How do I build a succulent garden in my front yard covered in grass?
skatd
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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apple_pie_order
4 years agoYardvaark
4 years agoRelated Discussions
What do you think I should do with my front yard?
Comments (9)What a nice space for a garden. I like the rock wall. What kind of light does this area get? Dappled sun and shade all year like in the photo, or either more sun or more shade during the growing season? What is your soil like? I find it difficult to tell how large the area is, so a ballpark estimate would help to tell what there is space for. I'd start with removing any non-garden plants growing here and then mulch (cardboard with cut-outs for the hosta with an organic mulch like chopped leaves or wood chips on top) and weed a lot the first year so that when you add plants your weeding and maintenance will be minimal. Since this area will be visible as folks go in and out of the door, having plants with year-round interest and/or some ornament such as sculpture or a birdbath will be important in making this area appealing. I think I would try to plant mostly lower growing items in the front part of the garden, or at least airy plants so that the stone wall is a visible feature. If some of these are evergreen/gold/red, they will provide interest in the winter. In the upper part behind the stone wall, if there is room I'd add background plants with year round interest such as a colored foliage evergreen, and /or variegated red-twigged dogwood, ones that would stand out well against the light walls. With any woody plants, check the ultimate size and be sure you have room to paint or do maintenance behind it if it isn't a plant like the dogwoods which don't mind being cut to the ground. If there is enough light, a pretty trellis with a clematis that gets cut back in the winter (type 3 pruning) would feature the clematis in the growing season and the trellis in the winter. I would probably put a row of low-growing or easily pruned evergreens such as one of the smaller boxwood varieties under the window to provide winter interest and then plant the rest of the area with perennials to give you more interest in the growing season. Particularly in a smaller garden such as this that is in such a prominent place, thinking about varying the foliage color and texture (as you are doing in thinking about adding coral bells) will help add interest to the garden when there aren't many blooms. In addition to the library as a resource, Pennsylvania has public gardens that might give you inspiration, both for plants and for design. Here is a link that might be useful: Pennsylvania public gardens...See MoreHow do I keep the neighbors weeds out of my yard?
Comments (21)@abelrose Did you try talking to them first before reporting them? I hope so. I have a jerk real estate investor who thought he'd flip the house next to quickly. He pulled up all of my former neighbors perennials including cute little very ell mainted evergreens, roses, spire, iris, lilacs, etc. Left completely empty beds with just soil. House way overpriced so it hasn't sold for months. Now the beds have every noxious weed I've seen from purslane to plantain to creeping charlei, crab grass, burdock, dandelion, deadly nightshade, and more. Idiot. My yard has perennials, mature trees, groundcover, grass, and a bit of mulch. Very few weeds have any place to pop up. I can pull them (about 3-5) once a week. This developer left a nastygram on my door right when all the beds in his property were denuded. He said my backyard was "a jungle". Backfired. I have a friend in code enforcement who said my yard was a great example of a fuuly planted, low maintenance yard. The only weed I have is milkweed for monarch butterflies. The developer thought having so many plants was "jungle-y". Compared to his dirt flats and burnt out grass I guess....See MoreMy 'no grass' front garden, many photos!
Comments (32)imagardener the Osprey community sounds very interesting, it would be great if you just happened to have your camera with you when you drive through. Do you think the residents would mind? sharbear we did not have a lot of grass to remove, but a concrete drive and parking area and a lot of neglected and overgrown shrubs with horrible roots, and weeds. Here is a photo of the front entry before we began remodeling/rebuilding the house and garden. The worst problem was that after I had bought loads of plants from the USF sale we discovered that there was a layer of hard pan from the old drive about 12 to 15 inches below the dirt covering the entire garden area. In addition the dirt was almost pure sand and very infertile. So in the middle of June we had to remove all the dirt, then the layer of concrete, then replace and amend it. This had to be done very quickly as the new plants were in their little pots waiting to be planted. There is no shade, it was so hot we could work only from about 7am to 11am at best each day and even then it was exhausting!! This is a similar view now. Just a quick critter update. It has been a few days now since we last saw our little hummer. I hope it hasn't left for the season. Yesterday as DH was watching his first Zebra Swallowtail a Polydamas Swallowtail swooped in! The photo is a bit blurry, they flutter so! I think that makes 14 species of large butterflies visiting a garden the size of our family room! Amazing! Thank you all so much! It is such a thrill to think that my little garden may have inspired some of you, you all have certainly ENCOURAGED me! There's no stopping me now!...See MoreHow Can I Landscape My Steep Sloping Front Yard?
Comments (12)Doug, wow! Your illustration is so detailed and helps to give me a better idea of how to add some depth and dimension in the front. I'm really keen on the symmetry of your first sketch, with what I believe to be liriope? I honestly never thought about extending the retaining wall to the front elevation or adding steps. Thanks for taking the time to sketch up those concepts. This is likely the direction we will go as the stone from the existing retaining wall is also used for the pathway the leads from the driveway to the back patio and around the entire back of the house. In evaluating ground cover, Pachysandra is one I seemed to have overlooked. We have two huge maple trees at the very bottom of the front yard and don't want to plant anything that will pose a threat to them. Great suggestion there. What is a reasonable range to expect for a project of this scope? I understand every region and professional is different, among many other countless factors. Just wondering if this is $8k-$10k vs. $15k-$20k job....See Morepartim
4 years agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
4 years agoChris
4 years ago
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