What to plant in front yard where grass doesn't do well
Richard Dollard
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years agoRelated Discussions
40 ft wide front yard: driveway vs plants/grass, and orientation
Comments (11)Our lot is marked for general use and doesn't have any restrictions other than minor easements which we have already met (value of the house and setbacks). Therefore the current plan is to have pavement all the way to the north side of the lot. (The neighbor has a 12 foot patch of grass behind it.) We live in Fairbanks, AK where in the winter we can have as little as 3 hours and 45 minutes of light during the day and thus southern exposure is highly desirable. In addition we are building a really well insulated house (walls will be R-41 or R-37 after considering thermal bridging) with the idea to capture as much heat gain from the sun as much as possible. As far as RV (or a boat), if I ever buy one, I would park it at the back of the lot, right along the north side of the lot. We haven�t done much planning on the layout of the backyard as all of our free time and effort was spent on choosing a house plan and finding an affordable lot in town. (Our budget will also be fully exhausted after building the house, paving the driveway, and small patio in the back.) The entire process started in the middle of May this year so this process is extremely rushed. I appreciate everyone�s honesty and agree with trying to "pound a square peg into a round hole" �. but I�m sure something like this is do able. For example have the square small enough to fit into the hole or the other way around. ;) What I am looking for is a way to use this orientation to our "advantage", if possible. In other words is it possible to turn this weakness into strength? If it�s not possible, then we will rotate the house slightly to the north. PS � We are rushing with the construction of our house b/c right now we are paying $2,000 for renting a 1,300 sq. ft. duplex built in 1980s. With the current rates, for the same amount of money I can afford to own a 2,300 sq. ft. house if I build it myself. Thus, for the same monthly payment I can own my own place. With 14,000 heating degree days in my area whenever the fuel cost go up my rent follows. Owners of 1980�s construction often pay 5-6K (sometimes more) for heating their homes. While, really well insulated homes are around $2,000 to heat for the entire year....See Morewhat transplants well and what doesn't transplant well?
Comments (16)First for those who have offered their suggestions input and advice and taking time to post on this thread and help me, thank you. I very much appreciate it and you have my gratitude. People have told me numerous things regarding what does transplant well. However I do have some questions still because I'm a little unclear on some stuff that has been said regarding transplanting. According to what some have said most of the time anything that is leafy and green (any kind of lettuce, spinach, and collards) is normally direct sown. However are the reasons that these crops are normally direct sown is because they don't make good candidates for seedling transplantation, or are they able to be started from seed ahead of time indoors and will they transplant well? Is it recommended that they're direct sown (as with root veggies) because they just don't transplant well or can you do either or with leafy green stuff (start them as seedling transplants indoors and then transplant them outdoors or is it recommended you direct sow them where they're to grow). Another question I have is that people have strongly recommended that I plant scallions, onions, and chives indoors then transplant them outdoors. However I thought as a rule-of-thumb that root veggies are to be direct sown because they don't transplant well. Are members of the onion family (chives, onion, and scallions) considered root vegetables? Another thing I have a question about is people who have responded to this thread said they normally direct sow peas. Is this because peas don't transplant well or does it make any difference whether or not they're direct sown or can they be started in peat pots indoors and the seedling transplants transplanted at outdoors at a later date? Also what is a root ball? I know that the root systems of seedlings that are started indoors have to be well developed before they're transplanted or when you go to transplant your seedling transplants they will just die. Justaguy2 something I don't understand is that you told me the secret to successful transplantation is starting seedlings quickly and having them transplanted 2-3 weeks after germination. What I don't understand is wouldn't that be transplanting the seedlings too soon? I don't really know anything about seedling transplanting but what I do know is that if the root systems of the plants you're transplanting aren't sufficiently developed when you go to transplant you're seedling transplants they will not transplant well at all. The other questions I have that people failed to answer that I asked are these: *I'd like to use the method of emulating a breeze for the seedlings via using a fan. When should I introduce this to the seedlings (how old should they be)? How many times a day should I use the fan to emulate a breeze for the seedlings and what is the length of time I should keep the fan on when I do this for the seedlings? The reason I'd like to do this is because it will overall make the seedlings stronger. I know that with seedlings when you transplant seedling transplants you are supposed to follow certain guidelines with temperature, time of day, and weather conditions. What are as a rule of thumb, these guidelines? When during the day should you transplant them? Morning? Afternoon? Evening? What should the weather be like? Also this is going to seem like a very dumb question but how do you carefully transplant seedlings well? I've never done seedling transplants so I don't know how to carefully transplant a seedling. I could use advice with this....See MoreNew plantings for new front yard (hydrangeas, ornamental grasses) 6b
Comments (21)Thinking about what mad_gallica said, the house is indeed asymmetrical if you look at it straight on from the street, as all of the pictures do, and your planting plans are all essentially a strip along the front. The house is visible though from the side as you walk or drive along the street. What's happening on that left side, with a view into the side yard, can change the whole balance of the view. Have you thought about some plantings (nice tree and/or shrubs) that will counteract the weight of the garage? These plantings could/should wrap around the corner into the side yard. Maybe there are already plantings there that you just haven't shown us? Claire...See MoreClever (not obvious) way to hide a well head in front yard?
Comments (8)Have a well pump company come and cut the well head down. I had one in my yard that my idiot builder left at 34”. The company that installed the pump came out and did it for nothing. It is now 12 inches high which will make it much easier to hide. Most codes are around 8 inches. I’d recommend going as low as code allows. You can think in terms of the landscaping around it. You could I corporate a smaller sized boulder to help hide it from view as guests walk toward your door (if that’s the case). Make a small bedding area and incorporate some ornamental grasses with some color like annuals or perennials. I think you can find some nice ornamental grasses that grow shorter than pampas grasses (they grow very tall and would most likely look weird being that tall right in front anyway. My we’ll head is in the middle of my yard so I have a fescue lawn so I painted it a darker grass green to help it blend in. I’ll be planting some grasses and using some boulders and a shallow rooting tree to help it not be so conspicuous. Look on Pinterest and other places for ideas and just be creative. You can use a wire brush drill attachment to knock off the rust if there is some on the well head. Then paint it to match the grass or mulch or gray boulder or whatever. Your not going to make it disappear but you can keep it from standing out. Again be creative. Try something and if it doesn’t work, try something else!!! Good luck...See MoreRichard Dollard
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK