Oh BergieBaby, you are so cute I forget what the question is!

I love the orange doors but my absolute fav is the first one. It is so pretty I will have to consider that for my own front door when we get to that point!

What a cute little boy!

I think if that's all the siding I had, I would paint it the same as the trim. And I love the blue planter, and the pop of color it brings to the front door.

holly-kay I really like think we could swing the brighter orange, but DH is barely hanging with me on the orange. I will just tell him the Gardenwebbers said yes :)

Thanks marti8a, finally a decision made at least we will have trim/siding color decided. I will probably play with the placement of the planter and paint the door first before I move it to the backyard.

That little boy is so gorgeous that he made me go back and read the rest of your post so I would have a legitmate reason to post here and say how gorgeous he is.

So, I like the blue planter and the third color of orange. Seriously.

Did I mention how gorgeous that child is??

dedtired thank you, I think he is pretty darn handsome myself and I am convinced to stick with the blue planter. I think I can eliminate the second orange Tangerine Tango, and it's just between the Navel and Tandoori. I will just get samples of both tonight.

Any opinions on which outdoor light we should go with?

I really like that blue planter!

Are you keeping the same door and painting it, or are you getting a new door?

SAme door: I'd paint it glossy black and paint the surrounding stucco a light gold. The turquoise planter would also look beautiful against gold.

The Bergiebaby is a LOVE!!!

I think those bigger lights are awesome. The house is looking good, but....there's always a but.....those junipers and that purple tree are WAY too close to the house. In two years, the lights are going to be hidden by them. You should move them now while you can. They grow faster than the baby, if that is possible!

Nancy

Strong vote here for the darker orange, it looks less trendy and the color looks pulled from your bricks. I would paint the planter black, you want the plant to be the star of that show. Except that no architecture or landscape anywhere in the world could hold a candle to that child--- he's the star! What a sweet, love able face!

I too would remove the plants on both side of porch. But as a tree lover, would leave the tree and add a couple more further in front, beyond. Also, as much as shutters are discussed with yes/no, I think your house has perfect options to consider.

Second orange and second light. Precious boy!!!!

Yes, bigger light vote here also.

Wait, where is the light going? I thought you took down the light on the brick wall and are installing lighting in the entryway? How many?

Tibbrix, we are keeping the same door. We are a little color shy, so trying to incorporate more into our home. That being said if we can't take the orange, I could definitely see going to a glossy black.

Nancy and technicolor, I completely agree with you I don't like the placement of the junipers at all. I actually told the landscaper, I wanted to move to the front of the bed and he said I was wrong. I should have pushed harder, better to move them now though. It's a skyrocket juniper which grow fast and tall, I love evergreen texture, but it may need to go.

The Japanese maple is another story, its considered a decorative tree and is so beautiful in those open slots in the front bed. There will be 2 pink flowering crepe myrtles added on the end slots. This may be a question for the garden community but the reddish tree is a bloodgood Japanese maple, the landscaper said we can just keep trimming it, but does a tree start to look wonky if you keep trimming the top.

bpathome, we have a recessed light in the entryway. Buying 2 lights to replace the old ones in the same spot on the brick.

Tandoori is fantastic! Couldn't get a good creamy white when making this mock-up, so please excuse. The new lights will be beautiful. Bergiebaby will be proud of his elegant new home :)

Thanks awm, I feel pretty good now about the door color and the lights. I will post updated pics after I paint this weekend and hubby installs the lights. Now I have to go back to the landscaper and switch out some of these plants.

Love, love me some BergieBaby! He is wearing just the right shade of orange. And oh yeah, I really like Tandoori for your door. And the second light.

The beauty of trees (including the many lovely varieties of Japanese maple, which are excellent choices) comes largely from their natural growth form. Although you can prune selectively to remove dead wood or awkwardly directed limbs, you want to prune at the base of the limb, not mid-branch. Pruning to keep them artificially small will really destroy their beauty. You'll end up with stubby fat limbs and a not-graceful shape. Bloodgood maples grow to 20 feet wide and 20 feet high (or taller). Unfortunately this makes them a very poor choice for planting right next to the foundation and under an overhang. If a landscaper suggested them as choices for these spots I would respectfully suggest that you consider finding another landscaper.

However, they are wonderful trees and would be great additions to your yard. I could envision both of them staggered over toward the left, pulled quite far forward, with shrubs creating a soft bed beneath them with a variety of textures. Layers of plants in various heights can provide a great deal of interest (and fun places for adorable little kiddos to explore). Perhaps you could move the tree that's on the left directly forward about 12-15 feet, and move the other one to its left, closer to the street. I would not move them both directly forward from their current positions unless you plan to install a center walkway to the front door.

By the way, I really like your pretty house, particularly the tall dark-trimmed windows. But your little one is just too cute for words!

As for the door and light, I'd go with the darker orange, siding the same color as trim, and the second light fixture.

This post was edited by lazydaisynot on Fri, Apr 25, 14 at 23:30

Listen to Daisy. She is correct about the maple. Trimming only trims and roots will grow beyond. Your maple would love to be further out in the yard to show off. Now is a good time to consider transplanting. A good landscaper should also know the number 3. Designing usually means 3 of the same planted or an odd number of such when larger plantings are made.

I wonder if adding some trim, painted the bronze color of the rest of the trim, to the front edges of the brick at the entrance would add some oomph by highlighting the front door area more and giving it more definition. Along these lines:

Yes, technicolor is correct about most plantings looking better in odd numbers, but I think your two trees could work if used asymmetrically since there appears to be a larger tree in the background that could provide a third vertex for the "triangle". Symmetrical plantings in even numbers can be beautiful as well (such as a pair of trees with arching branches flanking a walkway) but I don't think your yard lends itself to that kind of a more formal plan.

You have something growing right next to the path near your door. That is another no-no in the landscaping realm. Putting them somewhere else would make the entrance much more prominent.

Having something growing right next to the path near your door is a nice way to draw attention to the entrance, IMO.

Be careful with the selection of crepe myrtles also. There are many different varieties with specific size ranges available. There are charts available that list the cultivars with size, color and disease resistance. You should probably pick it out while it is blooming to make sure it goes with the bricks. Some of the pinks will look terrible! And please don't engage in "crepe murder". These trees, like the maples have beautiful structure and bark, and should not be chopped on. The earlier suggestions for moving the Japanese maples out into the yard are good ones. Please don't listen to your landscaper!

I may be late to the party, but I love the tandoori door and think it would look lovely with your cute house and the color of your brick. For lights I prefer the second. And last, but not least, that baby is just stunning. Cant wait to see the progress. I'm working on my exterior too so enjoy hearing the advice offered.