Landscaping Ideas???

3 years ago

I am having a hard time getting local landscaping help.....first it was because of Covid (people were holding back) and now because the season is started, people are too busy. I see the plants in the nurseries now and I want to get on with my project. I live Downeast Maine. The front of my house faces south and gets mostly sun, although the sun gets dappled in the afternoon about 2 pm. I have bought 6 Bloomstruck Hydrangeas and 1 blue spruce low growing nest shaped shrub (which I am not sure I should keep). My original thought was to put a Japanese Maple to the right of the entry (as you are looking at the house with the blue spruce nest on the opposite side, hydrangeas along both sides of the house, with Cinnamon Ferns directly against the foundation of the house (because in winter we have a lot of heavy snow fall off of the roof --- I worry that shrubs under there would not be able to take the snow fall load of what comes off the roof). However, I returned the Japanese Maple because I do not want a big shade tree right there ( I love the way they look when they are young, though). This is the only sunny-ish spot I have and I'd like to keep as much sun as I can. Wondering about a dwarf cutleaf variety but some of those end up looking like "blobs." Any creative ideas?

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tozmo1
3 years ago
bump
BirchPoint thanked tozmo1
Embothrium
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Because of the symmetry of the house façade if it were mine I would do straight lines, matching pairs etc. on the ground in front of it. And would definitely have had a straight entry walk come straight out from the door, instead of that angled, curving one which the contrasting boldness of the house's pattern is making look like a dribble or squiggle. (Yes, the driveway is curved - so I might have compromised with something like a straight sided walk that changed direction right before the driveway was reached).

The alpine garden style rock placement also does not link up with the absolute formality of the house design. (The geometry of the house may be what prompted you to place two identical planters at the entrance. These being present now serves to additionally emphasize the dichotomy between the style of the house and the style of the garden scene you have been making directly in front of the house).

If I just bought your place today I would actually replace the walk and remove the rocks, plan a geometric garden layout that echoed the front of the house. And choose plants that would lend themselves to being part of this scheme. I would do this on at least this part of the property, that is dominated by the front of the house. And not necessarily anywhere else on the lot.
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You're kidding, right? In my region you'd pay $60 - $100 for good sized shrubs from a reasonably priced nursery. You'd pay about half that for the big box storesÂand they'd be about 1/3 the size. Think waiting 2 to 3 years for the smaller shrubs to catch up. Trees? Well, they'd be a bit pricierÂIs the work being priced just for the front yard? I've received several bids for a small landscape project in my backyard that would include re-grading mistakes of the distant past. (Note: You bet there's a warning here. Poorly done grading can mean water issues.) The quotes are coming in at $5,000 to $6,500, if we go with a newly paved patio after the grading. That's for a relatively small area of my modest overall landscape. You want shrubsÂa 50' hedge rowÂgradingÂ seedingÂetc.? I guess I'm wondering who will evaluate the grade and get the drainage right, who will plan for decks, patios, walkways? What about exterior lighting, automatic watering? Sounds to me as though you already have this as cheap as possibleÂ Believe me, for 10k you'll get what you paid forÂand it probably won't be much. How much consultation with the LA will you have? Are you just receiving some sort of "standard package" or will the LA give you personal attention and all the different kinds of plan drawings that come with a professional LA? Are you getting the feeling of "Here's your grade work. There's your seed. Here's your row of hedge row shrubs. See ya' later!" (Sound of truck driving off rapidly.) If it were me, I'd be driving over to talk to this guy's previous customers. How happy are they? What does their landscape look like? I'd be talking with friends who have done landscape work that appeals to me and asking them what it cost. Either way, you might be better off putting $5,000 toward consultation with a reputable landscape architect firm for the purpose of developing a comprehensive site-analysis and exterior plan. The work doesn't have to all be implemented at once, but can be done in phases. I'd particularly recommend such a course for someone who aims to have low-maintenance. No landscape can be maintained without some care, and it takes thoughtfulness and planning to get something that is both attractive and relatively trouble free. A really beautiful home can be made into a sad, depressed looking trollop if the exterior work is done too much "on the cheap". Mistakes can damage your home and be costly to fix later on. Think in terms of spending 10 to 20 % of the cost of your home. That's the "rule of thumb" that's out there. Wellspring, who is just a homeowner somewhere on the low-cost-of-living prairie
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The only thing I can think of that would help this area, is to come out about 10 or so feet beyond the down spout, and put in a large bush. With the bush, it would block the view the between the house area. This would not prevent access to the gate as the path would then be around the house, behind the bush and back to the gate. The distance to move the bush out would depend on what you are moving through the gate, but 10' seems like it would accommodate anything that would pass through the gater.
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I highly recommend joining your local FB garden group. Neighbors are always dividing plants and happy to share. In the meantime, walk around your neighborhood and see what plants are doing well, observe the growing conditions for similar to yours, chat up the neighbors. I’m always sharing my plants and letting my neighbors know what’s doing well in their conditions and locations (plus commiserations on the bunny and squirrel destruction!). And check out the everything is free section for sidewalk materials- I got some bluestone pavers a few years ago for free and over time installed them in my side yard path. Saved me a load of $$$.
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deb - I agree. Start with trees and include one or two that bloom. The rest of the landscaping can be done in stages - a good nursery can draw up a plan taking the stages into account. Maybe a couple of large pots with flowers on either side of the garage door and the right side of front door. A really nice statement light to the right of the front door and maybe smaller matching ones on either side of garage. Shutters have to go or at least be replaced with the proper size. I personally would paint the brick - I grew up in a saltbox style house in the Chicago area with painted brick which is almost 100 years old and has always been painted without problems. I also lived in a house in New Orleans which had painted brick for at least 30 years, again with no problems. Don't discount the idea. Clearly, the front door needs to be replaced or at least painted in an accent color. Paint the downspouts to match the house, not contrast - please!
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PRO
Yardvaark
3 years ago
For me, the walk would have to go away, too.
BirchPoint thanked Yardvaark
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
3 years ago
Your bloomstrucks may or may not bloom for you. The flower buds, which are set the previous season, can be susceptible to really cold weather or late spring frosts. How they do may depend on how close to the ocean you are. The plants will be hardy but the flower buds are iffy in much of New England. Also, most blue spruce are susceptible to needle cast fungus in New England so those may not be a particularly long lived plant. They are native to the mountain west, so like drier air than we have here.

I also am a fan of broad sweeping curves rather than random squiggles And so like Yardvaark’s walkway shape. I don’t mind the rocks because they are just part of the New England landscape, so look ok just about anywhere here IMO. And while the house may be symmetrical, it isn’t formal, so while I would add some of the same things to both sides, I don’t seem a need for formal symmetry in the plantings.

It is difficult to suggest placement without being able to see what is to the left of the house. I assume what is to the right of the photo is driveway. My inclination would be to plant things that don’t exceed 3’ or so in front of the house as in Yardvaark’s illustration and put a Japanese maple diagonally off the left corner, but I cannot tell if that would work from this photo.

Good call about not growing shrubs where snow dumps, though I have been successful with shrubs that I can cutback hard in that zone when there is winter damage. Both summer-blooming Spiraea and Annabelle hydrangea can be cut to 6” in early spring and will regrow and bloom well the same season.

Plan on some evergreens so there is winter color, or perhaps some of the smaller red twigged dogwood cultivars for winter color. Examples include evergreen flowering perennial ground covers such as Veronica Georgia Blue or Dianthus Firewitch, birds nest spruce, or low growing junipers.
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Embothrium
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
the house may be symmetrical, it isn’t formal

Geometrically symmetric = formal in garden design. So that there are tiny formal gardens in existence.
BirchPoint thanked Embothrium

Landscaping Ideas???

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tozmo1

Embothrium

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