New house, ugly landscaping, there's a newbie around

14 years ago

Hi there!

I've started working on my new garden yesterday. First time ever! I got a couple Heathers from Lowe's and some summer bulbs from Sam's Club.

What do you guys think of the Azalea + Heather + Nandina combination? It seems that Azaleas and Heathers make good companions. What about the Nandinas? They came with the house as did the Azaleas, and I'm open to alternatives.

On a side note, my 1st stupid mistake (and I've only been at it for half day): I planted my bulbs all over the place. I'll probably dig them up today and re-plant them in clusters. Oh, well. Maybe I'll just wait and see how it looks and wait until after growing season to move them.

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Comments (5)

stanhorst
14 years ago
Don't worry about your mistake. That's part of the fun and unique nature of gardening! Everything is to some degree an experiment. If we don't like how it turns out, just move it around later. :-) The primary exception to this is planting shrubs or trees in a place that is too small for them. Because when they reach full-size, it is very difficult to move them.

As for the combination, I like it. It is a unique blend of foliage, giving variety to your garden.

Stan Horst
Publisher: BetterBenches.com
avoirgold
14 years ago
Hey there!

I moved into a 30 yr old house ~5 years ago. When I moved in, all we had were overgrown evergreens (yew, juniper, arborvitae) and azaleas. We ripped out 95% of the evergreens and ~25% of the azaleas to make room for some other things. It has been quite a learning experience, but I have had a lot of fun.

Stan's comment about just moving it is a good one. However, around move 4 or 5 my hubby gets kinda crabby. Make sure to leave a couple feet between the house and shrubs to discourage termite infiltration (they like it dark and protected) and algae on siding. Also, as Stan said, carefully read the descriptions for shrubs and trees. They REALLY don't like to be moved, and sometimes they are too big to move once they start growing into your living room window or over the roof. Personally, I like to see out my windows. :-)

I didn't want to spend thousands on bulbs and planted them around. You can always fill in more in the Fall if you think the spacing is too sparse. Also, Daffs multiply pretty well and will fill in as years go on. If you move bulbs before they bloom in Spring, they will spend resources on reestablishing roots and the flowers will suffer. If the bulbs MUST move this year, I would wait until after they bloom.

You have quite the adventure ahead of you! BTW, we have a plant swap in May each year. We are still working on the exact weekend, but try to come. If you don't have plants to trade, just bring food. Preferably chocolate food. ;-) This is where I got A LOT of my perennials and such. I even got a tree one time. Swaps aren't one for one, so don't worry. Just come, eat, and have fun.

Jen

This bed was planted Fall 2006, and the picture was taken Spring 2009. The tree was just over a year old. The daffs really filled in.
From Jennifer Jungle 2009
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jardim_em_apuros
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the encouraging words, guys. I decided to just leave the bulbs alone for this season and see how it goes. As you said it, I can always move them later. I'll let them focus their energy on blooming for now.

I am also happy to report I woke up to a very nice surprise the other day: daffodils are springing out of the ground! The bulbs seem to have been planted right against the house, so I'll prob move them away from the foundation after they bloom so they have more room to grow.

I have a confession to make, though: I can't get myself to like the little arbovitae that's planted in the corner of the house. I don't know why. I'd love to see it gone and go with ornamental grass - I've always liked the way it looks in the winter. Does that make me a bad person?

I'll definitely keep an eye out for the plant swap. I'm sure I'll find someone willing to trade some for chocolate. I would. :)
lynnt
14 years ago
Nothing wrong with disliking arborvitae; they are weak-rooted, overused, and rapidly outgrow the space allotted them. Better to plant something more interesting (multi-season interest especially) a bit farther from the house. If you want a vertical accent, how about a hornbeam tree? Or any number of other shrubs that will bloom in one season, carry bright berries and present a lively fall display? Hamamelis (witch-hazel), kousa dogwood, Mt Airey fothergilla all come to mind...

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pippi21
14 years ago
It is very easy to get carried away when you first move into a new home. We've all been there, done that. We downsized 5 yrs. ago and the original owners here had at least 8 hydrangeas planted all on one side of the house, plus 3 forsythia. I thought to myself, they must have love hydrangeas, but the more I work out in our yard, the more I think it was done for many reasons. That side doesn't get a lot of sun so perfect for hydrangeas. Unless a previous owner has replaced original windows or added some on the side for the purpose of adding light, that one side of the house is windowless, until you get to the sunroom which is either windows or 3 sides of sliding glass doors. You are not the only one that dislikes arvibites/evergreens. I detest them! I;ve bever seeb ibe I liked! I think your decision to leave the spring bulbs you planted until next year is a good decision. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day! Congrats on your new home!

New house, ugly landscaping, there's a newbie around

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stanhorst

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New house, ugly landscaping, there's a newbie around

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stanhorst

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