Not that I'll be able to give you any brilliant advice, but I like to see a "close up" photo for detail, then a view from where someone might walk by the area. For instance, if there is a walkway to the front door that passes this area, photos from the walkway, or sidewalks, would be helpful. Then it's important to see the entire front of the house, for context, possibly including some of the neighbor's gardens, if you think it provides useful information. Think of it as the 'drive by' view.

Someone once used an aerial view, and I think we've seen more than one rooftop view, but usually these are not necessary!

"The island bed is an eyesore." I really appreciate your sense of humour Wellspring, I had a third nerve stroke a couple of years back that closed one of my eyes and that was not funny you are a model of how to deal with blindness ie you are not blind at all. Anyway, I think Catkim gives you most of it, the thing that most photographs shown here do not provide is the context. The visual aspects are only one part of the story. Read Miss Rumphius's list of what a designer needs to know on another thread here. I would also google the Chinese 'Philosopher's Garden'as there is a lot you may have in common.

Thanks for the tips, Catkim. I have been contemplating slipping back into forum anonymity rather than getting these photos. Odd things like not having got spouse or son to mow this week have me feeling uncharacteristically shy.

Ah well, pull myself up by the proverbial bootstraps. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. My friend will be by later today.

Ink, I'm glad you caught the humor it keeps me sane. My 15 year old son is convinced I can see. We have a running riff on his various "proofs". Could you give me another clue about the Chinese philosopher's garden? I came up with a few things, but not sure which you were referencing. I am a "Jack of all trades" intellectually, with pockets of depth here and there, but I'm a bit lacking in the Eastern philosophy realm.

As for the landscape design issues pertaining to my home, I am fairly clear. The existing features are not great. Things like the overly dominant driveway, the awkward entry area, and not much choice regarding a convenient place to store garbage cans out of view from the street. There's a drainage issue, an awkwardly placed exterior tap, a tiny entry stoop, and a lighting consideration through ground level windows into the lower floor. In these regards this is a sow's ear, and the best to hope for is to help it be an attractive sow's ear. So, to that end, I am hoping to show off the pig to its best advantage.

Hmmm I just called my house a pig. Affectionately, of course

Wellspring

Here is a link to wellspring's photos

http://pictures.aol.com/ap/myAlbums.do?albumId=16640.2416.1158882058187.1

That link didn't work for me.

My house is cut from the same cloth as the emperor's clothes, impossible to see with the naked eye.

Seriously, thanks for letting me know. I wasn't sure whether the link would work Mike is furiously toiling away to post the images again. He tried posting within the message. Didn't work. He tried putting in an active link. No go that way either.

Can anyone post simple instructions as to how to post photos within a message?

Wellspring

Open a free account at photobucket.com and store the photos there, (uploaded from your computer using the 'browse' button). Then to link into a post, I right click on the box labeled "Tag" under the photo, copy and paste into the message.

{{gwi:47650}}

{{gwi:47651}}

{{gwi:47652}}

{{gwi:47653}}

{{gwi:47654}}

{{gwi:47655}}

{{gwi:47656}}

{{gwi:47657}}

You have one enormous tree out front, which dominates everything--visually and also physically with its root system and the shade it casts. I'll be very interested in what the pros say about how to handle that.

What I notice is a yellow and white house with red brick and a dark grey roof. Yellow, white, red, grey. Too many colors that don't have much of a relationship to each other. I would think about changing the yellow to a pale-to-medium grey to coordinate better with the roof (grey would also look good with the brick).

This is an interesting spin on the old curb appeal question. I suspect that you have different wants from your garden than I do. Let me try to throw $0.02 into the pot...

With a three year timeline, it is not time to abandon your wants just for the sake of a potential sale. You also have plenty of time to plant smaller plants or seed grown perennials. If I knew that I was going to sell in three years, I would stick with my general landscape plant and just avoid expensive or very unconventional projects.

The tree is there and that is a fact. Some people might not like it some people may love it, but it would be very hard for me to remove such a tree unless it was a safety concern. I don't see a huge need to get rid of the island bed.

I see a lot of potential for the area near your front door. I would treat that as a type of courtyard and I would love to see a bench or to or maybe a small table. If you could work in something to make the front door more open and inviting that would be great also.

Many of the plants look a bit unkempt. Like that shrub on the front corner of the house (in one picture I thought it looked dead), the vines near the front door, and you already know about the plants in the island beds. When you get closer to putting a "for sale" sign in the front yard, make sure you focus on keeping things trimmed up and healthy. The cracks in the driveway and sidewalk stand out a bit also. I would clear the weeds out of the cracks and maybe look into some sealer.

Good luck!

- Brent

First a round of applause for Mike, who put up the pictures!

And, thanks again, Catkim

Some basics:
House faces south.
Zone 5 b.
Clay soil. Amended clay in some places.
Maintenance better be low, as I'm pretty much it.

Hoovb, thanks for the suggestion. I could see for the first 25 years of my life, so I can rather crudely imagine colors, contrasts, patterns, pictures, exteriors. Your point makes sense to me. I'd be curious to hear what others think about the house exterior Your question also underscores a basic constraint money. Realistically, and somewhat optimistically, we can now put about $3,000 - $5,000 toward outside work each year, less if our interior projects need to go higher than we expect. A 3 year horizon for us isn't particularly long as we will have to piecemeal the work needed.

So, Brent, you have an odd attraction to the island bed? I'm so tired of falling over it. This year I just let the weeds grow, and spent most of my time in the backyard. What would you do with this island bed? It's hellish to dig holes to plant anything in proximity to the maple. The hodge podge of plants in the bed were inherited when we purchased. I guess I'm thinking that removal of everything, leaving the maple, and siting one small ornamental tree might work better. Of course, my idea may simply generate other difficulties

A few of the plants in the foundation bed in front of the low wall are refugees from the island, temporarily relocated. Winter creeper, a Japanese stranglersucker, and the purple sand cherry (southwest corner of house) used to be the only occupants of this foundation bed. I think the purple sand cherry is the one you thought was dead. It's just old, and in person has quite a bit of character. If it goes, it would be further down the road. One thought would be to remove the metal edging and foundation plantings altogether, replacing old sand cherry with something planted slightly farther from the house. Biggest problem would be losing a mobility landmark (the metal border), which helps me to move across the front yard more quickly and know where I am.

Courtyard? I like the name. The concrete area at the front door is 4' x 9' and the planting bed is 20' x 9'. Unkempt? Yes it is. Again I find myself wanting tosimplify, then I succumb to planting in ground that seems willing to grow anything and isn't horrible clay. Too many different things. Sweet potato vine swallowing everything. Oh well, it meets my minimal bar. It is better than last year.

We have considered and priced paving the area. Sitting at a table in the morning light viewing the uh driveway. Of course, I could imagine other vistas. When there were two trees out front, this "courtyard" was quite shady. Now it gets morning light and sun until about 2:00p.m. and the bricks really bake, so I've wondered how hospitable it would be.

Driveway I agree. I've thought about a new driveway, possibly with brick courses spaced here and there. Brick paving the "courtyard". Brick again on the east side, replacing gravel path Some sort of planting bed on east side of driveway. Too much brick? $15,000 - $20,000? Brick pavers?

So, back to the island bed. Should it stay or go? Should I be looking at some other project to start with?

Wellspring

I think your original instincts are pretty good; remove the island bed and plant with grass. I like the little growies around the base of the tree, but the island would need work to maintain, and I sense you are past that. I wouldn't plant another tree, though. The one big tree is tree enough.

I like Brent's 'courtyard' concept. Perhaps some of the shrubs could be moved there, or just outside the brick wall where you now have several pots. A tall limbed-up shrub could cool things down.

I think the yellow house color is fine; the brick is not dark red, more of a peachy color (or so it seems in the photos). If the paint is not too old and holding up well, I'd leave it.

That said, my own house was the same yellow with brick planters, and we painted it taupe with white trim. The taupe has a red tint in the mix, not a green; the contrast makes the greens out front pop. I didn't plan that, it just worked out.

I understand the desire to fix the driveway, but I wouldn't do it while planning to sell. Too much $, not enough return on investment on the sell side.

Just my cheap two cents.

It's a maple? Yea, you don't want to try and grow anything under a maple...says the guy that just purchased a house with 3 maples in the front yard.

- Brent

Catkim, you have a good eye for color. Peachy, sandstone, orange undertones, softer than true brick some of the ways the brick has been described to me. Oddly, I never asked when we bought the house. I like the way you described the taupe working for your home and landscape. Taupe is one of those tricky colors for me to remember. Sort of a soft, browny-grey? Then I try to blend in a hint of red and I don't think you'd want to see the color in my head. But the way you describe it working makes sense.

The maple is good, Brent. We must love the maple, tune in to its vibes, accept its ways Did I tell you that the other tree in the island bed was a sweet gum? And, the area you dubbed the courtyard used to contain six inches of gravel and a 25' holly tree with a crew cut. It's only purpose in life was to shed leaves so that when I explored something in the bed in front of the wall, my hand would come up with a half dozen leaves sticking out of my fingers and I'd take a yowling step backwards onto a half dozen or so sweet gum balls clustered at the edge of the driveway, as hard and round as marbles.

Here's what I have in my mind's eye. Imagining an almost clean slate in front. All raggedy things removed, higgledy-piggledy pots gone. One large maple remaining.

Island bed gone.
Foundation bed gone?
Paved "courtyard". Material to be used? Seating arrangement?
Leave driveway as is, unless long-lost blacksheep uncle dies, leaving bequest.
East side of driveway? Trash cans inside garage? Remove gravel path. Replace with path from same material as courtyard? East side project might not make the cut in the 3 year time frame.

I'm leaving out trees / shrubs for the moment, although if we went with the paved courtyard area I think it would need shading.

Comments? Am I getting somewhere?

Wellspring

We recently put in a basement. Not knowing any better we painted the stucco the same pale yellow color as our siding. It looks amazing and pulls the house together visually.
I'd also have the driveway fixed. Can it be patched?
I think curb appeal is great but it was the lack of curb appeal that drew my husband and I to purchase our home. Spend less money on the project, put an "allowance" for landscaping in the package and you'll probably sell it quicker. I've seen plenty of homes here with the best curb appeal get sold to non gardeners who cant and wont maintain all the hard work the people who lived in the home did for them.

Have we reached a thousand words yet or with seven pictures are you expecting seven thousand words? O.K then. One practical thing to get out of the way: that garden hose has to go: being blind is one thing being blind with a broken neck; something else. The tree stays but the bed under it and the foundation planting goes, I think. surprisingly we are all agreed on that. Brent's 'courtyard' idea is 'brillo' as my kids used to say, if it weren't printed above I would claim that I suggested it. The colours of the house serve to accentuate the linear quality typical of that style of house and the maple is its perfect foil so that composition is spot on, in my arrogant opinion. Mature tree with nice grass is number one curb appeal. So back to to the courtyard. Could you enclose the area by building a screen on the side of the garage doors where the recycling bin is? I know those California blocks are a bit 70's but as you already have the motif a wall of these would not be too expensive, I am thinking as I type here and perhaps this could be more atrium than courtyard. Have a look at (just kidding) making this area an inside/outside thing, shame about the garage.
Need your input well.

Cool, Ink 224 words. Each one of them is appreciated, as I know this house isn't your cup of tea.

I wondered who would comment on the hoses. I dream about automatic watering systems. My husband purchases yet another attachment and hose. I've asked if he secretly desires another life partner. He grins evilly and attaches another hose Maybe that's another reason why a paved courtyard and simplified front yard would be an improvement.

Speaking of the courtyard atrium. I'm not sure I'm getting the picture. Could you post a mock-up of that? I'm flipping back and forth between the west side and east side of the drive. It comes from years of doodling houses with my brother and fighting over who got the Architectural Digest first and dragged it off for a long peruse while soaking in the tub. But I'm having trouble with the atrium. And I didn't know I had California blocks. Is that what the low wall is made of?

Ink, I think my house was designed to make you mental. What input would be helpful?

Wellspring

I couldn't think of this name earlier but Joseph Eichler is your man, not your replacement man I don't mean but the guy who designed a house similar to yours but always with a transition area that was both inside and outside. Atrium was the closest I could come to the idea. California blocks are those three concrete squares in the brick wall. The feel of the courtyard would be 'enclosure' perhaps with some things with an interesting texture that you don't have to bend down to appreciate. A place to sit and ponder.

I have mature pines and oaks around my backyard and trying to keep a nice lawn was so difficult that I opted for groundcovers. I'm not a pro like the previous posters, but I would consider shrinking the size of the island and planting more hostas. Hostas or epimedium can provide a simple and unifying groundcover beneath your maple and in foundation beds. If you have a 3-year timeline, then you can frugally buy lots of small hostas to fill in before your sale.

Wellspring: I had known your posts for expressing an uncanny inner vision, but before this thread I did not know you were blind...and I thought that you were a guy. Maybe I am not very observant...I thought that Frankie was one of the guys for quite a while also.

A sweetgum and a maple? I guess the guy that planted them thought that they looked cute when they were both 5 ft tall.

Gordon Hayward's book "Your House, Your Garden" has some great ideas for entrance and courtyard gardens. As I recall, somebody else posted that he recently release an entire book focusing on entry gardens...here it is..."The Welcoming Garden"

- Brent

Making plant suggestions for your climate zone is not something I feel competent to do, as zone 5 is another world from my zone 10 conditions. It does strike me that a lower wall placed further out towards the street to mirror the existing brick wall, but perhaps only 3.5 feet tall and 16 feet or so long, placed back of the maple could emphasize the horizontal lines of the house, give a bit of a private courtyard effect as viewed from your basement windows, and have massed hostas or similar shade plantings to the inside. Forward of the wall, a small multi-trunked shrub or tree to repeat the effect at the left corner of the house could also be nice, then perhaps a simple massing of ferns, grasses such as Miscanthus, Nandina domestica if hardy in your area, or some upright narrow shrub massed? If you also wanted to enclose the far right side of the driveway with a brick wall of same height as existing, and perhaps even encroach upon the driveway to create the semblance of a courtyard... Even better would be to gate/enclose this area nearest to entry, but this is probably more money than warranted for your neighborhood, and will not have the same resale value as creating more private outdoor space would here in California. A smaller tree in the inner garden near entry would also help frame the house and scale down the size of the lone Maple. Would a Bloodgood Japanese Maple, Purple Smoke Bush/Cotinus coggygria or 'Forest Pansy' Redbud work in your climate as an accent tree?

With the low horizontal lines of the house, and the relative simplicity of the front elevation, I would approach the revised plantings as a modernist one, with massed groupings of new plants to give some form and texture to compete with the focal quality that the Maple currently takes away from the rest of the garden. Keeping the area forward of the tree as lawn could then serve to frame the rest of the garden, and avoid the problems of trying to get things to grow at the base of a deeply shadind and surface rooting maple. For any new plantings, be sure to add lots of compost and fertilize and water well to get new plants established, and also check out what does well in your neighborhood under similar conditions. Just my 2 cents worth of advice...

The type of thing I had in mind is shown at this link http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news_features/real_estate/fall2005/Greenmeadow3.jpg

Anyone else have an earlier-than-usual cold? I haven't had a sore throat for years. I do this morning. Tired, too. Where's Mom with the tray of hot tea and juice? "I never get colds," I've been thinking to myself as friends at work tell me of unseasonably early sniffles, sinus headache, stuffiness. Ah, well, pride goeth before a flue

Isabella, I do have some hesitation about grass under the maple and elsewhere. In my mind's eye the simple composition seems to work best with the scale and style of the house. It also rather helps with the 3 year horizon. I am left with the following reservations:
1. In a simple composition it does seem that it better be "nice" grass. There are very few tweezer lawns in my neighborhood. You know the ones where a guy runs out with a mortified look on his face to tweezer out a tiny weed from an immaculate lawn then finishes by pulling sharp scissors from a back pocket to do a quick tidying trim here and there. I don't picture that level of care, but grass will have its own demands, and I'm not sure how well I'll meet them.
2. I am also somewhat put off by the mono-culture of grass. It pleases me that birds, butterflies, pollinators visit my yard more than just about any other along the street, or so my husband and son tell me. For the first time this year we had swarms of hummingbirds. They went for the hosta plantaginea stuck under the purple sand cherry (refugees from elsewhere) and 2 caryopterus in the island bed which finally received enough sun this year to bloom profusely.
Mentally, I like the cleaned up direction that these discussions are taking, but it also feels a bit sterile and lifeless.

Inkognito, my husband enjoyed a grand laugh on reading our exchange about hoses. He checked your suggested web address for a picture of something similar to what you are thinking, but it didn't make sense to him. Wish I could see? Perhaps I need to follow up on the Eichler lead and the reading Brent suggested.

Brent, I have been a bit of a mystery. That was sort of on purpose. Someone once wrote that an ordinary mystery is a "comprehensible uncertainty". Once the uncertainty is resolved, the mystery is no longer of interest. A "holy" mystery was, by contrast, an "incomprehensible certainty" and thereby forever fascinating. I don't think that I fall into the second category.

Bahia, love playing with all these ideas in my head. Kind of like vicariously reading a garden magazine. Your suggestions for plant material are ones I've considered. Where to put something remains a question. Reading back through this thread, I find the following:
1. My own suggestion to put a small specimen in front of the line of the maple. I see now why that doesn't work.
2. Replace the purple sand cherry at southwest corner of house. Is that something that still makes sense once the foundation bed is gone?
3. Exterior to the wall to provide shade to the development of a courtyard.
4. Interior to the wall. Tricky between house and driveway. Also, husband hated the holly tree in this position.
5. What about somewhere on east side of drive?

Tired, friends, and I now realize that I've spent an inordinate amount of time writing this response. I have Mondays off, so perhaps soup, a read, and a little nap.

Wellspring