This is off the cuff for sure, but: -- foundation plantings are not limited to yews and rhodos but can be just the idea of planting next to the foundation and disguising or blurring it. So a "foundation planting" could be anthing, and could be quite interesting and attractive, and there are lots of discussions about that on this forum. However, if you don't want the foundation "planted," for whatever reason, then you are more aimed at planting out at the sidewalk. Again off the cuff, if you have a small front yard you can get a nice sense of enclosure, without being oppressive, by plantint out toward the street and having a bit of negative space, or lawn, toward the house. Sometimes, from a "gardener" 's perspective, it can be nice to work in/on the garden from within it and not as exposed to the street. If you sit on the porch, you may get a better view of your garden if it's out a bit (with the short distances you described). You still have the option to plant "something" at the foundation if you want to, but perhaps small and more restrained, or bring lawn grass right up to it. If a fence, such as picket or iron, is in line with the style of house, then it's possible to place a low or open-style fence a bit in from the sidewalk and plant on both sides. The street side might contain more manageable plants, more evergreens--things that are less likely to run wild and make you worry about maintenance, especially if you are just learning about gardening, while on the house side you can experiment more, while still keeping the two "sides" compatible. The fence then also becomes a way to train roses or other appropriate plantings. If you determine you have the time and interest, you can always make the street side more riotous and cottage-like later. Then, as might be evident from the books listed above, another "look" is to look streetside in across sidewalk and bit of lawn to "bed" of plantings at the house. The actual measurements will be an important issue--15 feet from sidewalk to house doesn't make for much more than a strip of lawn or a small circle, and some people would consider planting the whole yard; but if done properly, a bit of lawn, assuming you can cut it, can look better and allow you better access to tending the garden(s) from both sides rather than having to wade through them. Hardscape can serve the same purpose. The smaller the yard, the more I favor planting out, since by definition you have to sacrifice a few feet of space at the foundation to avoid crowding or rot (not knowing what yours is like). When I hear "perennials" I hear months of dead/blank space, so remember that evergreen shrubs of some sort should be in the design as well. You would have lots of options, I would think. A final consideration is whether the best design would include small ornamental trees or shrubs for height (maybe only one or 2)--since these have to be placed a bit away from the house, they could then be incorporated into a planting bed. Or, the size of the yard and house may be better served by all low plantings.

Well, I spent the day pruning and tying grape vines onto a restored grape arbor. The house is called Graehm Park, and I think the earliest parts date to 1721. The farm compound itself was pristine and unchanged, but if you walked up the hill a bit you could see the huge gray tails of parked military aircraft looming above the trees. An piquant juxtaposition of ancient and modern. One thing I learned... working in someone else's garden is just plain WORK.

I don't believe that any of the old rose bushes were salvaged, but I could be wrong. I get the impression that the garden was just replanted from square one, using the historic photos as guidelines and that they were going more for look and texture than for species matching. I will call the society and see if I can get details, though. It's possible that they did use some of the same cultivars, or improved descendents of those cultivars. I'm not a rose expert, alas, so I can't claim to recognize any of the ones shown in the photos. For other plants, the park website mentions that "rare species" were imported for the original gardens, but in the photos all I can see are dusty miller and marigolds... ;) I'll make a point of going to Lynch Park in May and June to see what's in bloom. It's been over 4 decades since I sat on the backs of the stone lions.

Let me tell you a little story; In the center or our Boro of Langhorne is a small black and white 1774 house called our community center and peace center. Through the years it was turned into a stage coach stop, hospital for British Soldiers, house, and other things. I think this house was build by Quakers from England. A few years ago the property had nothing on it until the Garden Club took over and now it has a magnificient garden with benches arbors,trees, conifers, shade, sun, and flowers. Many people now use the area. Now here it comes----the Garden Club planned a large beautifully landscaped gazebo to be placed aside of the house in a large open grass area that no one uses.Three men refused to allow this gazebo to be built even tho it could be used for concerts, staging for weddings, parties, etc. Actually, in itself, even if it was never used, it is a thing of beauty, an art piece, an art sculpture in a garden. How lucky we are to have the land in the center of a town to put in a thing as beautiful as a gazebo.Their rational is; a Victorian Gazebo should not be placed near a 1774 pre-revolution house. Why not a carriage garage that the Quakers might have? Actually many years ago there was a Victorian house there and it was razed. Should this Victorian house not have been allowed? My feeling is: this is a living vital boro, history and life is not static, this same house in England would have a gazebo on the grounds if needed, so does Williamsburg, so does the U of Virginia have a Gazebo and Washington Crossing, Pa. It is a natural progression of life that things change. A Victorian Gazebo is not like putting a Water Ice Stand on the grounds. It blends in soo perfectly especially since there is still a restored Victorian house on the other side of it.Actually the whole town has 100s of Victorian homes in it.The moral of this story is: What? Go with logic, go with the punches. Some one tell me....?