Sorry, I don't know how to put a photo IN my post...

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb236/grullablue/Dsc02284.jpg

You copy and past the HTML tag here

Didn't you post this same area a while back? For plant selection, try the perennials forum. Also, go to the nursery, select a couple of plants you like the looks of, and try them. The only ways to get it done are to either teach yourself how to do it by reading and studying and trying out things for yourself, or to hire someone to do it for you. You won't get a design by putting together all of the various suggestions you get on the forums, but you will get suggestions for appropriate plants, and then you have to take it from there. That's how the rest of us did it. There is no magic bullet that makes it easier.

{{gwi:47842}}

I understand that. Suggestions for plants that may be appropriate is what I'm looking for. I'm teaching myself as I speak, by doing a lot of research, and asking a lot of questions.

Over on the Wisconsin Forum, one of the regular posters from your zone 5a has threads going through the alphabet A to Z inviting others to post pictures of letter corresponding plants. It'll give you an idea of what other Wisconsinites have success with. You have a lot of choices, as going to a local garden center would indicate. We all have our particular bias, so it would be a little unfair of us to tell you what to like.

I'd say get bleeding hearts, hostas, astilbe, trollius, and ferns for shady areas; fill in with annual impatiens and coleus for continuous color. For a sunny planting area: lilies, daylilies, sedums, iris, platycodon, roses, peonies, coreopsis, black eyed Susans, nepeta, Veronica, garden phlox, baby's breath.......... For shrubbery, you're always safe with more dwarf varieties of junipers, yews, mugos, hollies, rhododendron, spirea, mock orange, crab apples, flowering almond, potentilla, ninebark, viburnum, lilacs, hydrangeas.............

I just re-read my post, and realize it sounds snarky, which is not what I intended. What I mean is that sometimes you have to just dive in, even if you're not sure you're making the right choice. The perennials forum, shrubs forum or books are good sources for plant suggestions, but you're still going to be limited to what's available at the local nursery unless you mail order. I think the best way to learn is by doing.

Thanks, both of you! Hollies was suggested in your list,duluth, and I LOVE them! I may not have looked closely enough into them to find that there are small ones out there as well. Thank you much for that list, I have written them down! Viburnum (cranberry) is another one I really like as well! I will also go check out the WI forum right now!

So...if I used a few crimson barberries, maybe a couple viburnums, what color JM would you suggest? If I used these more red (or with red hue) accent plants, may I want to go with a small green variety JM? I'm having a hard time picturing it! Another one I found that I would consider incorporating around a JM, the gold barberry variety as well. (can you tell I really like barberries? LOL)

Thank you for the suggestions, off to the WI forum.
Angie

It's not help with plant selection (and that was your primary request) but this IS a landscape design forum, so I'm going to suggest that you take a hard look at your garden and reconsider the spatial layout and the placement and form of planting beds, especially the large, apparently raised one that predominates. It does nothing to enhance the character of your home or soften the hard edges or tie the structure to the ground plane. How the garden flows is just as important, if not more so, than what is planted in it.

Visiting the library and perusing any manner of home landscaping books can help you with this process. In the grand scheme of things, plant selection is really incidental to a landscape, as there are countless choices that will work for any given situation. In other words, plants seldom "make" the landscape, just as interior furnishings don't make the home. You need to consider the architecture of the garden as well. Right now, your garden doesn't really have any to speak of.

There's a lot of good stuff in this post that apply to the front.

Maro

Here is a link that might be useful: Previous post

. . . that APPLIES to the front.

Looking at the link on the other thread I see that there is a reason for the hexagonal bed was to hid some septic tank stuff. I agree with gardengal in that this bed is not helping. I would rethink the solution. If you felt a raised bed was the solution then maybe you could make a larger one with an attractive stone or brick wall that enclosed the entire front area. The other approach would be a smaller scale approach that would hide the septic tank with a few shrubs or other items.

- Brent

Thanks, yes, the raised bed is for hiding purposes, I was quite frustrated having them there, right in front of the house like that, but we were at a loss as to what to do with that area, and my hubby came up with this idea one day while I was gone...and I came back to a surprise! Thanks...I value these opinions. Gardengal, you make some sense in your reply, and I believe that is an area I may not have good knowledge or insight on. I have been looking through all of the photo galleries here, hoping to find some ideas as well. Is it mostly because it is made of landscape timbers that it doesn't quite look right? Originally I did want to put in some sort of bed that had some curve to it, the objects that need to be masked are three in a row, however they are in a row not parallel with the house, but, in that photo, in a row from where I stand with the camera, to the front of the house. Maybe before I get ideas as to what...I need to rethink my decision completely and see if I can make the area better before anything is put in there.

Hmmm...that hexagon may make one nice, giant sandbox for my son! LOL

Thanks for the insight, I am not seeing what you are, so it really helps to get other opinions! I don't have the "eye" for this as I can tell some of you do!

Angie

{{gwi:47843}}

We established in the last thread that the hex bed isn't going anywhere, and if it's homemade with pride, it doesn't need to go anywhere. It can be worked with.

What's lacking here is not a design issue; it's something that only you can do for yourself: make a decision!! It is clear that you have plenty of plant knowledge and you know what you like and don't like. You don't need us, and we can't make a decision for you.

The worst thing that can happen if you plant something that isn't in the perfect place is that you have to move it. Just go buy something you like and plant it. Then buy another thing, and plant that too.

Take it one plant at a time, and you will have the perfect planting for you, and for that hex bed too.

KarinL

While Karin offers a valid point (necessary and made with pride), I'm going to disagree that this feature has to remain in its present incarnation. Regardless of how one disguises it, it is an eyesore, as it is so terribly prominant and does not relate to anything else. That is the first thing my eye goes to when I look at the photos and it detracts from everything else - just a large hexagon plopped down in the middle of the yard. There are other ways of approaching the necessity of dealing with the septic system in such an unfavorable location. A raised bed that connects with other planting areas with a softly curving arc made of stacked stone. Or a bermed area. Both can much more gracefully disguise the septic requirements yet still allow access. Just tell DH that his project was a reasonable first solution but it's time to consider a more well-considered aesthetic resolution.

I believe this is indeed a design issue - finding a solution to the problem that functions yet is aesthetically pleasing. And plant selection is incidental to that end.

It depends on whether you see the design as the endpoint, or a harmonious couple both feeling good about their house within the constraints that they have. I think harmony will require that the hex bed stays there, so I'd let it.

KarinL

Thank you, I am valuing all of these opinions! I want it to "look nice." I don't want it to look "makeshift..." example being when you're just getting on your own and getting furniture from yard sales and nothing matches anything...well, now I have a nice house, I'd like to present it nicely, show that I take pride in it! That hexagon can go somewhere else if need be, as we have 3 acres we could put it on! But the front of the house...I would like it to look its best. I really don't know a lot about plants.... I'm learning! I've gathered a few catalogs and taken notes of things I liked and didn't, researched them online, find more, etc. Basically, I'm appreciating the input, as I don't want it to look like it was just "thrown there," and I have not yet acquired an eye for this stuff! My next plan is to look for photos for ideas.... I have been thru the galleries here, now time to find them elsewhere!

(here is an extremely stupid question, I'm starting to look at peoples' landscaping while driving around town, and I'd like to know, when someone has a nice bed with some trees/shrubs in it, with mulch, what is done to get the transition between mulch and grass so nice?? Everything looks so perfect! Is the bed actually dug down a bit first, before mulching?)

The problem with a geometric shape, like a hexagon, on the ground is that it never looks like a hexagon except from the roof. It is really unfortunate that the septic system is right there too. Unless my eyes deceive me, the path that leads from the garage to the front door is concrete slabs, could you take these up? Then split the hexagon into two halves, leave the half nearest the garage where it is then place the other half against the garage and re-lay the path between them. An arch that stretched across the path would add cohesion to the design.

Neet idea!
But...the sidewalk really needs to stay......it's poured concrete....

Not so fast Penguin. If you like the idea but don't fancy taking up the poured concrete perhaps we can find some other way. Would you agree that a more defined walkway would help?Do you like the idea of something on both side of the ell?

I can look at the hexagon without wanting to go screaming into the night. I don't see where it's any worse than a potentially bad installation of an artificial berm with mulch and all kinds of stuff teetering on it. (I know, someone's going to say it doesn't have to be THAT way.) That being said, and for dealing with the box in the short haul, something simple with a bit of a cascading habit would soften the hard lines.

What does trouble me though, from pictures on the cited previous post, the back edge is quite close to the house. As it stands, even carefully selected foundation planting would still be nice foundation planting with a large hexagonal feature in front of it. If the box can be installed elsewhere on your large property, then you'd be left with what appears to be a more gentle mound to deal with.

But if the hexagon stays, how can it be incorporated as one element in a larger design? Looking at the house square on, maybe a short semi circular stone path from the left of the hexagon - heading forward - connecting with a larger, irregular bed with wide soft curves.

Perhaps a hedge along the whole lawn side of the sidewalk would provide a more finished look and get you started with an overall landscape plan.

PS. The really clean edging between mulch and grass is probably the beautiful but labor intensive trench edging.

Listen duluth, we are a month short of night time screaming but otherwise we may be on to a brainstorming session here. Some years ago, in connection with what I can't remember, mel talked about belly buttons being either inies or outies and this arrangement of grullables is turned in isn't it? This is what I have a problem with and long before we get to plants should we sort out the form?

To the most casual observer, the hexagon is obvious, but there's no reason to keep rubbing the OP's nose in the septic mound. I just took the original post as a deer in the headlights event - too frozen to go anywhere for at least the last seven years.

I'm listening and I hear you, but in a previous post, ink, you said, and I paraphrase, the best way to overcome being blocked staring at a blank canvas is to throw something at it. This canvas isn't exactly blank, but I felt like throwing something at it anyway. My aim isn't always true, but at least I try. Sure, plant lists are an anathema on this forum, but the OP seemed stymied on all accounts, so what's the harm in providing food for research or thought? Madison, WI., as opposed to East Overshoe (insert state of choice here), is sophisticated enough to have excellent garden centers, parks, arboretums, a good university, beautiful neighborhoods, landscape design firms - all of which the OP could investigate in the quest for her own problem's solution.

But since she came here, a less drastic solution to plastic surgery for that innie would be a gentle push toward taking out paper and pencil and to start scratching out some elementary designs - maybe even using something gleaned from the forums. I doubt there's any disagreement that an overall plan should come before digging any holes.

It sounds as if you are really starting from scratch if you don't know how to edge a bed. Get thee to the library and get some books out that explain how to plant, how to maintain, and how to design landscapes. How-to landscaping books don't always have a lot of pictures of nice installed landscapes, but some do, and many of the magazines do. Books about garden style, without the how-to part will have better pictures, see if your library has books by well known landscape designers and architects or if they can get them for you. Some libraries archive magazines and will dig them out for you, so it pays to ask if they have copies of Garden Design or Horticulture magazine. Start looking for pictures of front gardens that you like that have homes similar in style to yours. If you start buying magazines, you can rip out the pages and save them in a folder. This may be better than driving around the neighborhood, because you may only have DIY designs that are so-so to look at there.

Once you have collected some that you like, try to figure out what it is that you like about them. They will have something in common. They may have a lot of color, or little color but a lot of textured foliage with a more serene look. They may look cottage-y or mimimalist or whatever. They may be mostly lawn or have very little. They may be shady and cool looking, or sunny and bright. They may have a lot of warm colors, or mostly cool. Straight lines or curves.

Make a list of what it is you think attracts you to them, and how they make you feel, and refer to that list every time you are going to make a decision about your own plan. If the idea you have is not "in tune" with the goal of your design, don't use it.

You can use plants that will cascade over the edges of your raised bed and hide it. Microbiota comes to mind, there are others. Once the edges are hidden (do it on paper first) you can incorporate it into a larger bed that ignores it completely, using additional small shrubs and perennials. At this point you can use a curved bed or straight, whatever you prefer.

If you can manage to remove the ties, you should be able to plant some small shrubs that will camoflage the eyesores without having to build anything around them. I don't see why you'd necessarily need a berm, either, unless the soil is too shallow there to support plants.

Lots here to ponder, thank you. One poster mentioned how close the hex looks to the foundation. She is right. It is, I believe, about 3 feet from the foundation. Which I did see as a problem... I spoke with my husband tonight about removing his hex and just placing it elsewhere. He had an idea for it that I wouldn't allow in my front yard (LOL) and he could move it and do as he wished. There are garden centers in the area, and I have not yet been to all of them. I know I should not judge by the first one (and I don't want to name names here, because more than people just around here would know about it), I really felt out of place. I was getting snobby answers to what may have been stupid questions, but we all have to start somewhere! I have gotten far more information here than I have in the past 7 years of looking myself! I have found myself at a brick wall...I just couldn't figure out what to do.

The photos in this post, just to the left of the house in these photos is a big, green LP tank. I thought about conforming a bed around the septic stuff, and all the way over in front of that tank...to hide it with shrubs or the like. Otherwise, I was afraid a large bed, from the porch/sidewalk, along the foundation, and out to the last septic tank cover, would make the house look small. It does look pretty small from the front, I think, because our garage is not off to the side, but in front of the house.

I did say I'm completely new at this, yes. And I know that my question asking how to edge beds shows that. I'm reading up on anything I can. I'm driving around town looking, picking up magazines, looking at any articles I can find online, watching HGTV (which I'd never done before!), I'm doing whatever I can to educate myself. And asking questions, even if they seem dumb to others, is part of that learning process.
Thanks for the replies. I still have to go more thoroughly through all of these posts! Of course I'm thinking next spring now...as I have for the past 7 years, but at least this time around I've learned more through these posts...and I have all winter to ponder, design (I already have scribbled a diagram on graph paper, made copies, and just "playing!"
Angie

After fixating on the Hex, the negative space (grass) between the Hex and the walkway funnels the eye towards the middle window instead of the front-door.

It would appear that extending the Hex across the front of the house would eliminate much of your design issues. Also replacing the ties or covering them with a material more in sync with the house will build unity.

Thank you Isabella!
I'm looking at other available options...I think we've decided to get the hex out of there!

Angie

Good for you, Angie!! Sometimes just being open to the possibility that alternate solutions to a specific issue are available is half the battle. Once the hex is gone and the septic placement issue is considered with a different approach, you may find all sorts of planting opportunities opening up for you.

Keep us posted on how this project progresses.