Shape of front yard beds
northraleighguy
6 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (10)
l pinkmountain
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agonorthraleighguy
6 years agoRelated Discussions
front yard help - getting rid of large bed - pics
Comments (25)@ woody, my main complaint about the wedge beds is not how they affect or don't affect maintenance, but that they look bad. To have the arrowhead shape bed greeting you as you arrive into its space is not friendly and welcoming. It's not attractive in ground hugging 2-d design. If it's a 3-d shape, it's attractiveness lessens with every inch of height it gains. The shape is in contradiction to the growth patterns of almost any plant. Usually these beds are planted in contradiction to their true shape which helps lessen the mistake of their existence. How about offering a picture of any pointed bed that proves me wrong? @ growsveges, overall, I like the shape of the beds/lawn in your last picture. It's remarkably similar to my first suggestion with a couple of detail differences. The only part of it with which I take exception is completely confining the walkway to the front entrance with a planting bed. If what was planted in the bed in front of the entrance was very low, I don't think it would be horrible. If it was very low, colorful flowers that added a lot of cheer, it could even be good. Other than that, it seems to some degree a contradiction to have an expanse of green velvet carpet that leads to the front entrance and then as visitors actually get there, tell them to go elsewhere and enter a different way. Even if people won't actually access the entrance via the front lawn, the appearance that they could completes a thought process that seems logical and sensible. Being confined by foliage along a walk is not necessarily a pleasant experience....See Morebeds? borders? L shaped tiny yard
Comments (5)The area is too small to try and attempt to make planting "beds" - I'd treat it all as a single planting area. Lawn in this situation is absurd. First, the area is far too small to have anything more than a token lawn, which is pointless, and lawn in an arid, desert environment is environmentally irresponsible. I'd design the area as a xeric garden featuring natives and/or plants that would relish this situation. These can be extremely interesting and visually appealing, offer a great deal of color and texture and most have the attributes of being virtually no maintenance as well. A visit to a local garden center should provide a range of choices but I'd consider cassia, salvias, aloes, agaves, senecio, kalanchoe, euphorbias or any of the many succulents that thrive under these conditions. One or two larger, speciment type plants and a limited selection of smaller ones placed in groupings should suffice - you don't necessarily want to cover the entire area with plants. And keep the gravel mulch. These plants love the reflected heat gravel affords (it is a common occurrence in their native state) and like any mulch, gravel will help to retain any soil mositure and keep weeds at bay. One thing I would consider is changing the topography slightly. The area now is extremely flat and featureless. If you were to bring some additional soil to mound up a portion of the planting area - say an irregularly shaped mound roughly following the 'L' - add a few larger rocks and a flagstone path from the street to the entry, you provide some immediate character and some staging for the plants. The attached link connects to a number of xeric gardens, some well-designed, some not; and not all suited to your climate, or conditions. But take a look at some of the plant choices and how they are combined and notice specifically how many of them treat smaller entry gardens sans lawn. The first (Nelson, Huntington Beach) is partcularly appropriate for your situation. Here is a link that might be useful: xeric garden possibilities...See MoreFall front yard garden is finally taking shape (warning: very pic
Comments (35)I'm sure your neighbors were happy to see veggies, even bolting crops, over the weedy yard, Spaghetina. Here's a couple of suggestions I have from my time growing organically up in SF and Marin. 1) Most of those flowers of the bolted veggies are edible and tasty. While the leaf flavor has turned bitter through the winter and the taste change that comes with bolting, the blossoms often gain a very interesting taste that is great topping salads or lightly fried in certain dishes. 2) If like germinating your own crops from seed, remember which of your crops are heirloom (their seeds will usually produce true) and which are F1 or other hybrids -- it's seed is typically still viable, but may have very different characteristics than the parent. The GW seed exchange forum is a great way to get those exotic seeds you mentioned w/o having to pay catalog prices or drive all over the Bay area, but you need your own seeds to reciprocate. Some of the best plants & veggies in my yard are from trades I've made with other GW members. 3) To my way of thinking, your soil mix seems too heavily focused on decomposed organic matter and doesn't take advantage of the alkaline SF clay topsoil and it's associated soil flora. The compost/purchased soil is great for nitrogen and drainage and you can artificially pump up the P/K/Fe to grow good veggies & plants in it, but organic amendments like blood & bone meal, fish emulsion, seaweed and others need bacteria & fungi to free the nutrients for your crop's roots. That's generally not true for soluble inorganic amendments, which is why they are popular. There's definitely a risk of adding weed seeds by using your yard's topsoil in the garden beds, but that soil food web is necessary for growing good organic crops, IMO. For plants that need lots of N and like great drainage, I go 2/3 purchased soil/fully composted organic matter and 1/3 native topsoil. For tomatoes, peppers and others that suffer in N-rich soils, I use 2/3 native, 1/3 organic matter....See MorePls recommend an oval shaped shade tree for front yard
Comments (8)For rustling leaves the best is aspen. Root barrier would have to be installed to keep it from growing where not wanted, and some bacterial blackening of leaves may be seen - as with other plant problems, this varies between sites from rather nasty to pretty much absent. And the crown shape would be right. It can grow tall but is not a chunky tree with heavy, broad branches. Otherwise you could try French pink pussy willow. No rustling leaves effect but you get fragrant catkins in winter and the crown shape is right. Both trees grow on damp ground and have been prevalent at local outlets in the recent past. This area is part of the very large natural range of aspen, bona fide native patches here seem to be mostly confined to bogs and similar locations....See Morel pinkmountain
6 years agonorthraleighguy
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agol pinkmountain
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agonorthraleighguy
6 years agoYardvaark
6 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
6 years agol pinkmountain
6 years ago
Related Stories
LANDSCAPE DESIGNA New England Front Yard Designed for Relaxation and Resilience
Bluestone paving, raised beds and ornamental plantings transform a compact yard near Boston
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNA Toronto Front Yard Gains Style and a Taste of the Southwest
This fresh design includes gravel beds, Cor-Ten steel planters and cold-hardy plants inspired by desert landscapes
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNFront-Yard Makeover Ideas With Mojo
Make a statement in your front landscape with one of these standout styles
Full StoryFRONT YARD IDEASBefore and After: See 5 Dramatic Front Yard Updates
These makeovers, including a parking-strip farm and an entertaining hub, elevate the typical front yard
Full StoryGREAT HOME PROJECTSUpgrade Your Front Yard for Curb Appeal and More
New project for a new year: Revamp lackluster landscaping for resale value, water savings and everyday enjoyment
Full StoryEXTERIORSWhere Front Yards Collide: Property Lines in Pictures
Some could be twins; others channel the Odd Couple. You may never look at property boundaries the same way again
Full StoryHOLIDAYS10 Easy Ways to Give Your Entryway and Front Yard a Holiday Boost
Make your entry inviting this season with decorations, lighting, furniture and more
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNOrder Meets Wildness in a Denver Front Yard Makeover
A landscape designer turns a basic builder yard into a terraced, low-water dreamscape with a Cor-Ten steel surprise
Full StoryFRONT YARD IDEAS10 Ideas for a Front-Yard Edible Garden Your Neighbors Will Love
Choosing attractive, well-mannered plants and sharing the bounty will go a long way toward keeping the peace
Full StoryINSPIRING GARDENSNative Plants Bring 10 Southern California Front-Yard Gardens to Life
Rare plants, rain gardens and wildlife habitats are just a few of the features showcased on the 2016 Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour
Full Story
mazerolm_3a