I think it will look great! Your house cries out for pickets with flowers bursting over them. If your husband is the mower of lawns, just keep the edges easy for him to maintain.

My mind's eye sees a climbing rose on a trellis to the left of the door. It would be easy to pull the bench away from the house and group more containers under the two window boxes. Even something up a trellis IN a pot. That wouldn't require any digging of beds, if your husband gets tired of gardening after the fence job.

Hi Karabella - here's my two cents. I just love your house the way it is. But I would rework the bed on the right and put the fountain in a separate island bed in the front yard. Remove the bushes and put those on the left in place of the bench. Keep the raised bed and make it a flower bed. My flower beds get mostly morning sun (and it's still about six hours of sun). I still grow russian sage, guara, miniature hollyhocks, dwarf lupines, zinnias, lavender to name a few. Maybe even move the bench on the left with the fountain so you can sit and listen to the water. If you get at least five or six hours of sun you can still grow part-sun plants.

Just my opinion - welcome to the group!

Estelle

Matriarchy,

Thanks for the vote of confidence. :) I like the idea of a trellis on the left of the door. I never would have thought of that. And I think when we redo the sidewalks, I'm going to have the sidewalk on the left come out into the yard more (a curved path of stones to the front door, so that I can maybe have room for a flower bed under those windows?

Estelle,

Thanks for your ideas. I have thought about leaving it and redoing the flowers. I hate those bushes. They have thorns on them! OUCH. If I move the fountain I will have to use an extention cord through the yard. Not sure I want to do that. I guess we could have it direct wired underground or something? Or, I guess I could leave the fountain where it is and bring the bench over by it. Hmmm.....

Keep the ideas coming! Thanks!!

Not sure how much space you have in your front yard or where your sidewalk leads to but I can see a picket fence across the front (maybe about 20' from the house) on both sides with an arbor over the sidewalk - to the right (looking at the house) have a nice courtyard with the bench that is under the left window and the fountain that is under the right window. Your house is really suited for a very sweet cottage garden look out front. Just depends on how much you want to tackle. Tell hubby that there will be less grass to cut *wink*....

Lynne

Lynne,

Yes! That was exactly my original plan. I really wanted a picket fence in the front yard with an arbor over the sidewalk, but our city code says NO to that. :( I was really disappointed when I found out. Apparently our code is like 45 feet from the center of the street or something like that. I measured it once and our house sits about where we would be allowed to start a fence. So, I'm still trying to get that picket fence in somewhere out front to make it look more cottagy. I had also thought about putting like one section of fence on either side of the sidewalk, but I'm not sure if that would be considered a "fence" or not. I would think it would just be yard decoration. I could probably call them and ask. :)

Thanks!

All good ideas so I'm throwing in another idea - paint the front door.. Maybe a nice country red or blue.. Now if it was me I would paint it purple, a nice dark royal purple. But red is my second choice. I like the picket idea but if you are going to do a curving walk etc.. maybe have your fence mimic the curve on the other side. Whatever you do will look lovely because your house already has the look and most important the feel of a cottage.

I agree that a picket fence would be perfect farther out. That's what they used to do to create a dooryard garden. Why not ask the city if you can do this? Explain it's a garden ornament, not a big, scary unfriendly fence. Maybe have a few photos from magazines or the internet. Your house is so perfect for that look.

Echoes,

I like the idea of a country red door, but not blue since the shutters are a hunter green color. I was previously thinking of a wood door to match the flowerboxes, so not sure which I will do yet. Thank you for your ideas!

Ginny,
That's true, I guess I could go to one of the city meetings and present something to them. I wouldn't consider that a fence, so maybe they will see it my way. There are tons of houses in town with picket fences right up against the sidewalk, although that part of the city might have a different code I guess??

Thanks!

Hi Karabella! Welcome to the Cottage! We just got a new Jack Russell puppy last night and my DD named her Bella. She's a cutie!

I think you have a perfect opportunity to use an arbor over the door to frame the in the porch a little bit and make it look more like a "porch" rather than a stoop. You could grow climbing roses and clematis mixed together up both sides. Nothing says "cottage" like roses growing up to the roof of a cottage. That would give you a true cottage feel even if the fence never happened.

As an aside I have found that when I want something my DH isn't really convinced on, I do the things he'll agree to and keep it really nice and neat looking. Then the next opportunity that allows me to bring the subject up again, I'll say to him 'well look how nice THIS turned out'. 'You have to admit it looks good and you can't say I don't keep it up'. What can he say? LOL Usually at that point he caves and we move forward.

Cute little house you have there.

MeMo

Hi, MeMo,

Your dog sounds adorable. I like that name! And I bet she's as hyper as my cockapoo puppy, Lily.

I LOVE the idea of an arbor over the door. We were looking into some kind of porch or roof over the door but nothing really seemed to look right to me, but that would look great, I bet. Thanks for the suggestion! And I'll have to try your plan on my DH. lol

Thanks!

my two cents..so many good ideas.

I like the red door..or any other bold color that suits your taste...

I think the fence is good on that side but I also think it should come much further forward if it was mine. About 6 foot in front on that lowest step so you could enter the mini garden on flat ground and then bring a sidewalk from the driveway and curve it softly to get there to invite those entering to linger and enjoy..even a bench along the way. I am a solid believer in the belief that a path to a front door should never be straight. How do guests reach the front door from your driveway now? Is there a sidewalk we dont see? Lots of neat potential and nice suggestions...you have a blank canvas. Good luck!

Your house just screams cottage garden. Are you sure about the 45' from the center of the street thing? Usually the city easement or "right of way" is no more than 10' in from the curb, usually less. I'd double check the 45' thing.

Those shrubs you don't like are Barberry and while they are pretty to look at they have terrible thorns. I'd get rid of them.

Instead of moving the fountain I would remove the low wall on the right side and extend the flower bed at least to the beginning of the steps. Or, terrace the flower bed and yes move the bench to that side. I agree that a trellis on the left side of your front door would look wonderful and you need some height in the flower beds. Since you get morning sun and afternoon shade consider Hydrangea.

If you decide to paint the front door I think you will be amazed at the difference it will make. A curved path of stones is a perfect idea and always looks better than "straight" concrete sidewalks. Are you thinking about doing that to the front walkway also?

Take a look at what Steven and Brian did in their front yard. Click on the link below and scroll down to see the before and after of the front of the house. If you really want to have your socks knocked off do a search on Steveningen in the Gallery and check out his 2007 posts.
Your house reminds me of theirs and is perfect for a transition such as they did.

Have fun and remember "Rome wasn't build in a day."
Vikki

Here is a link that might be useful: Picket fence w/arbor

Keesha,

Thanks for your comments. You can see the concrete sidewalk on the left as it goes across the front windows and back along the side of the house. That is how guests approach the house.

Vikki,
Thanks for the link to Steveningen's house. I love their front arbor and picket fence. Yes, all of the sidewalks will be replaced with stones eventually. I know it will take awhile, but at least we are finally getting started with some kind of landscape. We've only lived here for 2 years. Thanks!!

gotcha....I thought that was some kind of bed edging.. :) BY the way, welcome!!!

Here's another suggestion, for what it's worth...

I didn't "plant" the new beds on either side of the walkway but I did amend and prep them. You get to pick out the flowers you like! LOL

I hope you can see that there is a bit of roof over the expanded landing in front of the door (it's so nice to be able to get out of the rain while fumbling for your key). It also centers attention on your front door - very welcoming, doncha think?

Lindakimy, that really looks great. I love the roof over the door, it's a seamless addition and really does make the entry look so much more homey! I also like the door color that brings in the color of the window boxes....Nice virtual! Everyone's gonna drive you crazy to do virtuals now that we know you can LOL! Hope you enjoy doing them!!

MeMo

Linda,
That is way cool! Now can you enlarge the window planters or put one under each window and put a trellis up the left side of the porch? It looks like her lot slopes to the left down to the street. If she enlarges the bed (which she really should do) she would probably need to build some kind of low retaining wall coming up from the left side?

Is the virtual software free on the internet?

Vikki

Linda,

WOW! Thank you! That just looks great! I actually kinda thought about those wings on the sides of the house, but the sidewalk does go back along the left side, so I also thought of a gate there too. Anyway, I do like the porch. It does feel more homey! And I kinda like the color of the door. And woohoo! I get to pick out my own flowers. ;) hee hee

Thanks!!

Thanks, y'all. I would have done a more finished job but I was sneaking it in between actual jobs at work. (blush)

No, Vikki, that's PhotoShop. I'm a designer so it's always at hand...but definitely not free.

I agree that the window boxes would be nice if they were as wide as the windows. That would have been the next thing I'd have done. I like the idea of the wooden door!

If I lived there I'd probably move the walkway away from the house (along the driveway) and have another flowerbed along the foundation behind the "wing" on the left side. Just my opinion, though.

I'm not seeing where the retaining wall would be but they are always kinda cool. I like changes in ground level in the garden, don't you? And stone walls can be so beautiful!

Karabella...you'd better get busy planting or I'm going to be unable to restrain myself! LOL (Must plant roses...must plant roses!)All that perfectly prepped bed should be filled with delicious bloomy things!

Linda,
That's perfect!

Karabella,
Was I correct about the slope of your yard? A gate at the wing on the left side of your house would look great.

Vikki

Yep, perfect!

MeMo

wow.....great improvement...

Linda, that looks great. I love the trellis up the side of the door and we do need to buy a new front door and I was thinking of going with a wood to match the window boxes. So, I like that you did that! Thanks!

Vikki,
Yes, there is a little bit of a slope by the driveway, and the yard also slopes down from the street. Here is a picture of the side of the house. It definitely needs some work. We are going to build a deck/porch for the side door that goes to the edge of the house so we can hide our trash cans under it. I hope that will look okay. Also there is a patio out back, I'll try to post a pic of that too. I want to put a white pergola over the patio someday. We also want to put new siding on eventually. Thanks so much for all of your ideas. I can not wait to get started on this project. I will definitely post pictures of the progress. :)

Side of house:

gosh what a great blank slate...soooooooo many places to work at and improve! I can see a roof/or awning completely over that back area and great gardens and lawn space to make family memories....really really nice. Share as you go with us. I love to watch progress.

Yes, it really is going to be fun doing stuff to this house. I need to convince my DH to put a pergola on the entire back patio, maybe fixed to the side of the house so we can have a porch swing. He wants everything open, no roof over the patio, etc. But hey, it's no fun hanging out on the patio in the summer heat watching your child play on her swingset! lol That is my argument.;) The back of the house gets the hot afternoon sun, so it would be nice to have a pergola someday.

Karabella, your house has great bones. I love what Linda has done with it, it looks so homey and inviting. Keep us posted on your progress, it's going to be amazing.

Okay, here I am thinking more and more about Linda's design and duh, the reason I wanted the picket fence around the garden is because we have deer that come through our yard often. I doubt they will eat roses, but what about the other cottagy plants?

the deer will *definitely* eat your roses. roses are like candy to them.

Your garden will be like an all you can eat buffet. Some plants are "deer resistant" meaning the deer will eat something else if it's avialable but if food supply (that they like) is not there they WILL eat the deer resistant plants. It takes at least a 7 ft fence to keep deer out of an area. Check GardnersSupply.com for fencing alternatives. There are sprays and things that you could also try but most of them have to be renewed each time that it rains. The other suggestion would be to get a dog that doesn't like deer. I live in the country and the deer come close but they stay out of the yard due to the dogs.

MeMo

Well, so much for a pretty yard. lol I just thought the deer wouldn't eat the roses because of the thorns. I'll try to think of something! Thanks for the info!

Don't despair just yet. I checked a fact sheet from Rutgers (NJ) Cooperative Extension, "Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance" and this is just a fraction of the plants listed:

Annuals rarely damaged: Snapdragon, angel's trumpet, dusty miller, cleome, larkspur, snow-on-the-mountain, heliotrope, sweet alyssum, forget-me-not, nicotiana, poppy

Biennials: Common foxglove (digitalis purpurea) is rarely damaged; seldom severely damaged are sweet william, money plant and forget-me-not.

Bulbs rarely damaged: Allium, bluebell, snowdrops, daffodil.

All ferns seem to be rarely damaged.

Groundcovers rarely damaged: Lily of the Valley, sweet woodruff, others

Lots of ornamental grasses are listed as rarely damaged.

Perennials rarely damaged: Monkshood, anise hyssop, wild and European gingers, purple rock-cress, baptisia, threadleaf coreopsis, corydalis, bleeding hearts dicentra eximia and d. spectabilis, hellebores, dame's rocket, iris, lavendar, statice, rose campion, forget-me-not, peony, Russian sage, pulmonaria, garden sage, lavender cotton, lamb's ear ... And a whole long list of others seldom severely damaged.

Shrubs rarely damaged: Heather and heath, daphne, caryopteris, broom, pieris ... and a long list of more seldom severely damaged.

Vines seldom severely damaged: American bittersweet, winter jasmine and wisteria.

That's just a taste; there are six pages in all! Below is a link to the Rutgers site for this publication; you might find it easier to download and refer to the PDF version, as the plants are grouped a little more clearly. Latin names are provided as well.

As others have said, your house has wonderful bones and Linda did a great job with Photoshop. What fun it will be (as well as hard work) to make your dreams for your home and yard a reality.

FYI, at the front of our house I did create a little garden similar to the one you originally proposed. It is between the driveway and the front door, southern exposure, and was to be my "winter garden" ... but then we built a pond in the back yard and now we seem to gravitate there no matter what the season. It's still a lovely, welcoming spot, though.

Please do keep us posted ... I'll be looking foward to seeing some updated photos when you're ready.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plants Rated by Deer Resistance

I posted a photo of our "Winter Garden" under construction in the Gallery. Now the beds just behind and in front of the picket fence are filled with small shrubs, perennials and bulbs that take turns flowering from the end of January through October.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Garden

agardenstateof_mind:

Thanks so much for the list of plants. That gives me some hope! I think I'm going to go for it and try to use various types of repellents and see how that goes. And thanks for the link to your garden. I love your stone path and arbor. It looks like a wonderful place to sit and relax!

Kara

lindakimy,

I love what you did with this design!

I'll be posting a couple of pics of my house in a couple of minutes, I'm begging for help too using roses and a white picket fence.

Will love to see your ideas.

Thanks,
~Evie

PS: People at the Rose Forum suggested I post here:)