What do you think of this landscape design, tree and plant selection?
I am working on getting the yard and landscaping put in on our new home. Here is what the landscaper came up with for a design and tree / plant selection. I am located in NW Pennsylvania (Zone 5). What are your thoughts, comments and suggestions? Good, or bad, I want to hear your thoughts.
Comments (12)
csimmons222
6 years agosamarnn,
I am a complete noob when it comes to landscaping / plants / trees. I informed my landscaper that I was looking for things that were fairly low maintenance and would look good.
The landscaper suggested a second shade tree further into the backyard but I had him remove it. I wanted a spacious backyard for throwing a baseball with the kids, kicking the soccer ball around, etc. I was concerned that a large shade tree in the backyard would consume too much space and interfere with such activities. With that said, I will consider moving this one shade tree a bit further into the backyard.
Ground cover was not part of the original plan. It's something that we may DIY in the future but it was all going to be mulched out of the gate. As I stated above, I am completely new to all of this stuff.
I do want to incorporate blues to compliment the house; hence the blue hydrangeas but maybe I need some more.
Here are some actual shots of the house.
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Just finished my new veg. garden, what do you think about design?
Comments (12)Okay, here's my critique. You probably did not design it, actually, you just built it--a big raised bed with a fence around it. Ideally, I would use a completely different design for a fully-fenced garden as for one not fenced--both as to dimensions and where the garden actually "is" with regard to the house and to the fence and to any paths or stepping stones that will be needed. However, you were able to take some advantage of where you attached the fencing to the perimeter. You can retrofit it now with some kind of step stones or paths in order to try to work in it. It's too close to the house so you lose the ability move very well back there or to work freely through the back fence or to run a wheelbarrow back there. You lose a little bit of some space advantage you could have had to let larger plants (indeterminate tomatoes; peas and beans) which like to spill out over the back sides--but you could still place them at the ends. These types of vegetables are really fun to grow in places where you can just saunter up to pick them at eye level (I am revealing my middle-agedness here). Of course, it isn't that much fun to try to work through the squares of fence, so you will mostly want to work from inside. If you put a path through the middle then will still have a few feet on either side for your crops. You can have a lot of fun with this garden regardless and learn a lot about growing different types of stuff. I always feel pressure to try to put as much as possible in the small veggie garden, but sometimes that can take the fun out of it (pressure! pressure!) as much as it can be fun. But if you do check out some of the photos and articles on small-space or square foot gardening, they will have some helpful tips on where to place different vegetables with regard to each other (height and growth patterns, time to maturity, multi-season planting). I would work out your pathways, and plan on enjoying plenty of tomatoes (next year) , herbs, and lettuces. In your zone, you can plant cilantro and parsley now and it will grow all winter and thaw out great after freezes. Also all kinds of lettuces and greens as suggested above....See Moresmall tree..what do you think
Comments (8)With a height restriction of 10 feet, you may want to look at shrubs that can be shaped up for a tree look. There are some crepe myrtles that are under 10 feet, but they are for zones 7-9. Japanese maples, as others mentioned are available in that size and they are slow-growing. Here are my favorite trees (in addition to serviceberry that has already been mentioned): magnolia virginiana: sweetbay magnolia, semi-evergreen, fragrant blossoms in March. Can take wet feet or not. 30x20 Chionanthus retusus: Chinese fringetree, deciduous, fragrant in May/June, well-drained soil. 20x15. Evodia danellii : Korean Evodia, deciduous, average/fast growth, white flowers in summer, red fruit after. 30x30. Franklinia alatamaha: Franklin tree, deciduous, fragrant July/August white flowers. 20x15 hepaticodium miconiodes: seven-son shrub, deciduous, fragrant white flowers. 20x10 Vitex (chaste tree) could be pruned in late winter each year to keep it down in size. A large buddleia (butterfly bush) is a possibility. Betula nigra Fox Valley 'Little King' is 10x12. Cercis canadensis 'Covey' is a weeping form 6x8. Magnolia x 'Ann' is 10x10 and will work in zone 5. Prunus x 'Snow Fountain' is 10x15....See MoreLandscape Fabric What do you think? (feel free to rant)
Comments (11)Good question! Landscape fabric works well to separate hardscape layers such as a crushed stone base for a patio or path from the soil beneath it, but that is its only real use. In something like 15 years here on the GW (now Houzz owned) forums I have read one person who had used landscape fabric in planting area for more a very few years and was still pleased with it. It needs to be totally covered to not break down in sunlight, and flapping gray edges are unattractive. Weeds root in from above from wind blown seeds and below from roots that were preexisting or that crept in from the lawn. It makes weed removal more difficult because the roots become entangled in the fabric. Landscape plant roots also get entangled in it as the roots search for the water and nutrients and oxygen that don’t move well through the fabric. It needs to be removed/cut back in order to plant. The soil loses organic matter that helps keep it healthy since the landscape fabric segregates the mulch from the soil, and then as any existing soil organic matter breaks down, there is nothing to replace it, so soil typically becomes compacted and less able to hold moisture as well as less fertile. As GG48 said, a good layer of mulch works as well and is much easier to remove weeds from, and it will slowly break down to improve soil tilth. I also like planting densely since many weeds need light for the seeds to germinate, so use a dense groundcover if you like your plants separate or invest in a scuffle hoe or light rake to scuffle up the mulch to expose weed seedling roots. Edge beds well to keep them separated from the lawn and any grass or weeds that might try creeping in from there. For now since it sounds like things are a bit out of control, see if you can hire a teenager to work with you for the summer. Weed an area and mulch it the same day, and then move on to another area. Once everything has been weeded and mulched, keeping it tidy is a matter of putting in some time while any new sprouts are still small so that weeds don’t have a chance to flower and go to seed. If it is still out of control, consider hiring ongoing help or returning beds to mown areas so that there is a size of garden that you can comfortable manage with whatever resources of people, tools, or energy you have available....See MoreHelp selecting shrubs or trees to replace current landscaping
Comments (15)The pieris (andromeda) look chlorotic to me, while the roses and spirea further forward do not. Pieris ike acidic soil and that's likely the problem. They could maybe use a dose of an acidic fertilizer like Holly Tone or just a handful of garden sulphur. There are also many pieris cultivars - some are quite short, some a bit taller. Are you sure you've planted the right form for that location? They're nice plants, and they need a bit more time to get established than knock-out roses and spireas do, but check the cultivar and consider some fertilization in lieu of replanting them. If you're set on replanting, with that eastern exposure, you might just whack some hydrangeas in there, unless your set on evergreen foliage AND flowers, in which case I would nurse those pieris along a bit more....See More
emmarene9
6 years agoI would eliminate the entire bed on the forward side of the walk. I hate barricade beds but understand that for some reason they have gained popularity. I think this is a much neater look.
Do you love gardening and want to devote a lot of time to it?
PROYardvaark
6 years agocsimmons222
6 years agoemmarene9
6 years ago
Mike Larkin
6 years ago
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
aegis1000
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI second rethinking the Redbud, ... as it doesn't have the mature structure for a front yard tree.
Sea Green Junipers get huge. I've got a couple now which are quickly outgrowing their spaces.
Also, there is a fungal disease which can appear when Crabapples and Junipers are placed in close proximity.
https://laidbackgardener.wordpress.com/2016/04/10/juniper-and-apple-trees-not-a-good-mix/
And the Purple leaved Sandcherry will begin to decline after 10 years or so ... necessitating removal.
csimmons222
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoOnce again, thank you for all of the comments. I have made some revisions based on suggestions to the original plan and have attached the layouts below. I have not yet ran these by the landscaper yet but figured that I would post the changes on here for additional feedback.
#1 - I got rid of the Blue Spruce and substituted them for Gold Rush Dawn Redwoods.
#2 - I removed two of the Purple Prince Crabapples from the SW corner and moved the Red Maple down near that corner. I think the landscaper had placed it in the original location to create some shade in the backyard.
#3 - Removed the Wine & Roses Weigela, moved the Knockout Roses to the back row and put My Monet Weigela in the front row since the weigela will be smaller.
#4 - Removed the Redbud and substituted it for a Kwanzan Cherry Tree.
Other Notes:
- Someone stated that the Sea Green Chinese Junipers get rather large. Are these easy to keep trimmed down to size or should I swap them out for something else. If you think they should be swapped out then what do you suggest?
- Someone stated that the Compact Hinoki False Cypress may block the stone pillars. Any other suggestion of an evergreen shrub to use?
- Any suggestion on what to substitute the Sandcherry for that is along the side of the front porch?
- Landscaper original proposed blueberry bushes along the side of the house instead of the Arctic Fire. Any preferences on what to use there?
aegis1000
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI thought about this for a bit ...
One of the characteristics of the junipers is that they are evergreen, therefore giving you green in your landscape in the winter. However, junipers are not good candidates for pruning.
For an evergreen that can be effectively pruned, ... yews are the ticket. And given the spacing you are allocating for the plantings, Hick's Yew might be the best choice, ... growing more upright than wide. They can get 3-4 foot wide and 8-12 foot tall, but ... they are emminently PRUNABLE, as yews will regrow green foliage from a severe pruning, unlike any of their evergreen cousins.
By comparison, Sea Green Juniper can easily reach 10-12 foot wide, ... and 4-6 foot tall.
Additionally, I like the Arctic Fire Dogwoods as a companion plant, rather than the Blueberries. Blueberries look great in the spring, summer, and fall, ... but the Dogwoods will also give you color (red stems) in the winter.
Consider grouping the like plants rather than the alternating planting shown. This will be a more successful (and attractive) planting, in my opinion.
For a replacement for the Sand Cherry, ... consider Bloodgood Japanese Maple. This commonly used planting provides the same kind of coloration in the spring, summer, and fall ... and is a much more long-lived and statuesque planting.
aegis1000
6 years ago
samarnn