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Landscape Design Design Dilemma garden

PNW Front Yard Design Help!

6 years ago

Hello all! I having been mulling over ways to make the entry to our home a little more interesting and inviting. The remaining 5 acres with gardens, lawn and trails is gorgeous, but some how the previous owners didn't put time into the front. We do not have the funds to do anything extensive at this time, so was thinking I would create a large bed to the right of the walkway that fills the corner near the entryway and comes out into the lawn. The hedges that run along the foundation are pretty boring, however do nicely cover the foundation, so also thinking might add a small bed along the front with some more interesting planting at a lower height than the hedges. Would most importantly like to hide the very ugly utility boxes. Perhaps a trellis or lattice? The rock to the left is a french drain so the most I can do there is something in containers. A lot of ideas floating

around in my head but can't quite envision what would look best.

We are in the Seattle area at about 500ft elevation. This area of the yard gets a lot of morning sun but shade most of the afternoon.

Thank you for any thoughts or ideas! Also, anyone know of a landscape design software I can download to do a mock up of a design?

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Comments (9)

mramsey
6 years ago
Check out the author Anne Lovejoy, she is a PNW expert on designing and planning gardens in your area. Her books are amazing. https://www.loghouseplants.com/blogs/greengardening/
Leland Lehman
6 years ago
Here’s a before and after of a house similar to yours where we redid the walk
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zone is not enough ... we need a location.. big city name ... do you know your soil??? what direction does the front door face ... are the only shade trees the one on the left .... if there is clear sky above.. im not sure i would even call this part shade .. if this is a winter pic.. do you have a summer pic to see such?? winner winner chicken dinner is done.. more tomorrow ken
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Can't tell from this photo the position of your trees. Are they both out in the lawn or just one of them? BTW the paint on your front door is too creamy. It would look better if it matched the trim on the windows. I always like establishing beds around the base of trees or placing them next to sideways and drives to soften the severity of the straight line of concrete or pavers.
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groveraxle
6 years ago
Rocks and ornamental grasses:
Elena Ermolaeva
6 years ago
Are those the azaleas under the windows? First time ever see it used as a hedge. Probably not the best idea since they do not put on a thick foliage like boxwood or ligustrum which are prized for that. Whatever you do, please check out the building codes first. In Texas, it is considered unsafe and hence prohibited to cover the electric boxes with greenery. You may be better off with a "box for a box": build a nice cabinet over your utilities so you could open it to access them and then close it.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
6 years ago
The problem is the utility boxes cannot be covered since they need to read each month and now most are read from the street so not going to happen with a cover.I love that walkway shown above .
User
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I use iScape for playing. :) I’m using the free version on my iPad, so the choices are limited to adding 10 things (plants, hardscape, etc). If you pay, you can get more choices. I’m not a pro, so the basics work for what I want to do. I used it for one of my new beds recently, and it helped me a lot with getting a color/texture/size visual.

Anyway, just playing around with your yard ... not suggesting specific plants, as I don’t know your conditions. The flowering vine could be on a structure not touching the utility boxes, but close enough to hide them somewhat.

But like Patricia said, check with your utility company. In my town, they try to read them from the street now, if possible — but still walk neighborhoods that have the boxes in the backs/sides of homes. At my last house, I planted a hyacinth bean vine right on the pole from the ground, and it was perfect. It wasn’t too full, and covered just enough without hiding the display.

For when budget allows, I think seating would be nice.
sheloveslayouts
6 years ago
I'm in Portland, Oregon. Most people here have smart meters that are read remotely, so it doesn't matter if they're covered.
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Dig Doug's Designs
6 years ago
some ideas
sheloveslayouts
6 years ago
Pergola above the front walk? I couldnt quickly find a small, simple one. I think it does the job of guiding folks to your front door.
entry and dining window · More Info

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