Your input on my new clean slate...zero landscaping here!

9 years ago

Well, as you may have read in the other thread, there's a strong possibility (don't count my chickens until they're hatched!) that we will be moving. The good news is the property is in South Central VA, only about 2 hours from where we are now and the even better news is that it will be a slow move, most likely, over 6 months. Here's a pic of the property, green line being the property line, give or take.

You can see that there is about 3 acres that is cleared around the house and the rest is hardwoods (this shot being taken in the winter). Straight up is north, by the way. Here's a closer pic:

These pics were taken about two years ago when the addition that you see coming out at the rear of the house was built. There is no landscaping whatsoever. I need some trees in this big area of grass! The good thing about a clean slate is that I get to pick what I want instead of dealing with what's there, but for hostas, there's not much shade around the house at all. There is a small cluster of trees to the left of the house, but two of the three have to come down, but that will, at least leave one that can shade some hostas. Here's a quick sketch of the layout that I have been using for different planning needs.

The hexagon-shaped area will be a new addition down the road b/c the house is a bit small for our likes. It will create a cute garden nook for hostas, but that is later. Now, the areas that are obvious for hostas are marked, but I'm going to have to put a lot in here, trees, bushes and everything in between. So, now to the point of this whole post:

If this were your blank slate, you being a hostaholic, what would you do with this property? I have my own ideas, but I want everyone to be creative with what they would do, so all suggestions welcome! Thanks, as always, for your input. Have fun with this!

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Comments (15)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
what is the giant cut out in the green lines???

the first thing i would do.. is install one inch water lines... in whatever direction i was going to garden ...

i cant click on your pix to zoom in ... i realize.. you are using satelite pix ... so you are probably somewhat limited .. eh???

what are the out buildings???

what is the native soil???

after the water source ... i would plant a nursery .... and live there for a year or two.. before i figured out... how the landscape the joint ... its a ribs joint.. right... lol

ken
User
9 years ago
There are plenty of sun-tolerant hostas to choose from. If you don't want to plant trees and deal with roots (since fast growing trees would have shallow roots) you could build outdoor areas such as pergolas with hostas under. That could diffuse some light to allow for the more shade-loving varieties or blues that wouldn't then lose their blue hue as quickly in the sun.
Your north side might lend enough shade during the hotter parts of the days also. Just a few ideas. Congrats on the new plot of land - looks wonderful
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missingtheobvious
9 years ago
It's always recommended, when you've purchased a new property, to wait a year before doing any significant landscaping. In the course of those twelve months, you will learn what's already there; you will learn about your weather; and you will often discard all your initial plans as being totally inappropriate for one reason or another.

If you're going to be doing that addition at some point, it would be a good idea to plan now where the construction equipment/mess/debris will need to be, and leave that area open.

Also, will you (in the short-term or long-term) want any sort of patio/deck/outdoor living area, and where should that be?

And where will you want your shade trees to be after the addition? Can you plant any of them now, or will they be in the construction equipment/damage zone?
Jon 6a SE MA
9 years ago
Gorgeous. You will have plenty of woods to work with for hosta, so I wouldn't plant trees for that. Just like Ken, I am curious as to the dovetail chunk in the property line. It looks like the neighbor wanted it for something specific; well? family graveyard?

Jon
funnthsun z7A - Southern VA
Original Author
9 years ago
Ken, the cutout is the neighbor's property, his house is the one you can barely see in the first pic in the top right corner. He owns that area that is cut out, but I tell ya, I'm hoping to grab that piece in a couple of years and close that up. Nothing's there but those woods and it's not even close to the rest of his tract, so maybe he'll part with it, I'm thinking. Yep, you guessed it, the satellite view limit's the zoom, but I thought it was better than my trying to describe things. All of those outbuildings and little things that you see here and there are all gone now, it's just green all of the way around. As for the soil, didn't you see the pic? Orange clay from sea to shining sea! Good thing I'm already used to clay, I guess. Won't be a big change for me, just a different color, but clay seems to be clay, otherwise.

I guess the important part that I mentioned in the other thread but failed to mention here is that I will be moving almost 400 hosta, probably 100 or so perennials and at least 6 trees. So, waiting to do landscaping isn't really an option, at least for the trees. I'd like to go ahead and get them in place, so I will need to know what I want shaded and what I want to keep in the sun. The hostas and perennials, I think I'm just going to dump a load of dirt and heel them in for the time being and make decisions for them later.

So, for trees, I have:

2 Merlot Majik Mamosas (don't worry, they are sterile, so no seedlings to pull).

1 Shoal's Creek Vitex
1 Merlot? (not sure if I'm remembering this one right) Redbud
1 Jack Flower Sinojackia
1 Black Diamond Crepe Myrtle

As for construction area, I think we have enough room to work with. I am leaning towards starting on the right side of the house, with a supplemental bed at the existing tree on the left side. The right side of the house will not be accessed at all during construction. The existing tree on the left won't be in the way, I imagine the top left area will be the construction area, along with, of course, right in the hexagon area.
funnthsun z7A - Southern VA
Original Author
9 years ago
Looks like we cross-posted, Jon Family Graveyard!!! Not in my lifetime! If I was moving in right beside a graveyard, they wouldn't be able to pry me out of NC, LOL
Jon 6a SE MA
9 years ago
Come on now, the neighbors would be extremely quite.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
OK... just ignore water as an issue.. crikey ...

i doubt city ... well???

capacity .... have you contacted the county???

i live on a river 50 feet below the surface... i can pump as long as i have money for 220 ...

how are you going to deal with water ..

it doesnt matter what you plant.. if you dont have water ...

have you considered water ...

water .. water... water.... water ...

LOL ...

or are you going to be dragging something like the link.. around your property ..

which brings to mind.. a tractor ... how are you planning on mowing this acreage????

you want to jump right to plants.. and gardens... well hmmm.. let me know.. if i didnt get my point across ... lol

ken

ps: i came from suburbia to 5 acres.. with 100 feet of hose ... my lot was 500 by 500 ... it was either install some spigots around the lot.. or invest in a thousand feet of hose ...

Here is a link that might be useful: link
bkay2000
9 years ago
I'd love to be next door to a cemetery. They don't have mean dogs, bright lights, loud parties, screaming kids, or forget to clean up the trash.

Besides that, I'm a genealogy nut, so I love cemeteries.

Nice property, by the way.

bk
funnthsun z7A - Southern VA
Original Author
9 years ago
Jon, that is hilarious, nuff said :)

Ken, did you say something about water? I must have missed it...:)

There are lots of water issues, of course, with a property and you have given me plenty to chew on. In the near, it's not that much of an issue but next year, I will need a plan. There is a spigot on the left side of the house and then there is one at the edge of the woods straight back and in the middle. I will need to do something to get it around the right side of the house, though. I am thinking about plants because it is time to! I will say again, I have the plants that MUST BE MOVED before winter sets in, thus I must think about them now. The trees will HAVE to be planted, I don't want already purchased trees sitting around all winter in pots. No point to that. I won't need extensive water until next year, hence not putting a whole lot of thought to that yet. I don't like starting something like landscaping without having a general plan first, so before I place these, I have to have an idea of what I'm planning for the future. I know it will change and evolve, but if you blindly just plunk things in the ground, well, that's just dumb. First things first.

Bkay, with the turned over pots that you've had and, it sounds like a lot of other stuff to deal with from neighbors, I guess I would have the same outlook as you on "quiet" neighbors!
zkathy z7a NC
9 years ago
With all that sun you'd just as soon site your vegetable garden, too. We have had caprese every night this summer from DH's tomato plants and we're not tired of them yet.
Remember the asparagus bed!

Kathy
madeyna
9 years ago
I would suggest that you decide what your views are on the property then plant out the trees according to what you want to see from where. One of your views is coming up from your driveway.Another probly from the kitchen window since we all tend to spend a bit of time there even if it is just to rinse dishes to load in the dishwasher.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
my first house.. was next to a funeral home ... a brilliant neighbor ...

only one time.. in all the years... was a police funeral ... crikey.. 7am.. and a guy tuning a bagpipe ... i thought someone was skinning a live cat .. lol ...

but his playing was incredible ... a very somber event .. if you have never seen one.. EVERY station in the state.. sends a car ... every intersection is blocked ... the road shut down .... nothing like a couple hundred police cars on parade ...

one inch supply line can get you around the house.. just lay it on the foundation.. and eventually bury in mulch .....

i dont know if you answered the well question.. with my sand.. i have a $15 filter on the spigot ... but i never clean the filter ... and that was requisite due to the drip tape i used.. rather than the hose itself ... and a backflow preventer ...

the bladder tank was adjusted.. so that when teh water is run outside.. enough is drained from the tank.. that the well pump goes on.. and stays on ... so that you have active water in the house.. well the water is running outdoors ...

from the spigot... i put a spigot about 4 feet away on a fence post.. and another around back ...

the house spigot is NOT treated water ... straight from mother earth .... you do not want to be paying for conditioned water outside ... jim wilkins.. has to actually treat his well water... else rust will turn his garden into copper pennies ... thru dripping something into the line ...

this should probably be in its own properly titled post ...

ken
in ny zone5
9 years ago
This is a nice property with a lot of opportunities.
Perhaps you could also think about shade trees around the house. They can dig up trees with those huge spades in your forest and plant them around the house. This way you would not need to wait forever for a tree to grow up.
Then possibly that forest and neighbor's woods also could harbor deer...
Have fun and good luck!
User
9 years ago
Hey Funn.
For starters, for shade.
Put in some heavy duty posts a la commercial nursery, BUT,
locate it where you could use it as a pergola. Give it a purpose for making the "curb appeal" better looking, and screening a long length of the red dirt driveway and view from the street. It would also give some privacy from the street. Maybe 10 foot wide covered by shade? If you planted zone hardy vines on those posts of the shade pergola now, in several years they would be a living screen. You decide whether evergreen or deciduous vines.
That would be down the road, and part of your long range plans. First the pergolas, for shade and privacy and appearances NOW.

Next step would be planting your long term trees, right? And pots of quick growing trees. Only way I see to not plant a nutrient hog of a tree that would come back to haunt you just because you wanted quick shade. I think even Olga when she moved had to put up such a shade structure when all her trees died. And can't you grow grapes in Virginia?

Your input on my new clean slate...zero landscaping here!

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Your input on my new clean slate...zero landscaping here!

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