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Northwestern Gardening

New to area, need help with large flower bed

8 years ago

Hi everybody,

I'm new to the area (hubby is military). We just bought a brand new home that has a large flower bed in the front. It has a few shrubs that were placed there by the landscapers, but it's very dull.

I need some ideas to fill it in without making it look hodgepodge.

Do I take out the plants in place and start over, or can this be salvaged?

The area is in full sun, zone 8a.

Thank you sooooo much in advance!

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

8 years ago

There is a very general landscaping rule of thumb that dictates that an entry garden or the plantings directly surrounding the main entry to the house be more evergreen than not, so that the entry displays a more or less uniform appearance year round. Part of the problem with the existing plant selection is that they are too small, too new or too non-evergreen, so that the planting area shows as mostly bare dirt. This is not a welcoming or softening look. Unfortunately, the first photo above (summer front porch makeover) is going to offer the same bare appearance for at least 6 months out of the year as well. And is a major maintenance situation - doesn't take much for a densely planted perennial garden like that to look messy and overgrown!!

The second photo is a much better illustration of how this should be handled - a limited and well-thought out assortment of smaller evergreen shrubs and other evergreen plants. Many of these will bloom as well, so one is not necessarily lacking for color (or they come with colored foliage), or you can always add a few flowering bulbs or some seasonal color spot containers like in the last photo, if you want a bit more of a punch.

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Comments (6)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
Brand new homes seldom have much in the way of impressive landscaping unless they are high-end, custom builds. Developers/builders buy small, common and cheap! And your new home is just too new to have the plantings make much of an impact.

There are various ways to approach this, including hiring a design consultant (often a valuable investment in establishing an appropriate landscape) but one of the easiest and cheapest methods is to drive around established gardens in the area and see what looks good to you and what you admire. Take good, clear photos of the plants and post back here for ID's.

Pay close attention to the size of the type of plantings you like - that bed is not all that large plus you have windows on that one face that you probably do not wish to block - so look at smaller, more compact forms. Some things to consider are dwarf conifers, compact or dwarf forms of broadleaved evergreen shrubs (abelia, dwarf rhodies or azaleas, nandina, etc) potentilla, compact spirea and barberries, and heaths or heathers. You might even be able to include a small Japanese maple in the larger part of the bed if you wish.
Embothrium
8 years ago
I'd bring the lawn up to the walk - at least in the area to the right of the lids.
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Gillmank, I love your side porch. I remember when I was on such a tight budget that $3 for a gallon shrub was an extravagance. I began to learn what plants could be divided, like Hostas. And which ones could root easily from 'starts' (also called 'slips'), like Salvias. You probably want a plant that will max out at 5' (for the privacy). Generally a shrub that grows to 5' tall will also grow 5' wide. And most shrubs that stay that short are dwarfs. Rosemary looks like a short shrub and may work in your zone. Your porch will give protection. It is also easy to root a piece for a new plant! Which means if a friend has it no need to buy. Go to a nursery with pencil and paper. Tell them the max. growth size you want, that it is a bright area with no direct sun. Write down the names they suggest. And ask if it is a slow grower or fast. Beware of fast. If you need evergreen let them know that. Put a star beside the names whose looks you like. Then come home and look them up on the internet or ask on a forum. I check our big box store's garden area regularly. 2 years ago they got a shipment of clematis vines. Much cheaper than the nursery. Plus one I wanted. Good luck. PS: if you don't eat those pumpkins be sure to bury them for compost! PPS: I do agree with the information given. Those sweet looking plants will become unreasonably large for your delightful bed.
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PRO
The Logician LLC
8 years ago
The dark green evergreens are planted too close to the cement--one could be moved to nearer the fence--should be 3 or4 feet away from all structures.

Unless you like the look of last year's dead ornamental grass, cut those down before doing so interferes with new growth.

Hard to advise further without knowing your general preferences: shrubs/trees/fruit/flowers/time.
Olychick
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Not sure what your idea of hodge-podge is. This might be exactly what you mean, but I think it would look terrific with what I can see of your home. It's a mix of sun loving perennials, which are often more affordable than some shrubs, although a mixture of both keeps it looking better in the winter when the perennials die back. You could find pics of things you like and take to any good size local nursery for help with i.d. of pictured plants. Some you might find at big box stores, but I prefer the quality and personal (educated/experienced) help at local nurseries.

Front Porch Makeover Summer 2010 · More Info
This is a little more orderly, if that's what you prefer with some pretty common plants and a nice mix of shapes, colors and textures:

And after my disclaimer about big box stores, I found this from Lowes that might give you some ideas. It's not very interesting to me, but very orderly, and if you aren't really interested in gardening and upkeep, it might be fine:

PNW plant guide

ETA: I just found this and like the idea of adding seasonal pots to fill in, (although you have to keep up with watering them well) esp. until your other plants get established.
Embothrium
8 years ago
What is better about the last picture is that there is some repetition of kinds, which reduces the appearance of spottiness produced by planting only one of each - if the other schemes (the second one in particular) had drifts of multiple examples of the same kind where there is instead a single specimen they would be a hundred times more effective.

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