first.. do NOT put a bed directly in front of the fence .. as you note.. you have about 60 feet to work with ...

second.. of what use is the lawn to you ... bocci tournaments ???? etc ...

third ... how much garden bed do you want to deal with.. maintain ... do you want to become a gardener??.. how carefree does it need to be ...

i would probably be looking at some jelly bean shaped beds out into the lawn ... and ignoring the fence altogether.. make it disappear outside the box i might presume you are sitting in ...

sooo.. lets define the primary issues/variables ... .. before we start worrying about what plants go grow ...

and keep in mind.. planning out multiple beds.. doesnt mean you have to break the budget doing them all this next summer ... lets call it a 5 or 10 year plan ...

btw: which direction does the front door face ... do we need shade trees out there???

ken

i enlarged the pic... you might be overplanted with what is now there.. we might be able to move some of those plants into other places .... they look perfectly spaced.. presuming they have no future potential growth ... once we ID them.. we could help define how big they will be in 5 or 10 years ...

you might want to include those area in your future plans ....

ken

Thanks, Ken. I'll try to answer all of your questions.

We do use the front lawn for some family activities (catch, soccer, etc). I wouldn't want to take up too much space with the new plantings.

I can do a little gardening like fertilizing, weeding, annual trimming, but don't want it to become a full time job.

Front door faces west

As far as what's there already, we have the one golden arborvitae, a weeping blue spruce, some variegated boxwood, and the rest are crimson pygmy barberry. All pretty slow growing from my understanding.

If you don't want to give the shrubs along the fence plenty of room from the fence, then don't plant shrubs. Plant perennials and have a narrower border planting.

at the link. .. take a look at the potential of these plants ... they look.. unsheared ... 2 to 4 feet .... without the benefit of a scale in any of the pix .... if so.. they should be planted 2 or 3 feet apart ... ergo.. over planted.. for the future ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=crimson+pygmy+barberry.&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images

shearing plants with thorns is NOT an enjoyable job... trust me on that ... dad made it my job ... lol ... until i eventually removed them for him ....

moving them.. and incorporating them into the rest of the landscape.. will be a good way to tie it all together ....

glad to know you use the lawn ...

as to planting in front of fence .. lets try to plan it out ... that whatever you plant.. will never touch the fence ... else you will be creating annual pruning work ... which gets real old.. after the kids move out.. and you are left to do it yourself....

more later ... ken

I didn't mean to give the impression that I wouldn't plant things far enough from the fence. I definitely don't need to be pruning things every year. I just don't want a huge bed that limits how we use the lawn.

I’d think in terms of a herbaceous native border that would be minimal maintenance, provide pollinators and pest eaters for your vegetable garden, and help set your house better in the landscape. Right now it looks like a new development. For examples and plant suggestions you can order books by Douglas Tallamy and Carolyn Summers. They specialize in such gardens for your region. Good luck!

how far set back from the sidewalk is the fence ... that might be a natural line to work with.. but i might not go plumb line straight across the whole property .....

ken

Actually my town just made me do a survey, so I have all the details you could ask for. It's not plumb across the property, but it doesn't deviate much. It's about 56 feet.

A mixed shrub perennial bed for attracting pollinators could look better than just one or the other. Some evergreens mixed in so it isn't a complete blank slate in winter would be better still.

Shrubs to ponder are Hydrangea arborescens, There are several cultivars. 'Haas Halo' is a lace cap with fertile flowers that will attract bees. 'Ruby Slippers' Oak Leaf Hydrangea is a smaller selection of that hydrangea. Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' is another short selection with great spring bloom and good fall color.

Standby pollinator friendly perennials are Black Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia and Purple Coneflower, Echinacea. The list of full sun perennials is endless.

Evergreen shrubs could be a couple more boxwood to have some flow in the front planting and Blue Globe Spruce is a slow growing dwarf rounded selection.

I'll let you worry over the fence and the depth of the bed.

setback?? ... i shouldnt have used a term of art re: surveying ...

the sidewalk from the driveway to the front foor ... the side farthest from the house .... how far back is the fence from that line ... it is a given line.. that the new bed should work off .... so it all comes together in a pleasing sight line....

also ... it looks like you probably use lawn irrigation ... this is not good enough for your future new plantings .... it usually doesnt not stay on long enough... to allow newly planted shrubs and plants ... to get water down into the root mass .. also ... many such do not like having their leaves wetted every day ... such can lead to problems like molds and mildews ...

so now would be the time to plan how the new bed and plants will be watered ...

ken

Sounds like you have enough depth to have a bed 8’-12’ deep and still have plenty of lawn room. What depth you choose will depend on the mature size of the shrubs you want. If you want an 8’ depth, choose shrubs that will have a mature size of no more than 7’ width so there will be space between the fence and the plants. You need to decide on mature size as opposed to tag size (which is typically 5 years for shrubs even though they continue growing until the mature size is reached) based on experienced gardeners or a reliable source such as the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Plantfinder.

Then remove all grass before planting and add an edging front and back.

Here are edging ideas: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4572791/flower-bed-edging-which-is-best#n=21

I will add specific plant suggestions that I have found to work well in a bit when I have enough time.

Or do as I have often done - leave the turf in place. Mow short, cover with about 6 sheets of newspaper and four inches of wood chips deliveeed free from most arborist. You can plant your shrubs through holes right away but wsit a season to plant the groundcover.

Purple pillar rose of sharon, regent service berry, goume berries, bush cherries like Juliette or Romeo, blueberries

rose of sharon can be invasive in some areas ...

and blueberries MIGHT require soil amendments for pH in some places ..

though i do like the idea of having snacks out there.. lol ...

i would also plan for something of some size.. out towards the house on the left ... often.. the best neighbor.. is the one you cant see every time you are sitting on your porch .. lol ... and though this neighbor might be OK ... you plant now.. so in 10 years.. if your friend moves.. you can hide the new neighbor ... lol ... im probably thinking some conifer ... or tree ...

ken

- Vaccinium are a good suggestion for NJ as the soil pH is generally about right. They have lots of little spring flowers, summer fruit, and red autumn color. Some even have red winter twigs. Prune out some of the oldest big stems early each season to keep them producing well.

- Panicled hydrangea/Hydrangea paniculata would work great there. They range in size from about 4’x4’ to 15’x15’, so the variety would need research (not just reading plant tags which tend to give 5 year size for shrubs) from reliable sources such as the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Plantfinder. There are lacier flowers like Quickfire as well as heavier, denser and therefore at times floppy flower heads such as Strawberry Sundae, Zinfen Doll, or Vanilla Strawberry, and ones that still have large flower heads but are only slightly floppy such as Limelight. All bloom for more than two months and some as long as four months. They look tidier if old flowers are trimmed off early in the season but need no pruning.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/plantfindersearch.aspx

- As Christopher suggested, consider adding some smaller evergreens, perhaps yew or some of the smaller selections of juniper, spruce, or arborvitae/Thuja. I likely wouldn’t use boxwood/Buxus because there are disease and insect issues in much of the eastern part of the US.

- As Christopher suggested, Fothergilla is a beautiful shrub, with spring flowers and bright fall color as is Oak leaf hydrangea/Hydrangea quercifolia. Both are fine in full sun here, but I don’t know if they will be in your area so I would research that. Both are native to some shade. I wouldn’t plant Hydrangea arborescens/smooth hydrangea in this spot because it drops in full sun here (much farther north), and the difficulty of keeping it hydrated in sun shortens blossom life.

- Look at some small fruiting trees such as some of the smaller crabapples, serviceberry/Amalanchier, chokeberry/Aronia, or thornless hawthorn/ Crataegus. All of these will have spring flowers and summer to autumn fruit, but do research to choose disease resistant types that are of the size you want. They will provide winter color and attract birds.

- There are a wide range of Viburnum species and cultivars in a wide range of sizes. A few are plagued by an accidentally imported beetle that eats the leaves, so avoid for instance all forms of Viburnum dentatum and V. opulus, but many other Viburnums don’t seem appealing to the beetles. Spring flowers, berries if you have two different cultivars of the same species, and flaming red to pink fall foliage. Again, be sure to research size.

- There are a huge range or Rhododendrons and azaleas (both are technically Rhododendrons) with spring flowers and either evergreen leaves or deciduous leaves that typically get nice fall color. Be sure to choose types that will mature to the size you need as some stay under 2’ while others can grow to 25’ in height and width.

I prefer as Christopher suggested a mixed shrub border because it provides a longer season of interest and much contrast, but be sure to use some repetition. My usual preference it to repeat the same shrubs every 15’ or 20’, though not always in the same order. I might have some plants that only appear once, but I do choose a set of several plants that repeat down the length of the bed for continuity.

About half way down this linked thread is a set of photos and descriptions of one of my mixed shrub borders that might give you ideas even though they are bigger than yours.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3113384/shrubs-for-privacy-along-a-fence

Remove the grass, make multiple visits to local independent garden centers (best selection in spring and early summer, because that is when plant outlets get the most traffic) to see what you like the look of, what looks good together (when you find something you like, carry it around and hold it against other plants to come up with pleasing combinations). Instead of getting suggestions off the web and then having to hunt for them locally or order them in, without being able to see the stock in person first.

If wanting to have color interest during other seasons shop at those times also.

Lol. You asked a wide open planting question on a gardening website, bet this is more than you expected!

Your house looks great but all the fence distracts from the front view. I'd just move the arborvitae from in front of the house to over near the start of the fence, to frame the house and block the electric meter (but not crowd the porch. A small tree like serviceberry or japanese maple could go near the far end of the fence to anchor that, and make it look like that's all part of your yard. A bed along the fence might be more work than you'd like...

My bigger concern would be the evergreens in your back yard. Are they Leyland cypress? The one looks close to the house.

Yeah, not exactly what I was looking for, but thanks for your advice. They're green giant arborvitae.

If the fence material is paintable i would paint to match the house color...as is ...it stands out too much and makes the house color look drab ....do you like “all in a row” landscaping or sculptural looks...or natural more country landscapes?..nailing down these,basics would be the first step to take

In your situation i would really seek local advice from a really good nursery....all of the questions you have will be answered by someone with local experience and expertise...if you are making a sizeable purchase they may offer more perks... like free delivery or a visit to the site to offer guidance and advice...as for your budget keep in mind the next expense will be a watering system...with a fairly sophisticated ability for zones and timers for each area

Your home is lovely. I think it might be the picture but the fence looks stark white. it is easier on the eye and to add natural landscaping that blend with soft colors. When laying out a fence I try to add something of interest. An arch? Something for a running vine? A trellis. Or Bring 1/3 of the middle section 5 feet forward leaving two entrances. With that said with any garden benches and other hardscapes that don’t need water are welcoming for many reasons. Just don’t plant anything in one straight line. Divide the fence in 5 garden beds. Cozy up each with benches. Children’s swings. A few boulders. Maybe conifers. I would take my time and treat it like several different gardens along the fence line.

green giant arborvitae.are really cool plants. If they are not too big already might be really awesome to move one or three of those as fence garden anchors. I like the arborvitae. I know you are worried about sun and your vegetable garden. I have seen some killer front yard vegetable gardens. Either way I would nurture those plants.

The 'Green Giant' are already too big to be in scale with the fence (or to be transplanted) and about triple the size they are now is what is coming in the future.

https://www.usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_standard_image/Thuja_Green_Giant.pdf

mega cool. I love these plants.

You've probably already planted, but if not, I would suggest the Regent Serviceberry. It maxes out at 6' and most descriptions say 4-6' high and wide. It has fragrant white blooms in spring, berries that ripen from pink to purple to blue to black, and it offers fall color. The winter interest is also there, because it is more refined than most shrubs. The fruit is edible; some say it's better than blueberries. I will be putting in a hedge of these all along my frontage of 112'. I will have an arbor in the middle, and I will have other fruiting trees and shrubs behind. I rented a sod cutter to remove the grass, and I've laid down the mulch. Now, I just am waiting for the plants to arrive! Look up "Regent Serviceberry hedge" to get an idea of how beautiful they are! They don't seem to require much if any maintenance, especially if 6' is not too high. Birds, bees and butterflies love them as well as people! Pick some to freeze throughout the winter, and make a few pies while you're at it!.