New Home - Blank Canvas - Help Me Landscape My Front Yard PLEASE!
bbbdddppp
8 years ago
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emmarene9
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoYardvaark
8 years agoRelated Discussions
It's a blank slate... Front Yard Landscaping
Comments (11)what about a trellis on each side of the windows with some climbing roses. A nice tall bird bath in the middle and maybe a mailbox in the corner next to the door...i have one of these for all my small garden tools. Having something that climbs up the mailbox but not another rose but definately something flowery and showy. Then fill in with a few greeneries (hosta, and things things like that) and annuals and perennials with lots of color. I think color is the big thing. If the shrubs could go you could extend the flower bed on around and just make the color flow nicely, at which point i would move the mailbox from the corner to the other corner where the brick and siding meet. You could also place a nice shepherds hook with a cute birdhouse in the front bed or anywhere for that matter. Very cute house if i may add...and you can grow a ton of houseplants with all those windows there...is that a heated area?...See MoreHelp me landscape my front yard
Comments (8)That happens here, vc - not so much now that the forums are slowing down and variety in responses is at a premium. But a simple request for landscaping advice brings out the architect and "let's rebuild the OP's home" in some responders. Maybe what some - who've never experienced such things - people overlook is the idea that many subdivisions/planned communities are built according to an inviolate plan... right down to the exterior paint colors. I've dealt with HOAs in my former life and have gone through hoops with something as simple as a front door repaint. My advice, just as a homeowner, would be to keep it simple. Resist any temptation to lean a trellis somewhere or have roses, clematis, or anything, clingy viney climbing up the arch supports. Also resist ringing the mail box. Relegate the KnockOuts to the backyard and find something a bit more substantial for against the brick and under the window. The Missouri Botanical Garden is a terrific resource and has a wonderful website/plant finder. I'd plant a row of low growing shrubs in front of the porch. Screw in a hook and hang a planter from the center of the right arch for anything like bright trailing petunias, or a sweet potato vine, big fern, etc. etc. Lastly, a small ornamental tree - a Japanese Maple for instance, planted in the lawn well off center on the right side. Others might say it would be a mowing/maintenance annoyance, but I say something nice might be worth a bit of extra effort....See MoreBlank canvas, need help with front of house landscape design
Comments (5)The photo missing is the all important, square-on shot taken from the street, centered on the entrance area, also showing space at each end and the entire front yard....See MoreLarge front yard - blank canvas - contemporary house
Comments (21)Rosie, I find it best to be direct online. I like porches, I just think they serve a different purpose than a deck. Nic, I think you need to step back and start thinking about functions for your overall landscape before you start thinking about design elements and style. Ultimately the purpose of your landscape is to be useful to you and your family. Draw a scaled top view of your property, including house, driveway, walkways, streets, boundaries, etc and figure out where you want things to be. I like having public and private areas. There are some properties I pass by that are right next to public parks. All of them have some sort of fence around them. Usually a 6' tall privacy fence. I can only imagine that they want a clear demarcation so random people don't wander onto their property and grabbing a beer from their cooler thinking the private family barbecue is a park function :) I think there can also be liability issues. If someone happens to come onto your property and gets hurt you can get hit with lots of bills. Even if they thought they were still in the park. Did you hear the phone ringing while you were edging your lawn and ran inside to get it and someone came along thinking your weed whacker would be fun to play with? There's some big event going on in the park and they ran out of parking? No problem, there's plenty of space on your front lawn. :) I would also put a fence to help turn part of the front lawn (usually public) into private space. If it's a 3-4' high fence I might also add some hedges along with it. It's not just to differentiate spaces but I assume past your front lawn is a street and I think a fence has a lot of safety benefits. If you have kids playing that close to the street you want some privacy for them and some peace of mind for yourself knowing they won't be running into the street by mistake. This wasn't meant to sound morbid. I don't know what's behind that window on the right. If it's a bedroom it also helps give it more privacy from the street if there are fences/shrubs. I take it you're making the changes to the front of the house because you want to give it more visual interest so it's not one flat white wall. I think that's a good idea but I also think it's important to add more bulk and dimension through the landscaping. (Or maybe even consider bumping out a wall? But this is a landscape forum.) That's why I liked the perpendicular beds and the courtyard. It helps give your home some more shape. I threw together some more quick mock-ups of what I would do if I were in your shoes. I had to make some assumptions on dimensions. Again this is more to demonstrate ideas. You need to figure out where to put things based on how you live your life. I like a big bulky entry because it ads dimension to your house. An awning over the entry will come in handy when you're fumbling for your keys in the rain or when people visit. You can put a little seating area to hang out. It's a good spot for visitors to wait if they get there before you. I liked the look of the rectangular hedges in the rectangular planters but I think that throwing in some round shapes like lavender and ornamental grasses will work too. Don't know what grows in your area. The japanese maple helps provide some cover for the picture window. Helps prevent headlights shining in depending on neighbor's driveways and street configuration plus you don't have to worry about people driving by catching you walking to grab a glass of water late at night in your underwear. When I'm in my home I like to have some privacy but at the same time be able to keep window treatments open to enjoy the scenery. In the overview shot you get a better sense of how the front yard becomes your "backyard". If you want to have access to the park you might want to put a gate somewhere if that's appropriate. There's a wrap around deck. I'm hoping your kitchen or dining room is somewhere near the north west corner and you can have access to the deck that way. You can put your patio table on the north side if there's room so you don't have the problems with the sunlight. If you have kids try to put their play area someplace where you can see it from inside. First thing's first though. Draw out a plan of your property on graph paper or something like Google Sketchup (that's what I used for these) and start figuring out where things should go before trying to figure out how they should look. upload picture anonymous picture upload...See Morebbbdddppp
8 years agobbbdddppp
8 years agobbbdddppp
8 years ago
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