There's enough room to make something fun and big enough to become an oasis. Myself, I'd go for a densely planted jungle of interesting plants that I could disappear into. Maybe you should visit some nearby gardens and jot down effects you see that you like. Measuring the space and playing with some possible layouts on paper or computer (with design software) might be worthwhile. A local garden consultant or designer might have some ideas that could help get where you want to be, too.

It looks as if the yard slopes a bit there in front of the step. Be generous in the proportions around the front door and define your edges. If you can make a kind of raised bed there, it will level that area and make it perfectly plain that visitors are not to take a short cut across your agave until it grows large enough to defend itself. Raising it will also allow you to get rid of the excess grass there. You're growing in sandy soil that needs all the compost it can get, but grass will grow where it isn't wanted.

Your Sago is lovely, tie it in with the grasses and you won't have to mow and edge around each one.

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Be prepared to weed. Landscape cloth under your stones and mulch will not keep weeds from growing. Some layers of dampened newspaper under mulch will smother grass and weeds to begin, and then the paper will rot away. Landscape cloth just collects dirt and seeds for weeds to thrive.

Tallahassee is full of wonderfully landscaped homes. Take bboy's advice and ride around and look. There are a number of plants you can add to the lush look with the Sago and tall grasses: Cast Iron plant, cymbopogon, gingers and natives like Oakleaf Hydrangea. Even daylilies, if you choose hardy cultivars other than Stella d'Oro and ditch lilies.

"ditch lilies"

new terminology! thanks for that. lol

thanks for the input. I hate mowing between the grasses and all the intricate areas. A large defined curved bed should hold it together. my yards slopes gradually down to the driveway.

the grass pathway between the yucca and the small agave is important. I travel threw there from the front door to the hose frequently. What do you think about connecting the bed in the front of the house with the semi circle bed in front of the steps...stepping stones or pea gravel?

Also I would lovel metal edging along the driveway and to define me curvy beds. I cant find it anywhere, and if I do I have a feeling its going to be $$$.

the black plastic style edging is readily available and cheap. but i dont know how long it will hold up.

I have a hydrangea bush on the far right of yard, although its hard to see in the shade.

Ditch lilies = Hemerocallis 'fulva' -- a stoloniferous thug. Avoid them, unless you have a ditch bank that is eroding.

There's nothing wrong with your grassy path; I love grassy paths, if you can keep from wearing a dirt trail in the center of it. What I was talking about was what looks like grass in your semi-circle. If those are intentional plants, I apologize, but the edge is ragged and runs into the grass. Connecting the bed in front and the semi-circle: grass. No hop, hop, hop from stepping stone to stepping stone and no more gravel to have to maintain. You have to mow the lawn anyhow.

Does your hydrangea have blue flowers?
Here's a whole thread of edging opinions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Border edging

I have none of the "ditch lilies" although,I have cannas on the far right side under maple tree.

Yeah that is grass growing in my semi circle bed. I have had a chance to mulch it yet.

My hydrangeas are purple.

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Heres a before pics shortly after I planted the grasses out front. first thing i did to my front yard.

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Do you know what kind of yucca you have? Have you researched how large it will get? Maybe you don't have the kind I see around here (CA), but they easily grow 15+ feet tall, and send out many new canes, which add to their overall width. You'll want to make sure it doesn't block your window or house numbers.

This is mine, which is taller than my one story house. It is very wide, as you can see, even though I've removed many of its canes through the years.

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very nice garden vicki.

Yes, I know the yucca will eventually have to be moved. it was one of the 1st things I put in the ground when i moved in. It is the cane/spineless yucca. has a thick trunk (the kind you see mostly at walmart and lowes) they noramlly chop it in half, and put thatblack rubber sealent on it to make it a house plant.

this is one of those. the trunk is cut and sealed but the green stalks ar getting larger. I have harvested 3 stalks from it within a year. 1 last year, 2 a few weeks ago.

I stick them is moist soil and they root themselves. I have them in pots out back. these will grow into trees :)

Here is a link that might be useful: spineless yucca

Ok, I re edge the semi circle and layed down some mulch. Re -edged the front bed against house, and also started mulching and edging the beds that connect the grasses.

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Well, do you like it? I do.

Are you interested in bright, hot colors like in Vicki's Calfornia garden?

Right now it's too hot to plant; sit in the shade and make more plans. Conside a few gingers? Alpina, Hedychium and Curcuma are hardy here.

Nell

I am liking it, its starting to come together. I will be finihing up around the front grasses tommorow. And getting a truckload of more rock to fill up around the house. (doing some in the back yard also)

I wanted to make the front yard clean, attractive, and mostly evergreen with a exoctic look. The cannas and hydrangea are the only thing that really bloom in the front. I do like the hot bright colors in Vicki's Calfornia garden. I have some gingers and amyrillis all around the back. I aldo have a lots of pinkish Curcuma that needs a spot.

I need more "filler plants" in the front yard now. Thats the stuff im unsure about. I have portulaca (moss rose) in yellow and peach.

Any suggestions on where to plant these? I have a large space right behind the canna up agaisnt chain link fence. although i was thinking of planting a oleander there for a bit of privacy and color in spring. plus its evergreen

thanks,
Luke

Hi Luke,
Congratulations on your new house. I'm relatively new to Florida, so I'm also learning about landscaping here. The grasses that you planted look great. One plant that I like a lot is Indian Hawthorne. They look nice year round and require almost no care. I think they would look nice up against the front of the house, to fill in the bare spots. I don't know if the moss roses will come back next year. So my suggestion is to plant it somewhere where you can see it. I also like variegated liriope, virtually no maintenance and the white adds a bit of color. Good luck. Lynne

I think the bed lines are a little too wavy, wavy. I'd like to see a more graceful sweep than the little curls. Then you could really add some depth to the planting beds and fill them with luscious tropicals. In particular, I think the beginning of the bed near the walk should not be a semi-circle but should be the big swoop at the start of a gracefully curved bed. If I can figure out how to draw on your photo and then post it I will show you what I mean.

Patty

I'm in Tallahassee also. Here's some ideas: croton, aucuba, daylilies (there's a great daylily farm east of town..$1 each), lemon grass, gardenia, hidden lily, California daisy, hibiscus, thryallis, plumbago. Regarding those curves...mowing gets a little funky! Big sweeps are best. I can see starting at that half-moon at the sidewalk and continuing to curve out and then start sweeping back in to the area just before your faucet and then curving back out gently starting at the banana and rounding off that front corner and out again in front of the two trees. I also suggest going by the Extension Center on Paul Russell Road to talk to them about ideas. I created new beds this past winter by putting down 6-10 layers of newspaper (nothing shiny); heaping mulch on that (cruise the neighborhoods!) and then in the spring simply dug holes where I wanted to plant things and, surprisingly, it has worked! This was over centipede (and weeds). The only place weeds came up was immediately around the plants where I had disturbed the soil. I've been pleased with how nice the soil is under those layers now.

thanks for the ideas. after a few days of work heres where I am at. I fixed the curves and made them larger more "sweeping" ... It looks better on the eye. I also got a cubic yard of eggrock and filled in the bed against the house.

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heres the left section of my driveway where I have 5 italian cypress trees planted along the fence. I put the rest of my eggrock on this narrow planting bed. The trees are evenly spaced although the camera angel is playing tricks.

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As far as the far right corner of the eggrock bed where the banana trees are. Next month I am gowing to my grandparents farm down in south florida where he grows washingtonia palm trees. I am hopping to bring one back with me (8 -10ft) or so. If i can get it up here, i will be relocating the banana tree and elephant eears and the misc lirope to the rear house (next project). that why that lil corner doesnt have egg rock down yet, plus the rock looks funny comming to the base of a banana tree. plus after the fisrt freeze in winter it turns to mush and a washingtonia palm would be great there. I do have a few places in the rear of my yard that will have plenty of palms though.

Sheila,
Where Can i find crotons that are hardy to our zone? I did a search and couldn't find anything that would survive outside. I always considered them houseplants here. I would love to plant crotons in with my cannas, they hold there leaves year round?

I do like acuba and should get some of those to help screen that side bed

also what is the Extension Center?

thanks,
Luke

Luke - here's the website for the Leon County Extension Service http://leon.ifas.ufl.edu/ - tons of info...you can check out all the articles written in the past many years. They also have Master Gardeners manning their phones you can ask questions to.

As far as crotons - the bright colorful ones won't survive a 'killing' frost but can take cold - particularly if they're in a protected spot. They do keep their leaves. You might also go down to Just Fruits and Exotics below Crawfordville or visit their website for recommendations http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/