Input Welcome for Ranch Home Landscape on Cul-de-sac
whc85
8 years ago
Lots of remodel work continues on this house including new roof, new concrete drive and walkway, new garage door, etc. but now we need to spend some time, money and work on getting the landscape in shape (new front door is also on order to brighten and update the entrance!).
We had to take out three large trees which were too close to the house and with the new drive and walkway we are concerned about making a similar mistake (planting trees too close to cause problems later). We did have the planting beds put in and planted a serviceberry (amelanchier) tree in the large bed to the right of the house, and a kousa dogwood in the kidney shaped bed on the east side of the house but would like to add more trees--should we plant some in the front lawn?
The lawn space to the left of the driveway is only about 6 feet from the neighbor's driveway (this 'strip' lies between each of our driveways, plus we each have french drains under this area (from our backyards), so planting a tree there would be a problem--right?
Also, we put in several daylilies in the beds as "temporary fillers" until we were ready to get a more final landscape in place (these can be moved to the backyard)--so, we are ready! We are located in the Saint Louis, Missouri area. Hope these photos are sufficient for your counsel and input--thanks so much!
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whc85
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Will this landscape plan repair the curb appeal after house addition?
Comments (113)Thanks Yardvaark. The original pic at top of thread was in mid construction so of course it was not welcoming -- very ugly it was (or perhaps you were referring to the original house with white siding that had overgrown burning bush that obscured the circle pavers). Either way the result is an improvement for sure. I am very glad we decided from the good advice on this thread not to do plantings around the circle entry courtyard as I like how open it is now with just a garden around the birch (future garden that is). emmarene, We are definitely still doing the glass railing around the deck over the garage. We just have not got that done yet. That will really finish off the outside....See MoreCorner lot - landscaping for privacy?
Comments (14)Young trees will root better. You have to wait about three years before they start to 'take off' in size. Planting trees along your property lines won't give you privacy in the raised kitchen or on the raised deck for a long time -- and then, primarily in the summer. I'd plant some 'high canopy' type trees inside the yard, closer to the house. Maples form dense canopies. Partially enclosing the deck would help. Arbor Vitae planted around the base of the deck would provide screening -- maybe too much screening, making the deck look even smaller....See MorePLEASE HELP!! Landscape Design in South Florida CONFUSED!
Comments (20)I would suggest a foundation planting bed in front of the house and a separate island around the palm. You can see in the sketch that I opted to leave only the single palm near the center front. It seems disturbing to me to have a collection of odds and ends palms in a group because they don't make a nice group. If they can't be like type palms, I'd rather see a single specimen. The architecture already carries a horizontal visual element as the base of the house. Rather than duplicate or cover that up with a hedge, use plants to temper it, and the easiest way is a mound shaped shrub below each window. It doesn't end up looking like you're trying to smother the house with shrubs. Where the windows are low to the ground, such as left of front door, instead of shrubs (that you will need to trim regularly in order to keep them low) use an 18" height groundcover -- such as Liriope -- that won't need to be height trimmed at all. It should be a FAT (double or triple) row -- not a skinny string. Consider variegated Liriope for a brighter look. Given your location, for the shrubs below windows I'd consider Thai crown of thorns. (Not the regular small-flowered one.) It would cheer up the front of your house considerably for much of the year. At the base of Robellini, consider an island of firecracker plant. Eventually, if it gets too tall, you can cut it to the ground and make it low again for a good length of time. For the moderately low groundcover used to link the separate elements together, consider tri-color oyster plant. It is at the same time soothing and cheerful and it's easy to start from pieces. You can split a gallon of it into about 15' pieces that will plant that many square feet. In one year's time it will appear grown together. (Of course, you would need to wait until February to plant it.) Near right of front door and at garage are two places you could use seasonal color. The groundcover around the single palm could be same as the foundation bed groundcover, or different. It could also be a little taller if you wanted, since it is a limited space. I can understand your wanting to get rid of the two lamp pedestals. But for sure, I would think about how you could retain the use of the electrical supply wire that they contain. Either could gain a new use: path lights ... uplights on trees ... post lamps ... downlighting from trees, etc. I would determine how you will reuse them before you demolish them. (BTW, you can make an underground splice if you use heat shrink tubing with sealant built in. I can't say that it will be in compliance with your local code since I don't know it ... just that it works and can be done.) Again, I remind that you need to work out all the proposed changes in plan view before you do any work....See MoreHouse Plans - designed by ARG!
Comments (24)Love your style--we have lots of similar photos in our inspiration books (you may have already seen our design, but I think our homes could be siblings with ARG as a shared creative father to both of them!)--this is going to be a great house! So light-filled and I’m all about your sight-lines to the front and back from the kitchen (I have the same thing in my house). I'm majorly impressed this is your third build--this is our first and the process has been pretty all-consuming and often overwhelming to me! -Yes I would only cover behind the mudroom and do pergola over the area behind the dining if you want so you don’t block light coming into that area—if light is a priority, you will truly regret a fully covered patio! (And I see zero problem in terms of how it will look from the outside) -As everyone else has advised, don’t open up the left kitchen wall. Not only is it nice to have a little bit of a buffer btwn the entry and the heart of your home, but I love having some walls in my kitchen to hang kid’s art work, quotes I want my children to think about, a family calendar, etc.—my current house is very open concept with tons of windows, which is great, BUT I have very few walls to hang things on and I miss them! You can also put up some cute shelves or do the decorative window as an architectural element. I think you will actually love having this wall there. -I would personally go with one big island perpendicular to the way yours are drawn in now. I have yet to see a two island kitchen that flows as efficiently as a one-island (with the exception of when people take a massively long island (like 16’) and essentially cut it into two with an aisle that goes between them). Easier flow from the dining table to the kitchen when setting and clearing the table (vs walking around an island). I’d put a sink in it too. -I wouldn’t mess with closing off the pantry—so great for flow and makes it easy for kids to grab a snack or water bottle on their way out to the garage, etc. Consider doing an big shelf (or enclosed cabinet) in the garage right next to the entry into the house –my friend has that w/ a huge shoe rack for her kids—so convenient to have that with a little bench, rug, and hooks to hang up coats, etc. (when it's winter and we've got lots of snowy/muddy boots, it's so nice not to even have those come into the house!)...See Morewhc85
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoOK, here are some additional and more recent pictures. These show that we have taken out the daylilies, but a variety of items remain (miscanthus grass, liriope and some boxwoods) and there are a few potted plants sitting out on the right bed that we could use here or elsewhere (spirea, boxwoods)--hope these shots are more useful!
PROYardvaark
8 years agoThe suggestions are my usual simple scheme. Looks like you could reuse a lot of existing plant material (though I can't tell what some of it is.) What is the tree in the right bed?
whc85 thanked Yardvaarkwhc85
8 years agowhc85
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