Help for older condo street/landscape in Atlanta
Laura A.
6 years ago
My daughter's condo association has really fallen down on the job and she wants to re-do her front
landscape. We're hoping Houzz's creative people can help with something sort of conservative in the way of landscaping for this smaller, full sun area near her front door and up against a bland wall. The parking is right there. Other homes have more in the way of landscape, but hers is dying for something good. Open to all ideas! Thanks so much.
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er612
6 years agoLaura A.
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Atlanta area folks
Comments (24)I just got back from a 4 day trip to Peachtee City. It is a wonderful place. One thing I noticed was that the drivers are very courteous - everywhere in PTC. If we were at a strip mall and getting ready to cross the parking lot to go to a store, the drivers would stop and allow us to cross. I did not notice a lot of BMWs or similar cars in that area. We used to live in a very affluent area in the N Atlanta suburbs - and PTC did not have the volume of high cost cars at all compared to some N Atlanta areas. There were lots of kids - more teens than younger kids. They seemed to be nice kids. Lots of them worked in the local stores and restaurants. Shopping and restaurants are all over the place. One complaint is that there are rules on lights for commercial places. So the store signs have dim (barely visible) signs. It is hard to find a place at night if you are not familiar with the area. But I am sure it helps with light pollution so in the long run, it is probably a good thing. There were some deer that crossed the road in front of our car. We stopped in time, as did other drivers. golf carts are everywhere - but I think parents of teens are getting them golf carts instead of cars(costs less, they don't go as fast either). There are paths for the golf carts - you can go anywhere in PTC with them. Many folks use the golf carts. The grocery stores are wonderful. I was envious of the fresh seafood at the grocery stores. If I ever had to move to Atlanta area, I would choose PTC in a second. I do agree with the other poster - the majority of high tech jobs in Atlanta area are in the northern suburbs....See MoreNeed help with curb appeal on an older house
Comments (18)Plywood for a planter is not going to last but if you want to do as a temporal installment, fine. Honestly, I can't imagine that creating a solid wall type structure between the columns is going to be a plus for the overall look of the house. If we just want to do that in order to plant in that space, then I'd do the railing and get a planter box that fits over it like a saddle. In order to create formwork to fit steps, make a negative piece for the steps by placing 3/4" plywood at the end of steps. Trace the outline of the steps and cut the "halves" apart at the line. One piece represents the steps and is waste. The other piece will fit over the steps top edges (where the air is). Create a box that attaches to that piece and represents the outside form of the planter/cheekwall. If it's a planter, too, you'll need a "box" form for the inside of the planter. Figure out how to add bracing to the piece that sits on the steps in order to keep it stable during the pour. Of course, you'll calculate all the measurements first so you can make the planter height and size end up correctly. I will only get additional ideas for drawings if there are specific problems presented. In the last picture you added, Surge, it looks as if grade is running toward the house. In a prior picture taken from another angle, it doesn't. If grade is sloping down toward house, then it needs to be fixed before doing any planting....See MoreAmateur over here. Help with front yard landscaping (please!)
Comments (16)Thank you all for your great feedback and recommendations so far. I've included my follow-ups to your comments below as well as a link to additional images of the property at the bottom. arcy_gw – Correct, there are no parking lanes or sidewalks on the street across the front of my property so no one uses the current walkway. I added a view of the street from my house to show as a reference. ShadyWillowFarm – Thank you! I would be open to a new color for the front door, but haven’t thought about it yet. oreolucca1 – Great, thank you for your recos. Yes that’s one of the tricky parts as my property is north facing, but some areas (about 8 feet in front of windows) get full sun all day, and closer areas/corners to the house get part sun/shade. ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 – City is Atlanta. I’ve added a closer shot of the shrub in the left corner you noted. What do you think? Yes, I would consider coming out into the lawn. RedRyder – Thank you! I’ve seen multiple articles on those who’s shrubs or trees have grown past their expectations or aren’t able to maintain so great to hear that feedback and the varieties I should stick to in order to avoid something similar. Yardvaark – After looking back at my 2 photos I posted in my original post, I agree with your feedback. It’s impossible to get an accurate feel for what’s needed with those so I have added new ones to this post. Hope these help? What are your thoughts after looking at these? Let me know. Tsjmjh – No, I don’t have a deer problem (that I know of). Love your shrubs (especially the dwarf blue spruce!). Celerygirl – Wow! I had to make sure you had the right house when I first saw your mockups. These are great. Thank you! With the new photos I’ve posted here, do you think that sidewalk would work with the tree on the left? Decoenthusiaste – Thank you for your recos and feedback. That’s great advice about the nursery guarantee. emmarene9 – Yes, the house faces north. It’s Ivy on the right side that has spread and been working recently to take down. Regarding the left side, I’ve posted a few additional images here that hopefully gives a better idea. Thoughts? Yes there’s a brick planter against and attached to the left side of the house, currently sitting empty. There were many additional images to upload so I've included them in this ideabook: Front Yard_CURRENT...See MoreDutch Colonial home sits perpendicular to the street. HELP!
Comments (4)Is this an older home to which some sort of siding has been added? The window frames look like that might be the case. Reversing that might be attractive. The jalousie windows, while practical, are very unattractive. Switch back to a screened porch. The metal work on the entrance looks like a 1960's "upgrade". I think a designer could greatly improve on that. The short distance from the drive to the entry is not an issue at all. A good landscape designer can come up with a great solution. If you can, get rid of the storm door entirely, or get a full view one....See MoreLaura A.
6 years ago
katinparadise
6 years agoLaura A.
6 years ago
katinparadise
6 years agoLaura A.
6 years agoRina
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI confess I stole the tree from some someone's garden on google, but it is probably a Japanese holly, Ilex crenata, and it takes topiary to get it into that shape, called "cloud pruned" -- or pompom. It can be done with a variety of trees, but the only practical way to get one is to buy it ready pruned. It's not hard to keep it in shape. The bad news, which I have only just found out, is that they cost a fortune.
A beautiful alternative for the Japanese style would be a small weeping tree, such as a dwarf weeping cherry tree (below left), or a standard specimen of a similarly graceful shrub, such as Cotoneaster horizontalis (it's spring here, and mine is an absolute snowstorm of blossoms right now) or even a small wisteria. If you'd rather go with the pompom shape, you might look for a standard euonymous (below right) -- you can get specimens with two or three pompoms up the stem. Cotoneaster and euonymous are evergreen.
You might also find something suitable and beautiful among the dwarf conifers. Talk to your local nursery experts.
Laura A.
6 years agoRina
6 years agoLaura A.
6 years ago
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