like he loves all your ideas guys. So we are 'carving' the topiaries ourselves - yikes....

We are doing pots on the left and grouped perennials of the same colors on the right.
Spring Hill and White post farms have lovely ideas.

BTW, the plantable space on the right infront of the boxwoods is 20' x 4' i measured it. my estimate was way off.. :o

Oh! They look just like the giant round yews I used to have on the corners of my house. One yew in the yard was removed after we moved in by my very useful DH and I hemmed and hawed and thought about what to do with the others since I didn't want to see DH destroy his back. Well, I finally decided that I didn't want huge bare spots next to the house and have to put something else there anyway. So I went with the major trimming and I really like the result.

HERE'S WHAT I DID:
I would NOT recommend cutting them back to 2 feet even though eventually they will grow back. The trimming can be done in stages so you are not left with a bare stump.
1) You can cut back the bush hard all over as far as the green goes to leave some green showing. I did this first. Yours look much too tall like mine were.
2) Then, if you look inside the yews, you can see that there is basically a trunk with radiating branches and the green is mostly on the ends of the branches. What I did was to trim off all the lower radiating branches and leave the top of the bush green. The result will be a vase shaped bush. I wanted to make mine narrower to keep off the house siding and because they were blocking the path.

The trunk and branches are actually quite attractive and the top can be rounded or shaped naturally or done like topiary if you want. This left a lot of room underneath the bush where I can plant bulbs or anything else. The yew roots don't seem like they are too thick or shallow for other plants.

This will let you keep the shrubs, make them smaller, trim them away from the house, and plant more plants in front of them.
If you would like a photo, email me and I'll see if I can figure it out. I just dropped in on this forum for a minute, but had to respond.

Susan

Susan, I'd love if you could post a photo.

Thanks.

Hi aspiring,

I have never posted photos before, but I just took some and put them on the web. Here is a link to a photo. I hope it works for you.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:15402}}

That link doesn't work from my computer; I'm "not authorized" etc. If the photos are on a photohosting site, just copy the tagline from the site and paste it into the body of the message here on GW. When you hit 'preview' the photos should show up.

works for me, thanks Susan.

Firefox wouldn't let me see. Karin, try using IE. Then I was able to see the pic.