Planters? A bench?

I agree with you. Remove the bricks and create a planting space there. Lots of shade. I'd plant impatiens in that spot every spring. They do great in shade and you can change colors and color patterns yearly if you want. Plant them fairly close together (4" apart) and they'll grow thick and colorful and gorgeous.

Nice changes!

If you wan to add hydrangeas, I'd put a few along the left side, by the trees.

I'm on hubby's side: leave the bricks and put pots there. You can change them out all year long. Plant on the other side of the walkway. You can't really see anything right in front of the porch railing from the house, or from the porch, either, and plantings will block the view of the pretty railing. But a garden on the other side of the walk can be designed to look good from all sides. And it will create a nice "courtyard" for you.

Notice, however, that the bricks slope towards the house, I bet you get a good puddle there when it rains. Raise them so they drain toward the driveway and sidewalk.

I love the changes! What a difference!

Oh ya, the bricks have to go. I love the idea of a row of hydrangeas across the front. The nice thing about hydrangeas is that they dry nicely and look good all fall and winter, too. They also need very little upkeep. Just cut them back in the spring and you're good to go (disclaimer: where I live, zone 3, the only hydrangeas we can use are the very hardy white ones. So I'm not familiar with growing coloured ones).

Hi Lukki! Score for the free landscaping out front & a really pretty property! I am a brick lover, but agree with you that those should be re-purposed. I'd make that a low-growing plant bed and use the brick to form an edge for mulch so it won't wash out.

I also love hydrangeas but they can tend to grow big, at least in zone 7, so would reserve those for the left side. In front of the porch, I'd stick with something more manageable in size such as a trio of azaleas. Pick out some with a pretty deep green leaf to show off and then border with some variegated hosta. I'm saying this as if you don't have a deer problem.

On the left side I'd sweep out a bed at least 6 feet starting from the corner, rounding out at the corner. Put in something tall and thin there like a Sky Pencil Holly (they grow slowly and won't require trimming for several years), then put your hydrangeas in a good 2-3 feet from the foundation. Border with 3-5 dwarf nandina (there are several varieties, so make sure you get a good, true dwarf), and you can plant annuals for color in the foreground. Done.

It looks like you have a bit of a slope over on the left side and some tilling and grass removal to do if you make a planting bed here, so I'd make sure you try to even this up a big and border with metal edging or repurpose those brick for edging and a mowing strip. Also, amend the soil with some Black Kow and a couple of bags of topsoil. Worth it in the long run.

It's probably too small an area for hydrangeas. Even though the concrete will limit their size, the branches will encroach on your walkway. The corner of your house could use an anchor like a large hydrangea or shrub.

You could remove the brick and replace it with flagstones and grow a groundcover between the stones. That would give you a more attractive base for pots. I would rather maintain annuals in a pot where you can control water and fertilizer. Large pots will also give you some needed color. They're not cheap though.

Nice improvements...isn't it fun?! I didn't notice at first that you have a two story; how about trimming the lower branches from the tree next to the driveway to better show off your lovely house.

Another vote for removing the bricks, but if DH insists then a lot of pots and a pretty bench will work as others suggested. I also agree it would look nice to extend the bed in a curved fashion on the other side of the walkway as well as a large bed on the left side.

When money permits, I would make the walkway curved and enlarge the step up to the front porch maybe making it a semicircle to break up all the straight lines.

What a pretty setting! The city did a nice job,

Wow, you are "lukki!" The city did a great job, and your new driveway and landscaping looks so nice! Good for you!

The bricks probably need to be pulled up to regrade the area to drain away from the house, so I bet your DH would rather have a new flowerbed than redo the whole thing :-)

I'd put in low shrubs and annuals. I think hydrangeas need a bigger area, maybe to the left of your house. And yes, trim the lowest branches of your big tree in front, so you can see your pretty house.

If your husband loves the bricks, you could use them as the base for some large potted flowers.

Oh, I would leave the bricks and put beautiful, large containers for plants and perhaps a bench. Agree that the large tree in the very front needs to be limbed up or, gasp, cut down. Cut down would be my preference, because it hides your very nice house.

Agree with leaving the bricks, but resetting after grading, and using polymeric sand to keep the area clean from weeds going forward. You will have a weed free area of low upkeep next to the house that will remain neat and clean. Enhance with a couple very large pots of flowers spilling over with a bench between and it will look great, be easy to upkeep, and purposeful. Add the bed on the other side of the walk as suggested earlier, when you are ready.

Outside playing has a great plan for you. The only thing I'd change is in front of the railing (at the front - close to the sidewalk) add in a few flowing plants - Tib has a good idea with the impatients. I would also consider planting a clematis or some other type vine to grow up one of the railings or you could always use a wooden pole or trellis to let the vine grow up. Love Outside's ideas for the other side. Our front is "trellised" at one end. I believe that is what the landscaper called it. Kind of steps down a level and on the lower level is a blue atlas cedar. It anchors the bed well and adds height - which you need on that end of your house. We have some dwarf nandinas that have the blue/red/green leaves. I would have to google to find what variety but they add color and look great with the blue atlas. I agree with trimming the tree or possibly even removing. Not sure if that is a consideration??? I'd also put a pretty planter maybe at the corner of the sidewalk and/or on the porch for more blooming plants. Looks great - can't wait to see what you do!

Just a note on impatients. In our area, they were not available anywhere at all last year (except for the New Guinea ones which I don't like) because of a new mildew or fungus issue, can't remember which. If the nurseries find a cure, they may return.

I like the suggestion of a bench and pots once the bricks are levelled. I think a Hydrangea tardiva would be wonderful to the left of the house past where the walkway turns to the house. Give it about 3-4 feet from the end of the walk. I love the tardivas-open branching habit. Then, add hostas, ferns, astilbe, and other shade perenials in that area, too.

Isn't it nice when things actually work out?! Have fun!

cyn, we had the mildew problem with the impatiens two years ago, but I had terrific luck with my impatiens last year (zone 7). They came in beautifully.

Tib, the nurseries here weren't even stocking them! :(

We are zone 7, too. I will keep my fingers crossed for this year. I love them!

Good luck, Cyn. I think they'd be so pretty in the shade under lukki's porch. They're a wonderful shade flower, so colorful.

Thank you ALL so much! I've been looking forward all day to reading your ideas! And I'm really surprised at the split between loosing and keeping the bricks! Yes, they do puddle which is why I wanted to pull them up originally. We're having a shed installed in the rear behind the garage and I thought we could repurpose them for a walkway of some sort back there. These pictures are from last fall, and the tree has been shored up a bit since then, but I agree, it needs more. It's an oak and has to be trimmed when it is dormant during winter. We wanted to wait until after we had a plan before cutting it back more. I know it covers the view from the street, but we do like the shade it offers so it has to stay.

Outside, thank you for the plant and bedding idea. I am the farthest thing from a gardener one can be so your detail is appreciated. I will look those plants up to see how they would work. We do have deer, not a lot but some. I was also thinking maybe Day Lillie's might work well as a bed plant on the left side too. I take it Black Kow is a fertilizer of some sort right? I'll see if our local nursery has it cause if the condition of the Hosta plants under the window are any indication, our soil is in need of help.

Daisy, that was my idea too about the Hydrangeas, they are so pretty and I love the idea of being able to bring the flowers in. The slope of the yard starts right at the walk way so we can't put anything there but, Mayflower's idea of anchoring the corner of the house with one is perfect! Maybe under the window? I also like Joanie's idea of a bench if we keep the bricking and add pots instead. The pots are a good compromise to removing the brick, definitely food for thought.

Also, I'm not thrilled with the green shutters and was thinking of repainting both them and the door. What do you think of a darker teal for the shutter and a shade or two lighter for the door? Maybe something in this color family:

I can't wait to show dear hubby this thread, you guys are the best! Thanks so much!

Do you like to sit outside in the backyard? Can you build a fire pit with the bricks?

If you want more votes! The teal is great for the door/shutters. i love the pop of color. I'd remove the bricks and do low growing things (sorry I don't know your zone to suggest what) so you can still see the railing and keep the "porch" area open, and put hydrangeas in front of the house to the left of the front door. I'm so happy to see a city improvement that looks great- I think a lot of people are afraid the city makes things worse, but yours looks great! Congrats!

Wow! I had not heard that about the impatiens. No problems in our area, that I am aware of. They were plentiful here last year.

I think the teal door and shutters would look great.

Judging by the number of bricks across, the bricked area is about 36" wide which would make the concrete not much more than two feet wide---definitely not wide enough. I'd keep the brick.

Re-setting the bricks is a good idea as they clearly slope down towards your house foundation. Any flowers you put there that have to be watered will also contribute to a water problem in the future, and three feet of space is not enough for even supposedly dwarf hydrangeas (ask me how I know this). I think a single file line of traditionally shaped flower pots with colorful flowers would brighten up that space and add a nicely quirky touch as well.

The new landscaping looks fabulous, as does the railing!

Love the teal color you show for the shutters and door. I'd coordinate any colorful annuals with that color; impatiens come in various shades of pinks, fuschia and white generally and would be great complement in the border of your beds.

Black Kow is composted cow manure and would act as a slow fertilizer. You would need a bag or two for each bed to work in with a bag of top soil. You can also get it at Lowe's or Home Depot as a rule if your nursery doesn't carry it. It's pretty cheap and worth it to help condition your soil. Warning - it will smell pretty earthy for a couple of days but then that odor goes away.

The orange impatiens would look gorgeous with that door behind them too. Any would, actually. One thing I love about impatiens is that you can do them completely differently from year to year if you want.

Multi-colored bed of impatiens

A couple of colors:

Monochrome

Patterned

I'd like to live there. So nice!

Teal, yes.

Bricks, no. Not like they are now. Either redo them and then cover with planters, or yank them and repurpose them as edging material. I think you can make hydrangeas behave there. Giant fat hostas would be nice but I like how hydrangeas keep some sticks through the winter.

Have you been to the landscaping forum on (ex)gardenweb? I don't know if its activity has made it through The Change, but it's worth checking.

It's hard to keep a base of bricks looking nice over time, and I would want it to look clean and neat being that it's your entrance, which is why I suggest flagstones. Last year we took out a sloppy brick path and replaced it with flagstones. It was easy and only cost about $25 for the stones. Our soil is hard-packed clay, so we set the stones and leveled them with sand. We filled in around them with colorful crushed rock. I suggested a groundcover to fill in between the flagstones to add some green because of your concrete walkway and driveway. You'd place your flagstones closer together than mine, so you should be able to make it look like a mini patio. With the flagstones, you'd have a solid base for a bench with pots on each side. You could hang planters between the posts.

If you plant in that bed, you'll probably want to replace all the soil and raise it several inches. It could be rock under there--that's what I found when I tried to make beds along my patios. They had dumped the left-over rock from the patio bases alongside them.

Not sure how much you want to invest in this project, but I'd do a compromise by getting rid of the brick and the concrete walkway, and instead using the brick (add more if necessary) to create a more relaxed and rounded walkway that curves out more toward the drive rather than the very rectangular shape now. That would allow for more graceful planting beds near the house and on the other side of the walk as well as and you'd still be keeping the brick on the front of the house.

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Or maybe do a mix of concrete with brick edging so it blends with the step.

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Love the teal.

After reading Annie's suggestion, I think the ideal solution is to take up the brick and repurpose it as edging for the concrete sidewalk. This will make the sidewalk nicer looking and improve its functionality. You can then fix your drainage, and put in some small plantings in front of the railing (or still use pots). Just as an aside, the blue/pink hydrangeas bloom on last year's growth so _do not_ cut back in the spring. Deer feast on my day lilies.

Yes, I cut my hydrangeas back last spring. No blooms last summer. :-( I THEN read you're not supposed to do that. My bad.

Prune H. paniculata and h. Arborescens (Annabelle) in late winter if necessary. I rarely prune mine because they can get floppy with large flowers. The mophead or lacecaps really never need to be pruned except for rejuvenation when they are older. Then, only take out a third of the old branches. Best to prune those in July. :)

Wow wow wow! Love all the pictures! Thank you so much! Tibbrix, those flowers are gorgeous! I usually hang baskets of those or something similar every spring, but they never seem to be THAT full or pretty. Looking at the pics with the volumes of them makes a world of difference. The colors would really pop with the door. And that's what I feel the front is lacking more than anything is color! Funny you should mention a fire pit. The backyard is as large if not a bit larger than the front and it treed. We have a deck and spend a lot of time back there running our lab. Our SIL told us a few weeks ago that he is going to build us a fire pit as a gift.

Black Kow is on the list for Home Depot. Have never heard of it! Thanks Outside!

Thank you Fori, I haven't been to the garden forum mainly because I know everyone here, and was more comfortable, especially with the fugly house pics. :c)

May, Your walkway is great and the garden is so lush! You obviously have one of those magic green thumbs. I really like the idea of the flagstone, especially with mossy grasses growing around it, but I've always thought of it as a stone for warmer climates. how does it hold up in extreme cold? We're in zone 6 and hit -18 before the wind chill this past winter.

Annie, your idea is a great one, and I would love to be able to do something like that! (Those photos are beautiful examples) but the budget won't allow for it. Most everything we are doing this year is DIY and with dh's myeloma, his physical abilities are so limited.

Deer feed on Day Lillies? Oh crud! I love the deer so much but geeze....

Oh well, glad to see all the yeahs for the teal! At least I know I'm headed in the right direction! I hope everyone has a super great Easter!

We keep the deer out of our day lilies by staking bars of ivory soap around them. The deer don't like the smell so they leave the plants alone.

What a beautiful green setting and home! I love it. I would remove the brick and plant. I just put in a bunch of plants in a flower beds about that size and I am really happy with the results.

Annie, that is such an easy fix! We have neighbors with some bright orange ones in their side yard. I love the way they look.

Thank you Rocky! what did you plant? can you post a pic or two? Sure would love to see them!

I just realized one of the pics I thought I posted didn't upload. This is a better view of the porch, the milk can was there when we moved in and hides the water well. Would love to put something a little nicer there!

Such a pretty porch, that's why I wouldn't plant right up against it...you couldn't see it! And if you plan the garden for the other side of the walk, you can enjoy it from the house, the porch, the walkway, and the street.

I think you could beef up the shutters and the porch posts for a more solid look. How about some ferns hanging between the posts in summertime?

I haven't read all the replies but I'd start with some serious tree trimming! Then watch how the light changes and then you'll know what to plant, shade/sun.

Sue

I love Annie's idea to repurpose the bricks into a curved walkway! You have a wonderful lot and a really cute house! I think adding some plantings in the space between the walkway and the porch is a great idea.

My flagstones went through the winter fine, but we only get down to about 20 degrees. Are you worried about frost heave? I don't know whether it will make a difference in your extreme climate, but here concrete keeps the surrounding area warmer. Also, as pretty as it is, you can't just add the bricks to edge the concrete because your lawn isn't level with the sidewalk. You'd need to level it and mortar them in because they most likely will shift from frost heave.

I also have a few tumbled bluestone pavers off my deck with blue star creeper planted in between. They're a heavier stone than flagstone so maybe they would work for you. Visit a stoneyard to see what they use in your area.

Just looked up blue star creeper on the Stepables website and it's good for shade and survives up to -20 degrees with snow cover. They show a photo of it with stones and a stone bench.

http://www.stepables.com/

May, that is really really lovely! I like that more than the flagstone! But if he is already insisting we keep the brick, I know my husband would never agree to remove the sidewalk. I'm afraid that that direction is pretty much a moot point. However, it would work perfectly for a project I'm planning in the back of the house. We're going to install a fire pit and I want to make it a nice sitting spot with benches. I think that stone with a mossy ground cover would compliment what we want to do perfectly.

No, I don't think you should remove the sidewalk either. You're on a budget. I'm suggesting removing the brick and replacing it with stone with something like blue star creeper planted between them. One, you don't know what's under the brick, so if you wanted to plant, you'd need to dig it out, amend, raise it up as much as 12". Two, if you replace the brick with shrubs, it can be a little colorless and need regular pruning to keep it neat. I don't like wild shrubs at an entryway. You do need shrubs under your window and could use something large to anchor the corner. Someone in your area might suggest some attractive, well-behaved shrubs--I like box honeysuckles for shade but IDK if they grow in your area. Three, annuals alone wouldn't work because you'll have bare soil October until June or July--annuals need heat to take off here, especially in the shade. So that's my thinking--a pretty stone mini patio with some greenery between the stones, with pots for color that can be seen from the road.

Another thing you could do is just take out some of the bricks along the edges and corners, and maybe a few in between, and plant groundcovers in the holes. Then proceed with pots.

oooooh!!! okay okay. I got it now! That would be pretty, I just love that blue star stone and am going to check it out locally. I think the space may be a bit narrow for the blue star and you are right, I don't have a clue as to what is under there for planting; I hadn't even thought about that. Removing a few of the bricks and adding a cover to fill the gaps is a very creative idea and may be something I could talk my DH into doing. Thank you for coming back to clarify May! Even though I have always loved the way that looks, I would have never thought to work with any of the stones or brick like that!

Blue star creeper mounds up and will cover the edges of the stone, so you could actually use very few stones or remove quite a bit of the brick. You could experiment with it by removing some of the brick this year and digging in compost in the holes. Scrub the remaining brick to freshen it.

If you google planting between pavers and planting between bricks, you'll find lots of neat ideas. Some look like beautiful tapestries. You'll still need height or something for a focal point, so you could possibly remove just part of the center bricks for a small shrub. Or you could put crushed rock in the center as a base for one large pot. I saved a few photos but the photo upload isn't working right now.

You might want to reconsider the placement of those evergreens. Small and compact now, but once they begin to grow, they might not be in the right location. Won't be able to see much of your home once they get big. Just a thought.

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May, I feel like such a goof ball!!! I couldn't open the link you posted for the picture so I googled blue star and found this pic:

Of course the whole look is so pretty, but the stone has blue tones (as opposed to the orange tones of flagstone) and because the flowers come across as a light purple on my screen, I thought the blue star was the stone! I really love the coloring of this stone, and the grasses are pretty too...just had them confused. Your last posted clarified it. Isn't this just so pretty, not sure about the gargoyles though! lol

Beverly, thank you so much for the photo work! Actually as odd as it may seem, that is exactly what we want those trees to do. We live in a area that has become increasingly popular the past few years and as a result, the quiet country road we live on is now a lot more traveled. Add the new walking path and our hill, and we feel as if we are on display with no more privacy. The span of the yard is so wide that depending where you are, views of the house will still be visible, but not uncomfortably so.

Just a note:. Flagstone is not necessarily orange. You can find blues, greys, reds, etc.. I have actually not seen orange flagstone. It depends somewhat on what region of the country you are in. In PA (where I lived most of my life) and throughout the northeast, we had lots of blues, greys, greens, and reds.

Cyn, The oranges are pretty and popular on the west coast and the only color I have ever seen it in and now I am really drawn to the blue and gray! We are in Michigan, so similar weather, do those flag stones hold up well with the dense cold? The orange can be gorgeous and does well in heat but I seem to remember hearing that it is not great in cold. probably regional. This is what a lot of folks have around their pools

I am a huge fan of spiky grasses. We have a super great nursery about 20 minutes from us and I'm planning to go there when they are fully stocked (still cold here unfortunately) so I will add it to the list I'm making. Thanks for another great idea!