Tiny front and side yard ideas
Hello I have a very tiny front yard and side yard and looking for some ideas.
The first pic below is one side of the front of the town home. I can plant until the pipe. I intend to remove the creeping myrtle and plant a combination of annuals and perennials. East facing and gets 6+ hours sun.
The other side of the little front yard:
Planning to remove all the plants and make a little butterfly garden for my daughter. Feeling terrible about removing them, still thinking that I will transplant them, though not sure where.
Real problem is the side yard here since it has 5 spirea bushes that I don't really want to remove but cannot think of a way to plant around them. This side also does not get too much sun. 2-3 hours maybe. I might remove the holly bushes. Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks!
Comments (14)
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need big time help for tiny yard(s)
Comments (13)I'd suggest sorting out what will do well in the winter shade right against the building first. Kangaroo Paws will grow just fine there, but really bloom best with full sun. Most of the Kniphofia/Poker Plant cultivars will also bloom best with full sun. You also have an Angel's Trumpet/Brugmansia at the left side of the unit, and this can get quite big over time, but can easily be trained to be a multi-trunk tree, and will be bloom well in these light conditions. The cultivar 'Charles Grimaldi' is my personal favorite, and has a warm orange shade of bloom. I'd also suggest that some really big ceramic pots at the walls flanking the steps, with a colorful foliage plant such as Phormium 'Yellow Wave' or 'Cream Delight' could give you year round color, as well as foliage texture. Alternatively, you could also use specimens of Strelitzia reginae or Euphorbia cotinifolia in pots, perhaps with trailing Euphorbia myrsinites, or succulents such as the lavender tinged Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' or Echeveria imbricata. If you wanted another larger growing shrub with nearly year round bloom that could be kept relatively narrow, the Princess Flower/Tibouchina urvilleana does really well in southern California, but does need regular watering to bloom well. The Mexican Lobelia is also nearly year round blooming and grows well in shade and with little water, and can be sheared into a hedge and treated like boxwood. You might also consider using a bold foliage plant like Giant Walking Iris/Neomarica caerulea, having a similar form to a Phormium, but with waves of deep purple blue flowers on 5 foot tall stems all summer into fall. Another really cool shrub with purplish tinged foliage and blue flowers in late winter/spring is the uncommon Ageratum corymbosa, which also does well in light shade. Kalanchoe carnea modoc is another sculptural succulent that is winter blooming, takes shade, and would do well at the front of your building. With the formality of the building facade, I would suggest that treating it as a formal symmetrical planting and massing foliage plants with some color would give it a more integrated look in the front. You might also consider Reed Stem Orchids, Epidendrons, for a narrow yet tall and everblooming airy plant. Some narrow growing palms such as Chamaedorea tepelejote or C. plumosa could also look cool in front of the building, and will do well in shade, without getting too big. If you want to do the Gingers, they typically do want more regular summer water to do well, but things like H. greenei, H. gardnerianum, Alpinia zerumbet variegata could combine well with the Brugmansia and Tibouchina water wise. I wouldn't recommend planting the Horsetail/Equisetum unless it is contained at the roots, as this is a rampant spreader and will choke other plants out over time. You could plant the similar appearing South African restio, Elegia capensis for a similar look, which is very lacey and ferny foliage. Asparagus retrofractus is another tall ferny/lacey looking plant that would like these conditions. Good luck with the project, and post some photos of what you decide to do!...See MoreDesign help for tiny front yard
Comments (27)Greening - Your comment " . . . the house is quite tall for that small a front yard. Unfortunately, deciduous trees in the front yard aren't going to happen-- they aren't good for the roof and the roof needs all the help it can get" has been percolating around in my head for about a month now, and I've finally found time to respond. I agree with Mayalena, KT, and Paririemoon2 that you should at least consider a deciduous tree, since I think without something to tie the tall house to the lower level garden, you'll be unhappy because there won't be enough of a transition or connection between the garden and the house. Look for varieties that are labeled as columnar or fastigiate or narrowly weeping. I think a tree with a trunk and the branches and foliage up above will give you more planting room than a large shrub like a Hamamelis (witchhazel) or a Philadelphus (mockorange) which is about as wide as it is tall or even than a columnar evergreen which typically has branches down to the ground. I noticed in glancing through the website below that they include at least some columnar trees, but probably most major online woodies nurseries have a search function that will let you search for columnar, fastigiate or fastigiata. Forest Farm nursery (forestfarm.com) has a category of columnar plants you can click on http://www.forestfarm.com/search/route.asp?indexkey=2C&x=72&y=12 that lists 37 genuses that they carry with columnar plants. Another resource with a list of columnar trees in the book Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs, probably in your local library or bookstore. On pg 450 he lists about 2 dozen varieties of columnar and fastigiate trees. I think somewhere I've seen a reference to a columnar Stewartia, which might fit the bill perfectly. Stewartias in general have flowers, gorgeous fall colors, and in winter peeling, multicolored bark, so you'd have multiseason interest and get the most bang for your buck (space.) I think you mentioned planning to replace the solid front of the porch with balisters (sp?) and a rail. You could also add a trellis or even just netting with clematis/honeysuckle, etc. as using the vertical space will add to how much you can plant. Clematis in particular looks quite at home in a cottage garden and would like the coolness to the roots that shade from the porch would provide. I've also done some reading about folks who grow clematis through shrubs and small trees to add longer season interest. I haven't yet seen anyone who has grown one through a rhodie, but that might be a possibility to give you some winter green. At one time there was a thread in the shrubs forum here on growing clematis through shrubs, but it may have disappeared by now. Regardless, you need to match growth rate and ultimate size of the tree or shrub with the clematis. A couple of final thoughts - since you've got such a small space and you'll presumably want to be planting it intensely to fit in as much as possible, take the time to really work on your soil before you plant, turning in lots of organic matter like compost or well-rotted manure (which shouldn't smell) so that your plants thrive. Also, if you are visual, to help with your planning, take the photo of your house and do overlays on transparencies or tracing paper to help plan your space, even just cutting out silouettes of plants in proportion to your house and moving them around to see what looks right to you (or maybe you can do it all on the computer.) Hope I've helped some. Babs Here is a link that might be useful: smallplants.com...See MoreNeed ideas for front / side yard
Comments (7)From what I can make out, it seems you are doing what is commonly called "overplanting" meaning putting too many plants in too small of a space. When you are starting out fresh this seems like a good idea because the new plants are small and the area looks good, not sparse. But the small plants quickly outgrow the space and then you have problems--it looks messy, you have to constantly prune, you can't get around the plants to maintain them, weeds hide underneath and around them, and they hold moisture against the house which can cause wear and tear. It is very important that you read and follow the plant labels and space your plants allowing for the mature size of the plants. If the label doesn't tell you the species of plant and mature size, don't buy it, find a more reputable nursery to buy from. As for barberry, I don't much care for it even discounting the invasive part. I spend a great deal of time pulling it out of the native woodlands adjacent to my planted spaces, so I really think it is a mistake. Good alternatives are dwarf fothergilla, Pieris japonica if you have deer problems in your zone, (is that what "Japanese Dorothy" is?). Lowbush blueberries, winterberry holly, magic carpet spirea, dwarf weigela, dwarf sweetshrub, dwarf clethra, golden globe arborvitae, shrubby cinquefoil . . . all good alternatives to barberry....See Morefront yard side garden
Comments (2)I'd plant it up with native ground covers. Common violets are pretty, as is tiarella --- you want the spreading kind, not the clumping....See Moreforever learner
7 years agoforever learner
7 years ago
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoforever learner thanked littlebug zone 5 Missouriforever learner
7 years agoBetter pics:
Front view: This faces east but at an angle (north east). The front gets 6+ hours of sun.
The front-left side bit where chair frames can be seen is 84x110 inches. This is blank right now. I would like to add some perennials like Echinacea (pow wow wild berry) and annuals in varying heights. But undecided on which side the tall plants should face.
The right side bit is 147x165 inches. Currently there are two knockout roses, a Coreopsis, Sedum kamtschaticum on this side (As seen in the original post's 2nd pic). I want to remove them and add a bench under the window. Maybe have a little walking path to the magnolia with the rest being a little butterfly garden. (There is a little park and some shops in front of this so its nice to sit and people watch)
There is a bit of 15 inches space in front of the fence. In this space, I was wondering if I can add perennials likes Shasta daisy (snow lady), Sage (Merleau Blue), Coreopsis (Sunfire, Rising sun or Moonbean) or I might just add annuals like petunia.
M · More Info
M · More Info
Side view:The sun to side yard is blocked a little by the magnolia on the side. It gets about 2-3 hours of sun.
I measured the side bed, it looks small in this angle, but it is 72 inches (where it tapers) The front bit where it looks wider is 100inches)
The spireas are 15 to 30 inches away from the wall of the home. Is that too close?
I guess I was seduced by the lush side yard photos of houzz :) so want to plant a lot more even if it is not visible from front. If I remove spireas, was thinking a mix of hydrangeas, shade perennials and annuals.
M · More InfoCannot really see much from the front because the magnolia blocks the view.
M · More InfoThese are probably all very foolish ideas. I am so embarrassed as I type this. Please talk some sense into me!
l pinkmountain
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoBeautiful little yard with lots of potential. I had spirea growing in partial shade and they looked anemic but did bloom a little bit and did attract butterflies. Clethera is a similar shrub that does better in the shade. Another is spicebush, which is known for attracting swallowtailed butterflies. You will be able to plant a lovely garden even in shade, but I have one more 60K question--are there deer grazing around your neighborhood? If so, all bets are off and we may need to go in a different direction with the advice.
I'm not sure, but I think hydrangeas need more sun than your side yard. There are lots of viburnum shrub varieties that do well in shade though. Here's a photo of one of ours, (Blackhaw viburnum) from the side of a building. You might want to go with something smaller, but it does give you an idea of some of the possibilities. I've heard of one viburnum called "Blue Muffin" that was bred smaller. I'm sure there are many other dwarf varieties.
Edited to add that is not much of a butterfly attracting shrub. For that you probably want something like clethera or sweetspire. The key to having a lot of butterflies though, is having larval food nearby.
forever learner thanked l pinkmountainforever learner
7 years ago
kitasei