I just wanted to say I'm so happy for you that you got a metal roof. That's what I really wanted, but finances kept us from it. Please share, if you would, whether you notice any good heat-deflecting results from it.

I would so love a metal roof, .

Your rhodies and japanese maple should be on the east or north side of the house, depending on the type of heat and cold you get in your area. Morning sun only or dappled light is the best way to go. Moving them now is a gamble. Plants generally don't do well when planted early summer, but you may have to risk it depending on their current exposure.

For your deck, I would pressure wash it and then stain/seal it. I strongly discourage paint, it just won't hold up that well.
Think about putting in a planting bed around it to connect to the landscape better, instead of the gravel. Nice shrubs that get about 3-4 feet high next to it and then graduate down to smaller perenials as you get out into the yard. The garden would be a lot bigger than the existing gravel area is now and could curve around to hide the AC unit. It would be a nice project that you can take your time with...adding plants each fall/spring.
I would like to see your patio/deck area made of one material by either extending the decking or ripping it all out and pouring a concrete patio with new, wide steps going down to it. Mixing the materials as it is now won't look very cohesive, I'm afraid.

You have a lovely place...I'm jealous of your 20 acres!

Oh very nice indeed.

I'm Australian, and metal roofs are much more common here. Some of our classic house styles that go with the metal roofs also tend to "dress" our widows on the exterior with timber and metal window awnings rather than shutters. A timber and metal awning also makes a nice finish for a door, as it provides a little shelter from rain without all the hassle of a full porch. Making a decision as to what size awnings to go for tends to involve working out a compromise that involves as much shade in summer as possible while the sun is high up ahead, but doesn't cause much shade in winter when the sun comes in at a lower angle. It takes a bit of geometric thinking, but is worth it for the passive energy benefits.

Worth a thought I guess, for one or more of your windows or doors, if shutters aren't quite rocking your world right now but you want more detailing on the windows.

Here is a link that might be useful: picture of a window awning

Love the roof!

Flyleft, I know exactly what you mean! When the first contractor showed up to quote our roof, he informed me that ours was wind damage and could be covered by our homeowners. After much aggrivation and many telephone calls (they only wanted to replace the front), they paid the entirety of the cost to replace with shingles, we only had to pay the difference to upgrade to the metal. We were very lucky!

alex9179, Thanks so much! I know so very little about plants. What would you suggest there on the front of the house where it faces west? I wish I could afford to tear down and start over but I can't. It will take my budget in order to get the hottub and put a concrete patio on the remainder. I think you are right about staining and I am going to attempt it within the next couple of weeks.

windypoint, I had never seen awnings like that. I love them. What would I do about the circular window though?

bruteses, Thanks so much!

Keep the ideas coming!

Alicia

Wind damage, you say? That is our situation too. They'll replace with low-level shingles and we could afford the upgrade to the best quality shingles, but not to metal. I deeply regret it but we didn't have that much in the roof budget. What gauge did you get? And did you do this last year (by 12/07)? It was our understanding that the tax credit re energy-efficient roofs expired at the end of last year...? Or was there some other tax credit?

Re your actual questions: :) I would go with a nice outdoor *rug* rather than "wall-to-wall" indoor/outdoor carpet. Rugs serve the same purpose but without the possible mildew/dirt collecting quality. You can shake them, wash them, take them in in the winter...there are *many* nice outdoor rugs available now.

And the the front of the house--there are so many full-sun plants--it's really the easiest type of garden to plant. I see you're in zone 6 -- what area of the country are you in? Do you have a watering system of any kind in place? You could do a beautiful drought-tolerant garden that would play off the reds of the brick and roof--you could go with golds, chartreuse, blue-green, any or all with some red tinges/accents...I could see it being really a great complement to your home. You could also go with some edibles, e.g. berry bushes (e.g. blueberries -- their foliage is actually quite lovely), a fruit tree in the front yard, even--they can be landscaped in to be part of a pleasing aesthetic, not just look like an orchard. I'd love to brainstorm if you feel like it. Lawn is really the least useful, most demanding kind of groundcover there is.

Flyleft, I love the ideas! I am in the mountains of SW Virginia. The only watering system is a garden hose on both the front and the year of the home. I agree about the idea of lawn but my dh got diagnosed with RA at Christmas last year and the doc said "Get busy living or get busy dying!" so mowing was the best solution. Of our twenty acres our home sits on an 8 acre pasture and the rest is woods. I know absolutely next to nothing about plants but I'm listening.

I really need to get this tree planted this weekend. Would you put it out from the house on the right of the rear deck?

Thanks so much!
Alicia

I'm so sorry to hear about your DH -- with a bit of osteo setting in, I can only imagine what he's going through. Sounds like your DH's doc is a Dylan fan :) so that's got to help somewhat :)

Trying to wrap my brain around your fabulous, fabulous property description...I love that you're keeping some woods. With that much acreage you will have a great time learning and watching your garden grow and change. I'm so jealous. I can't find a place to fit in one more silly redbud I impulse-bought at a nursery-closing sale LOL...

SO. I'm trying now to envision your garden bed possibilities--alex came up with a great idea, that would also hide your AC. I'd like to build on that, and give you something to look out upon from your deck and your windows. Imagine creating little islands of vignettes of plants that are seen from various perspectives, as well as being places you can walk to and sit down at (or do whatever at). These can be whatever shapes that you like; shapes that will give your eye somewhere to rest and relax :) Sometimes people like very symmetrical formal gardens (which are demanding maintenance-wise) and some like freer-form lines. I'd be especially inclined toward freer form since it will be more forgiving wrt upkeep.

So with that in mind, I'm thinking to place the japanese maple as the anchor of an island somewhere close to the house where you will see it when you're either in the porch or the house, or preferably both (depending on what the rooms are). When you say "on the right", do you mean my right or the deck's right? On the side with the AC or the side with the stairs?

Is the house a flat western exposure, btw? So the AC-side would be the north side? Might be extra good for the jap. maple (do you know the variety?).

In the front, so that the labor demands are minimal, I could really see a xeriscape-approach, with taking out some of the lawn (you could get that done, or even do it my favorite way: 12 sheets of soaking-wet newspaper and wet mulch within the outlines of your bed-to-be -- after about 3-6 mos, you've got a garden bed :)) and replacing it with drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants. The less grass around, the better! (as long as it's not replaced with concrete)

There are entire lists of such plants--you might want to go to a big nursery near you and explain your needs. Some nurseries will have lists of plants for various needs that do especially well in your area--native plants are obvious choices, maybe similar to ones in your forest areas (they must be glorious to walk in)...let's see what can be found online, maybe tomorrow since I have to go to bed now...

I couldn't resist -- here's a place to start wandering around...

Here is a link that might be useful: I love these organizations :)

That is a handsome roof!

I love metal roofs and that color is gorgeous. Who is the manufacturer?

I am in socal and most people stare at me when I say I want a metal roof on my house... they say 'like the one on the fast food place', i reply 'yes, just like that' :)

Personally, I never like white doors or shutters, I like white and off white for the house trim. Shutters and doors need to be another accent color. A color I always recommend is SW Wrought Iron gate, its a charcoal gray/black. I think it would look great with your brick and roof.

Alicia,

Since your house faces west, it will get the most brutal sun/heat through summer. In this case I would look at native plants to fill most of your landscape needs. They will be much better performers and not need so much baby-ing after the first year as a non-native ornamental...save those for your accent plants. This will look especially nice since you are already in a pasture. Grasses are particularly great in big swathes and provide almost year-round interest. If that look doesn't appeal to you, there are several great shrubs on the list of the link.
I love conifers as accents, and it gives you something green in the winter! GardenWeb has a whole community devoted to conifer gardening, so I highly recommend you take a look at what can be done. These people madly in love with this plant group, most of us just like a few throughout the garden :)

Some perennial standards are coneflowers, daylilies, grasses, peonies, coreopsis, beebalm, shasta daisy, rudbeckia, yarrow, iris, and phlox. There is a whole host of others.

Decide what color scheme you would like to see next to your house and pick the bulk of your plants with that in mind. You can mix in other colors as accents later.

Here is a link that might be useful: Virginia Native Plant Guide

Gorgeous picture of a poster's garden on the Conifer forum. He's mixed hostas, grasses, various perennials in with his collection. Just a few of these trees would be a standout!

About your japanese maple...look and see how large it will get. That will tell you how far away to plant it from your house. You may also want to think about how you would like to view it. Out the window? From the spa? From the deck?

Here is a link that might be useful: From conifer gallery

Um, Alex...

I hope it's that great minds think alike...

Or did you not read my post about native plants and tree placement above?

:)

Oops I read your first couple of paragraphs, but admit I raced through the end...so embarrassing since I love your style and input and, usually, am all eyes when you post. After my "perfect suggestion" thought to your newspaper suggestion I think my mind drifted.

I'm a big native plant supporter, so I must have just absorbed your suggestion into my own thoughts...sorry!

Alicia, what Flyleft said! :)

I am in socal and most people stare at me when I say I want a metal roof on my house... they say 'like the one on the fast food place', i reply 'yes, just like that' :)

Isn't it funny how associations can change our view of something? I associate metal roofs with old farm houses and barns - both things I love. So the fact that fast food places use metal roofs does not faze me because my associations are much earlier and deeper.
I associate large expanses of marble and granite with government buildings - I don't know if that's why I don't like them in my living quarters but there you go - I don't.

Love your roof. Has it rained yet and how has that been?

LOL alex it was funny how much we agreed--I think what we should do is both of us fly over and design Alicia's yard. The photos of great expanses of lawn make me itch to get hoses in my hands to lay out beds :)

Alicia, one thing I want to mention as an idea for locating a bed: I see that swing off to a side in the front yard. cd, you want to have a variety of perspectives and tableaux in your yard, rather than everything all together in one focal point. The swing could be a destination, the center of a vignette you see from your front porch, and *it* could in turn be looking out into the woods, or onto some other third vignette...is it beginning to be envisionable in your mind?

And alex, the conifer garden you linked to: *amazing*. I think given the unrelenting full sun that exists in cd's yard right now, it might be good to plant lower conifers and taller deciduous trees, or at least to pay close attention to the sun/shade needs of the specific conifers chosen. Some of them would just scorch out in that Virginia full sun.

Well we're all playing here...Alicia, have we lost you? Are you off dreaming of camaros? :)

I am so very sorry! I haven't even read all the posts yet. Friday morning I had a dr appt and then I took my 2006 Subaru Tribeca to the dealership because the interior and some outside lights were "stuck" on. At first the mechanic tried to say I had them "turned" on. I didn't. I have had the car for almost 3 yrs. They dropped me off at the mall and finally 5 hrs later called and said they were sorry they hadn't figured out what was wrong but would give me a loaner for the weekend. It took 2 more hrs to accomplish that and then I met my parents for dinner. Yesterday morning, my son had a soccer game at 9am and about 5 min before it was over my cell rang. My mom needs knee surgery, my dad was feeling bad and my kid sister who lives with them was working and had pull a double so I went there and got my fabulous 8 month old neice and then had a house full of people the rest of the evening. This is the first time I got to sit down and I don't have long. I promise I am grateful and hopefully this evening will be able to thoroughly look at the posts and take you all up on some great advice!

You are the best!
Alicia

Wow, I'm exhausted just reading your post! Go have a nice long nap and a camaro dream and this will all be here when you're ready :)

You rest Alicia, and we'll keep dreaming about your meadow :)

I love all the ideas! I went today to get stain for the deck. I will post pictures when completed!

Thanks so much!
Alicia

OK! Guys, I'm ready! I stained the deck Pacific Redwood and it looks great "I think!" I will post photos tomorrow. I am going to be on vacation next week (for the most part) and the man is coming tomorrow to look at the patio feature. I would love some feedback and ideas!

Thanks
Alicia