Did an inside remodel last year, outside needs a lot of help..

lmhall2000

15 years ago

That's the outside of the front, I figured I'd work on the front first and then make it around to the back..

I've never had boxwoods or hollies (not sure what those green round bushes are) and really not sure how to prune them or when or what tool would be best...I've been letting them grow this year to see if I can get them all cut to an average size...behind them are nandinas that kind of get hidden but atleast they fill in...on the garage side of the house which you can't see are prickly lorapetalum (sp?) or something similar that were abused by the drought we had last year and not sure I want to keep them...but I need something with height..I'd like to rip out all the lorapetalum stuff and replace...

At the front of our front stairs there are two large prickly maroon (lorapetalum?) bushes that are a beast, but next to boxwoods what would give a welcoming appeal to our entrance? This side of the house faces North and we do have large oak trees out front...very large oak trees...but some sun does get in there...

{{gwi:21088}}

I was gifted with about 300 tulip bulbs coming in about 3 weeks and I need to find a way to make a big tulip bed...I don't have the patience to plant pockets here and there..figured one big annual bed somewhere around the front or two...

I'm inspired by the homes in New Orleans (lots of boxwoods with azaleas sprinkled in..just not sure if I should put the azaleas in front or behind the bushes....or if they'll get the needed sun

Sorry to be so long, just have no clue how to dress this landscaping up...we're in North Alabama (zone 7 in some books)

Would love help!!

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Comments (28)

lpinkmountain
15 years ago
I think you do have sort of a clue, apparently something having to do with a style you have seen in N. Orleans. I've never been down there, so I'm having a hard time imagining what you're looking to do. Seems like you've got two issues--one is how to prune and take care of the plants you have. First I'd find out what they are (try the shrubs forum or get some books from the library, or call your local Cooperative Extension) that will help you figure out how to care for them. You can find good tree and shrub care advice online and in books.

Now you have said you want to do something to the outside, but from your post I'm having a little trouble imagining what, since like I said, I have never seen the kinds of houses you are describing in N. Orleans. You might get more help if you tell us more about your goals.

Azaleas and boxwoods are both a pleasure to grow, I would suggest researching their varieties, care and height. That will help you decide where to put them/how to arrange them in your yard. As for the tulips, I love the look of a bid bed/drift, but I'm sure you are aware of the fact that after they are done blooming you will have a big bed of sorry looking brown leaves, so you'll need to think either about a succession of plants to cover up the dying tulip leaves, or some kind of ground cover that will cover up things. I've never done something like that so maybe someone here can chime in about their experience.

I don't think your situation is unique, a lot of people start with what plants they have, and plant that they get from friends or neighbors or what appeals to them at the garden shop on a given day. But landscaping kind of goes the other way, you think about the kind of "look" you want to acheive, think about your uses of the space and goals for the space, both from a pratical and aesthetic point of view, THEN you think about what plants will help you acheive that look and those uses.
Frankie_in_zone_7
15 years ago
Loropetalums are not prickly; you may have barberry.

I'm not too much help, except to say you might start with reading some books on how to get started in landscaping, which from your post might include roughing out a drawing of your home, sidewalk, driveway and so forth and thinking a bit about what you want to accomplish.

If you're just trying to "plant something" by your front walkway, that's really an okay way to have some fun while you're thinking about the property in a more general way; azaleas aren't that expensive and aren't hard to remove if you don't plant the humongous Indicas (which would be too big for that area, anyway), so as long as the bed is not in full sun, and you can supply water regularly until established, you could have some fun with stuff there.

However, if you're the type that wants to make the decision once, plant and not have to re-arrange, then you'd need to give some more thought to the size of the bed, whether you plan to leave the walkway as-is, learn more about what types of shrubs you like, or don't, when you want bloom or interest, and all that.

Then, your photo isn't that easy to "read" in terms of how the house placed on the property, and what types of hardscape and plant material would enhance it, or anything about what your family "needs" from the landscape.

Will your tulips re-bloom? A lot will not do so very well, plus the issue of what you've got before and after they're gone, so I personally wouldn't want to focus my landscaping efforts on the 300 tulips, since you've got to create a pretty large and deep planting bed to accomodate them--any chance of putting that gift on hold until you know what you need? But, perhaps you have the time and energy to develop a single-season display that is fun and dramatic, and if so, enjoy.

It's a lot of fun to explore--read, surf the net, drive around and look at properties that "speak" to you.
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Okay, I just did one of the bathrooms this weekend. Some notes: -I did not use the grout removal saw, the seams/gaps were too small and I did not want to damage the tiles. I did this by hand with a small flat blade screwdriver (lots of scrapping!) -Filling up the tub with water makes a difference! Some of the cracked grout was pushed inside and i could not get it out. I put water in the tub and vacuumed one more time and viola, more stuff made it out! -Considering it's silicon, the fumes were basically non-existent from the caulk (100% silicon caulk) -3 corners are a pain in the butt to smooth out! You smooth out two corners and the 3rd gets messed up! Rinse and repeat! OCD doesn't help here either. -My legs/arms hurt due to the funky positions I had to get into to remove grout and caulk! (ugh) -I'm surprised I did not fall into the tub when it had water in it! I have a question in regards to applying caulking around fixtures (what I'll need to do with the other bathroom and kitchen). What's the best (maybe easiest) way to caulk around fixtures that are in your way? Obviously when they first grouted the fixtures weren't there so it easy. I don't want to remove the fixtures, any suggestions? Put caulk on my fingers and goop it in? Thanks!
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lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks a bunch!! I have spent thousands (literally) of hours on landscaping/plantings..on the past 3 houses I completely landscaped everything myself..choosing all plants and locations...it was easier because we had the house built and they let me give them the landscaping plan...this is the first house we've lived in that I haven't had a 'clean slate' and I'm dealing with plants I haven't had to deal with before...

I did confirm the big round bushes are hollies (thanks to the growth pattern of leaves on boxwoods v. hollies)...I want to expand the bed around the left facing corner of the house to include a wrap around annual raised bed I could plant the tulips into....here's a picture of our last house I did

{{gwi:47882}}

I just don't like that they have nandinas behind the hollies because you can't see them from the street and it looks like hollies then brick..it is a barberry I believe that is the prickly thing...I'm taking a sample of the taller ones to my fave nursery for some help...

I've done so many sketches of landscape design that I just want to go create something...I know I should write it on paper first, but today's my birthday and I'm itching to just start hardscaping! :)

Thanks!!
Tara
pls8xx
15 years ago
What stands out to me ...

"on the past 3 houses I completely landscaped everything myself"

"this is the first house we've lived in that I haven't had a 'clean slate'

"I've done so many sketches of landscape design"

"I know I should write it on paper first"

So?
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
So!! I need help! :) When I did all those sketches/planning before I was either childless, or the kids went to bed at 7pm..or I didn't homeschool three kids in different grades, act as head coordinator for a scouting troop, coordinate the Spelling Bee for 400 families, teach Latin and German, have a new puppy to house train, taking the kids to fencing, gymnastics, piano, horse lessons, boy scouts, service projects, robotics competitions, training two horses on my own, are you getting the picture? I would love to sit down and figure out all that..but I had hoped that someone here might have a similar situaion or already been there done that and could share some helpful plants/success on tweaking an existing landscape...I would NEVER have been able to remodel this house if it weren't for the house forums...you guys are great and such a help in a pinch...I'm in a PINCH now and could really use some help...

Any helpers?

Thanks!!
Tara
catkim
15 years ago
So... let it go. When you have the time, flip through some books, fiddle with a small area. Start close to the house and work outward. Dig in your bulbs where you will see them every day. Skip the grand schemes for now, and let your garden expose its seasons; over time it will reveal itself to you. The ideas will come when they will come. You have trees, you have a lot of grass for the kids to run and tumble on or hunt eggs in spring, keep it green and tidy and let it go. Boxwoods or whatever are not important, give yourself permission to be busy with your family.
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
Catkim...gardening is "MY" thing...it's my rest and respite in a busy time...it brings me such joy..in a way that all the other hats I wear can't...wish I could let it go but it's the oil that keeps me in top form! :) I already fiddled with a small area..I created a perennial garden around my small storage barn...hollyhocks, daylilies, clematis, four o'clocks, moonflower, clematis, oh about 15 other perennials...it's set for pruning and planting my fall annuals...but now I'm on to the front of the house...I just can't create that tulip bed without correcting the issues in the front...kind of like I can't cook dinner if the pantry isn't organized...my life flows better when I have a space that brings me cheer and rejuvenation...

1. best way to prune hollies (surely someone here has been there done that..reading 20 articles on pruning hollies and I still wouldn't get the tried and trued way from experienced holly pruners.)

2. What good foundation plants could I use instead of the nandinas, they're not being seeing...thinking of pulling them up (possibly re-planting them in FRONT of the hollies) and planting yew densiforma behind the hollies and small azaleas in front of the holly/or nandina..or would grasses look better sprinkled in?

3. For any who have created tulip beds...any tips in preparing the beds?

Thanks for any help...
Tara
cayuga2008
15 years ago
Ok, I'll jump in, even though you seem to be more experienced than me! Your house is beautiful, but to my eye, it needs a little softening. I can't tell if from the road, you would look through those large oak trees to see the house, and if that softens it. If not, I would add a small blooming tree off-center, like a crab. I think I would add azaleas too, maybe one or two to break up the horizonal line of the peripet out front. Another way of softening that horizontal line would be to add a few rectangluar (or maybe round?) planters that would spill out over the peripet. Still another idea is to add a clematis climbing up one of the corner posts, although I'm not sure about that one.
Do the front stairs lead to a walkway? If so, maybe you could do something with that.
Mary
duluthinbloomz4
15 years ago
Have to brush up on my architecture a little, but your home seems to be the Low Country style. Should be a variety of images on the web with many of them showing landscape treatments to give you some basic ideas of where you want to take it.

As for tulips - and N. Alabama being light years away from N. Minnesota - if you have clay soil, adding some good compost and amendments would be recommended. In your zone, if winters are mild, the bulbs would need a period of chilling before planting. Many types of the Holland bulbs will not return a second year without the cold period to trigger a new growth cycle. Lot of work digging, chilling and replanting hundreds of tulip bulbs. Guess my thoughts on tulips is to plant them and hope for the best without making the beds, drifts, whatever a landscaping focal point. Or simply stated, put them in and enjoy them as annuals.

As an aside -Check out the Texas tulip, Tulipa praecox, a fire-red tulip that has been naturalizing in Texas for years.

And lastly, here tulips are deer candy. I have a few that come up every year; I've yet to see their blooms.
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks so much for your help!! YES!!! That horizontal line is what is bugging me, I thought about creating a climbing vine to go up around the two pillars to frame the opening..but not sure if those take over (confederate jasmine, or similar?) over time and will be more trouble than they're worth...

For my birthday I found a wonderful rectangular pot but there was only one..trying to figure out if I can play feng shui and manage with one and maybe put a bench of pots on one side...I've even seen people plant a row of weeping annuals on the brick peripet to soften it...not sure how they did it but it looks great!

My tulips are from Van Engelen? They will be shipped in about 2 weeks..so I've got to get started...I really don't think they'll come back but there are also about 20 bulbs of naturalizing bulbs I was going to place under around the oaks. We have many deer at the back of our property but none have ventured close to the front because of the busy street and fencing we have going around the property...but maybe when they're spent I can throw them behind our property and they can enjoy a smorgasborg! :)

Thanks so much for the tips on what type of house this is..I call it standard red brick with 3 dormers! :) Low Country sounds much better and will help me look for ideas!!! Thanks so much...y'all are relaly helping!!!

Tara
enailes
15 years ago
Your house and yard are beautiful. If it were my home and I wanted the New Orleans looks, I would paint the shutters a dark green or black, change out the square posts to round ones, and hang flowering baskets/ferns from the porch roof line to cascade down. Wrought iron is an important element in creating that look as well. I would even put louvered shutters by the front door. New Orleans landscaping is very formal with boxwoods and trimmed hedges and cascading flowers in ornate settings.
Frankie_in_zone_7
15 years ago
I think you will need to focus your question or area of interest. "Landscaping the front" is pretty vague, but especially so with just the photo posted--what exactly is the front? Are you just focusing on the planting area between the walk and the foundation? If so, you need to know the exact dimensions, need to know the light conditions ("gets some sun" isn't very specific). What do you like best--boxwood is shinier green and more formal, or do you want the typical Southern blaze of spring glory with a row of azaleas, or would you tolerate some variation with some hostas and ferns, bulbs and other plantings? I don't think anyone can give you an exact roadmap, but certainly need more about the area you have in mind because can't tell even whether it's sized for just one shrub deep, how big, etc.

If you're thinking more of the whole front as you view the house and approach from however you drive up or drive by, then one would need to see a photo that gave some perspective.
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks everyone!!

Here are some more specifics...I'm really focusing on the foundation plantings...those that are existing and maybe extending the bed on the left out some so it will give me some 'depth' rather than just having an 8 foot row of plantings going around the house...

There is a sidewalk that leads up to the front steps..just a straight horizontal line, in a perfect world I'd redo that in a heart beat...add curves. But no time for that right now...but since there is no concrete to the left of the front steps I'm thinking I can create something there...

Here is the landscaping in a nutshell

On the right hand side..there is 8 feet of bed to work with..right now just hollies and 3 barberry type things planted behind them under the garage windows. I'm thinking of taking the barberry prickly things out and putting in yew densiforma and then just using the 1 foot space between the hollies and the sidewalk to sprinkle in some impatiens in the summer,

Just in front of the porch area I have again about 8 feet of planting space, they planted nandinas and hollies..you can't see the nandinas from the front of the house because the hollies are the same size. there is about a 2 foot gap between the nandinas and the porch so it's big enough to handle a bigger plant, just not sure if I want densiformas to run the length of the entire house...trying to find something else...the porch is almost 5' from the ground..so if I do remove the nandinas and replace them...would azaleas work there or would they be overgrown...not sure if they have enough space...about 5' from hollies to porch.

Wrapping around the corner there is a large forsythia...I would just like a nice sweeping design for that left corner as I'm kind of stuck in a rut on the right being limited by the sidewalk...also that little section in my house that separates the garage from the porch..there is nothing planted there..my electric meter is in that corner..but it would be nice to think of something to fill in that void.

Thinking maybe a climbing vine on that side and bringing a chain up around the corner of the porch..

I would LOVE to change the shutters and change the columns to nice round ones...it would definitely change the look!! We're hoping to re-roof in a few years and that was in my plan to do all those changes at once. Thanks for helping me visualize it!! That's exactly what I'm going for, I just loved the homes on St. Charles street that were really simple in their landscape, maybe 5 plant specimens but the flow of them worked great! I do love otto luyken laurels and considered those in front of the porch, but I thought that would be too much green...

Thanks!!!
Tara

I will post some pictures tonight!!
enailes
15 years ago
Yes, I love New Orleans and the look as well. My house and yard is a mixture of New England meets New Orleans, I love both looks and couldn't decide on one so I combined them. I'm debating whether to paint my red brick walkway with a white wash to age it. After looking at your house somemore, (I'm not a professional) but if you didn't have any columns on your porch, you would immediately have that look too; however if their supporting the roof, that won't work. Little things like ornate urns on the porch, balloon curtains in the windows, brass or bronze lights, etc., will add to that french southern style. I just changed my foundation plants to the laurels and love them.
karinl
15 years ago
You seem fixated on the nandinas being a bad idea but it seems to me that they may have been planted with growth in mind. They do grow to a good height, are actually quite nice close-up (though not exciting precisely), and will soften the line of your porch when they do. They're a nice contrast with other evergreens too, both broad leaf and coniferous.

It always feels to me like nails on a blackboard when someone mentions deciduous plants and landscaping in the same breath, and so clematis is not something I'd hang my plans on.

I also have to say honestly that I look at your photo and think "foundation plantings - why??" I would encourage you to take a step further back. It's a nice house, needs no grounding, and I think would benefit far more from gracious grounds as a whole than from foundation planting of any kind; an estate planning approach rather than the knee-jerk formulaic suburban method. Not that I feel strongly or anything :-)

Obviously it's your house and yard, and you've got to love it, so you'll do what expresses your preferences. But if it's objective input you want, it might not be foundation plantings that you get!! Me, I'd suggest leaving the foundation plantings alone till the nandinas grow at least, and doing something with the rest of the yard.

And to help you with that, we'd need more context through photos or a plan view.

KarinL
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
Great ideas!! I'll get those photos in here today, not very good ones due to the shade casting on them...about to take more...my problem is the Nandina's have been growing for 9 years, if they haven't topped the hollies by now, will they ever? They're not getting height, just spreading out...so I have two bushes that are the same height...that's really bugging me...and I don't want to trim the hollies back one foot down, it just doesn't look right...

Pictures will show better! :)
Tara
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
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Does that help? Hope it's not too much!!

Tara
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
Would the densiforma yew be too big for the space behind those hollies?...Thinking of uprooting the nandina and creating a cluster of them in an enlarged side on the right with maybe a japanese maple and semi-circle to include a swath of annuals where I could plant my tulips coming?
Tara
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
I made a start, I'll take pics tomorrow...I had my husband chainsaw through those prickly things..3 of them are GONE!! YAHOO!! Next weekend I'll shoot for taking the three by the garage out and probably putting in either otto luyken laurel or densiforma yew if I can make sure there's enough drainage....luckly I don't have the thick red clay...this house was built on pasture that is nice light brown and very good soil...I'll add in some organic material...

I replaced those thorny things with Sweet Box...it'll fill in the space and in spring have a wonderfully fragrant smell right by the front steps...in front of those I planted a few dark liriope...placed a fall display of Cinderella pumpkins and on the side where the other thorny thing was I planted a striped maiden grass that won't grow too large but will add enough contrast so as not to over whelm the corner of the foundation.

Years down the road I plan to take out half the hollies and completely rescape everything..but for now-trimming what I have and sprucing it up a bit did wonders....I'm going to be adding the bulbs in a bed alongside the back of my house where there is much more sun...

Thanks for your help, and I'll put some pics on there to show some improvements!
Tara
prairiepaintbrush
15 years ago
You gots foundation plantings, they are just rather uniform. I'd take a couple out and replace with a couple small trees, such as redbud or maybe a maple. Something with either blooms or pretty leaves. Also, something deciduous to add interest in the winter when your little shrubs are still all green.

You might think about roses in your sunny area, as near the porch as you can so you can benefit from the scent. I'll include a link to a place that sells mostly own-root roses (not grafted on other root stock) and they are hardy, easy to grow varieties. The descriptions are quite helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chamblee's roses
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks so much! I would love some roses that are hardy, I have two thornless rose bushes on the east side of the house and they grow beautifully there...YES! I'd love to plant a maple in that recess between the garage and the porch...thanks for suggesting that!! I went and discussed it with my local nursery and he said the problem is that the hollies should have been planted behind the nandinas but where they sit now if I let them take their natural form they will encroach on the sidewalk (the other side would be fine) and it would not look good...

I think I'll add that maple in when we sell the other house..any good specimens that won't grow more than 15 feet that y'all like??

thanks!!!!!
Tara
Frankie_in_zone_7
15 years ago
The nandinas look to be Firepower or similar strain and so typically stay short, although if left alone in shady area can get3-4 ft and leggy--but they are not the nice lacy variety and do not make berries.

That was a barberry on the end.
lpinkmountain
15 years ago
I have a fireglow japanese maple in my yard and I just love it. It does not have a large spreading crown like bloodgood and also is much smaller 12-15 feet at maturity. It also lives up to its name with spring and fall color. It is also more tolerant of heat and sun than bloodgood.
prairiepaintbrush
15 years ago
I'm afraid I can't advise on maples, as they do different things in Texas than elsewhere.

I invite you to just dig those Nandinas out and be done with them! LOL! Or better still, put them on Craig's List or Freesale and let someone come get them for free.
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks so much!! Fireglow, I don't think I've noticed that one...most ones around here are bloodgood or laceleaf...thanks!! Ya know, I never thought about putting those nandinas on Craig's list...hmmmm...

Now, I've seen the 'natural' growth of hollies...would you just let those hollies have their time growing or would you plant something behind them and keep them pruned in a round box? I really like the natural flow of hollies, but I don't think there's enough space on the right side of the porch to let them go....and I can't have some pruned and others not, or can I? or just pull the whole lot up and start fresh when I have the money, which at this time not looking good (two houses in this market, aaaagh!)

Need to get my updated pictures in..it really looks nice! :)

Oh and I found the perfect spot for my tulips...around a little barn looking storage shed where I planted a bunch of perennials, I'll just extend the bed out and plant all those tulips all the way around it! it should be easy, the soil is like butter there!! :)

Tara
Saypoint zone 6 CT
15 years ago
Just a thought...your bed edging looks like a metal strip if I'm not mistaken. These are usually installed flush with the soil/lawn. If they are indeed metal, they may pose a safety hazard if one of the kids falls on it. Even rigid plastic can cause an injury if they land on it in the wrong place.
enailes
15 years ago
Those hollies look great! Very pretty. You added spirea as well? The only thing I would change is to add a vertical element by the garage near your security sign and remove that bush.
lmhall2000
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks saypoint, I HATE that metal edging!! That's the first thing to come out this next weekend....I like a natural edge...I rent an awesome edger from Home Depot that cuts a perfect 6 inch depth and spits the excess dirt in a nice beveled mound into the bed...it's the heaviest thing, but it does wonders quickly!! I need to remove the grass that's there before I figure out how to design the extension of the bed...it's just too narrown on the side of the house and I want to sweep it out and include a smaller anchor tree..maybe that maple or another specimen.

Hmm..spirea's I like those, haven't added any of those, thought about adding pieris valley..I like their weeping form....just not sure what they do over a long period...I'm loving bringing this together and making it inviting...

Thanks!!!
Tara

Did an inside remodel last year, outside needs a lot of help..

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