What if you did raised beds instead of containers? You could use stone, lumber or steel for the retaining structure:

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Distract the eye by adding big window boxes lavishly planted with flowering annuals in genuine potting soil, not uncooperative dirt from the yard. Put some dark bark on top of the unplantable areas. In the fall or next spring, according to your climate, seed the area with the same kind of grass as the yard which looks like it is doing quite well.

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You could have raised mounds of soil, and use large rocks in front of those raised mounds to catch and help hold the soil until rooted structures develop from your planting. This avoids the use of containers, which do look trashy most of the time on uneven surfaces. It would be sort of like planting on a hillside rock garden. Numerous neighbors of mine have planted arborvitae and other bushes in raised mounds because of rocks in the soil and old roots.

ANY soil can be improved!! It just takes some time and a lot of effort. And if you can grow roses in this soil - which are notoriously picky about wanting very fertile and well draining soil - I'm not sure why you can't grow other plants as well. Just start cleaning out the rocks, roots and stumps and then add some organic matter - like compost - to break up the clay, increase aeration and improve drainage.

Raised beds could certainly help but are not going to be practical up against the side of the house.

If you are serious about getting help from this forum you need to reveal the location of your secret lair, and the direction the lair faces. Otherwise, we can't help much at all. It sounds like what you need are solid recommendations for well-adapted plants for your location. Wherever in the world that is.

Sorry, mad_gallica. novice here. 6A. Of course I’m serious about getting help lol. Full sun most of the day.

Zone information isn't enough. Are you in Salt Lake City, Toronto, Halifax, St. Louis? We still don't know, and given the potential for large differences in rainfall, summer temperatures, length of growing season or other things, it matters.

Remember, we only know what you tell us.

I was kind of thinking the same thing gardengal said. If you can grow roses and coneflowers, then you should be able to grow other plants. There are lots of plants like coneflowers that appreciate crappy clay soil. I would google up "good perennials for clay soil" as a start.

But I also love the idea of those window boxes! They would be beautiful provided you can afford to fill and maintain them. Also a couple of nice containers flanking the entrance may look nice.

Good luck. I don't think it's that bad. your house is very cute!

I would think about doing an island bed out in the yard anchored with an ornamental tree.

If you don't mind, I think your house would look better without the shutters. The windows are not right for them.

Given that the windows are different heights and widths I don’t think window boxes would look right.. Not to mention they’re hard work to keep looking good. You already have two species which do well. you can use more roses and coneflowers and there will be plenty of others which will be happy there. Use multiples of the same thing, not one of each. Mountain laurel needs lots of moisture and an acidic soil. It’s considered a very tricky plant in my growing conditions and I’d never try to grow it. Work with the site not trying to impose things on it which won’t work. There are a million alternatives.

I’d extend the beds out to make them wider and keep loading them with anything organic you can get: compost, autumn leaves, lawn mowings, even dig holes and bury kitchen scraps. The soil will improve.

Gotta agree with gardengal. I live in the same zone, tons of clay soil, and I'm still very new at gardening. But even I have seen proof that you can fix the soil! If a landscaper isn't an option, then you're left with DIY efforts through help here and your local garden centers. Also, research plants for the issues you're living with. There are plants for almost every type of soil!

https://www.thespruce.com/plants-that-grow-in-clay-soil-4165330

Mountain laurel and Rhodies would not want the same soil or the same exposure as roses, so that solves that problem. And the existing, overly pruned shrubs are not atttractive. As far as perennials go, any plant that wants full sun should be as happy as the roses and coneflowers.

For me the best way to handle clay is for every plant you plant you dig a hole at least twice as big as the root ball and mix the clay with sterr manure and peat moss and may a bit of sand I have found that that system works very well to break up clay. As for roots if they are just there and not attached to a tree dig them out . The info above about finding what should be grown in what space is always good advice. Roses and roddies do not grow together . Of course this will take some work on your part and while you are doing that remove those shutters they just look silly on that house.

Agree with gardengal48. The vast majority of gardening advice recommends amending your planting holes but from a soil science perspective, it’s actually a bad thing to do. Best thing you can do to improve clay soil is add a thick (6” minimum, even more is better) layer of coarse organic wood chip mulch. Arborist wood chips are ideal. This won’t get rid of your rocks or live roots but will improve soil texture over time.

Also agree with the others that plant selection will be key for you. There are plenty of tough perennials that do well in sunny clay sites. Be sure you’re planting properly, loosening the root ball and planting at the proper depth. If you try more shrubs, you might want to look up root washing.

Hi there, here is a photoshopped edit to the OP's home posted in initial post. The house looks great without the shutters, as others have recommended as a suggestion to increase esthetics. OP, what do you think?

as far as yard design, I could see some multiple, playful terraces to transition landscaping done to street level. Something understated, to carry a nice collection of plantings.

The first year before planting a new bed in our shaded woodland backyard, we amended the entire bed of hard clay soil with lots of compost and deeply hand tilled it into the soil. The area was especially hard to amend having to work around tree roots in an area never before planted. The following spring some plants survived and several did not and that was discouraging considering the work put into the soil and the care made n plant selection. . After researching more on the internet, I discovered a product called Turface All Sports or MVP used on baseball fields to reduce soil compaction, increase moisture management and improve root survival of the turf. Turface is a soil conditioner and a calcined clay product composed of very tiny clay particles that will never break down. I worked the Turface deeply into the entire bed along with more compost and it made a huge difference in loosening the clay and the workability of the bed for planting. Since adding it to this bed, the plants have thrived which is not an easy task competing with tree roots. Every year I continue to add more compost to the soil and dress it with a hardwood mulch. The soil is now beautiful to plant in but I am also careful to select plants appropriate for the site. An added challenge in the selection of garden plants for us are the deer. Since that first gardening experience, whenever I am planning to add a new bed n the spring, i am sure to amend with compost and Turrface the preceding season of fall or summer. The success of a garden is soil prep, soil prep, soil prep and plant selection Good luck. it is very gratifying when you hit on the right formula

Plant lots of roses and coneflowers. All of us have stuff that does well and stuff that doesn't.

I think you should start by laying paths (at least 3' wide) to the front door, one from the road, and one from where you park your car. Then you can have beds beside the paths and the clusters of containers placed strategically, such as around the entrances. Paths invite people to stroll around and look at things.

Clay soil is very good for certain plants as you are finding out. It retains moisture and nutrients. The experts tell us It can be amazingly improved by covering it with wood chips, but don't try to break it up, because chunks of clay will harden. You could have a fence with an arch or trellis at the entrance to the one or more of the paths to grow climbing versions of the roses that (lucky you) do well for you and once you have improved the "tilth" of the soil the weeds will be easier to pull out. https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/maintain-the-garden/types-of-organic-matter-for-soil/

Perhaps you should consider some hardscape changes that can be addressed first, with long lasting results that will improve your curb appeal and encourage you to put in the harder labor on the plantings. I agree that adding at least one walkway from the driveway to the front door, maybe another from the street IF people park there, would be a good starting point. Is that gas lamp still there / functional/ required by HOA rules? Consider having it removed unless it's a feature you love or is required. Removing the shutters and a fun color for the front door, unobstructed by the lamp, might perk up the view.

Donna T, where do you acquire Turface, if I may ask. I have long been interested in this product.

monarda_gw, I found Turface at ConservFS, a local farm cooperative selling farm and turf supplies. If you go to the turface.com, it will provide a local distributor for your area by submitting your zip code, city or state

Emily, what do you think of all these great ideas?

Hi everyone! I’m so sorry I went missing. For some reason I stopped getting notifications that people replied to my posts.

Here’s what it looks like so far. I added more coneflowers, added the shepherds hook with hanging plants to introduce some height, and am planning to do some “thrill and spill” containers in those three pots. They’re sitting on top of very large rocks I had intended to use for some other project. They’re a little crooked so I’ll have to address that.

I haven’t laid the mulch yet but might go with cedar because it deters ants and we previously had an infestation.

I know it’s rough, but I figured I’d get everything in the ground and happy, then perfect and polish. I’m a little self-conscious of it but still proud of how far I’ve come. And obviously, the overgrowth in front of it will be addressed lol. That’s a hubby project.

Also, wow to the photoshop of the shutters removed! I was having trouble picturing it. What about the inevitable color difference between the brick that was behind the shutters and the rest due to sun exposure?

Emily, you might be pleasantly surprised to find minimal color difference on the brick if you remove the shutters. Take one off and have a look - it would be easy enough to take off and put back, assuming they are installed with fasteners and not adhesive.

We removed 25 year old shutters from the front (southern exposure) of our red brick home . After power washing the facade, you would never know they were there, except near one window where the fasteners had rusted and streaked (and that was visible below the shutters anyway).

Good luck!

Emily, for maximum eye appeal, you need to plant flowers in clusters or drifts - not individual plants standing alone. Also your beds should be at least twice as wide as they are now. You'll also need to think about seasonal interest. What you've put in now will disappear in the winter... Study the landscaping of neighbors that appeals to you and take pictures. First plan your garden, then amend your soil and finally put in your plants. And remember, gardens are always a work in progress so enjoy the journey...

Hi Amuzyczka! Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. I’ve definitely thought about the seasonal interest issue, which is why my first planting attempts were the rhododendron and mountain laurel. Instead of condemning another poor shrub to death, I thought I’d rotate the container plants out by season. I realize this still leaves a lot of empty space.

I’ve studied lots of landscaping of neighbors but one thing that happens to me is “analysis paralysis.” I get so overwhelmed with the options that I get stuck. That’s why the garden beds are being worked on so piecemeal (which I realize is part of the reason why it looks disjointed).

You have low window wells there, I would not be adding soil there or really even planting, what if you did raised planters long wood across the whole front.

Hang in there! Successful gardens (like Rome!) weren't built in a day...

I wouldnt really want to be watering back at the foundation/window well right there.

Wow! Thanks for that mockup, RL Relocation! Any way you think I could keep my rose bush in place? It’s doing really well where it is.

On the other side, I have 4 boxwood and another rose bush that are doing well.

I think it is very nice to have rose bushes (or other especially fragrant or beautiful plants) near to doorways where people (including the gardener) walk or pass by frequently, so they can admire them. So bravo!

You need a couple of evergreen shrubs that reach to just below your windows, that go all the way across your front. Like the ones you took out. A local garden center will tell you what grows well in your area. What were the shrubs that you took out?

Plant the entire area between your house and your walkway. Your narrow bed is out of proportion to your house, and the flower pots and plants you have are also too small. Plant flowers in front of the shrubs.

Sure I suppose you just use one less planter? Or if you did a faux wood planter and then just dropped plastic ones behind it?

https://homebnc.com/best-built-in-planter-ideas/

Gravel from the house to just past the drip line is what I do at my house...I am in the cold side of Zone 5, and with my coneflowers I am growing ornamental grasses, sedum Autumn Joy, and Siberian Iris. I have ground cover roses in another bed, with coneflowers, Blue Star Junipers and more a Siberian Iris.

Fissfiss, i would love to see a pic

I’m away from home right now, but the first picture shows the gravel at the back of the bed and the second shows a knock out Rose...

The gravel is such a great idea! We had an ant infestation around the foundation of the house previously and they were just loving the mulch, so I bet that would be a good deterrent to that too.

Is that ONE knockout bush??

IDK what sort of rose bush you have..but in the case of your cone flowers I might rethink what you plant. Cone flowers are not suitable for the sort of raised bed that seems to be where you are headed. They also typically not a foundation plant. They would be better in a LARGE island bed in your front yard. I think to achieve the look you want with pots they need to be larger and they need to be all the same. OR just one super large one with a bright color. Your bed is not large and with proper tools, patience and a lot of elbow grease you could get the roots and rocks removed, amend the entire bed and plant but it sounds like the trough type planters suggested above will work perfectly. I love that they are not wood. Wood planters are much more temporary. Sure it will be years --but they will rot from soil and water touching them. In the mean time I found when planting things in rocky soil small works well. Sometimes patience is what is most needed in poor planting conditions. One small hole with a single division is often manageable. Then you wait for the plant to find it's way, spread and fill in your space. I plant mostly in the shade and this area was on top of a rocky tile field.

It is a nearly 20 year old Flower Carpet Rose. I’m in the cold side of Zone 5, but the river warms us in winter and cools us in summer, so I have a weird microclimate. It’s taken me 20 years to figure out what thrives in this raised bed...and my dwarf coneflowers do just fine. If I were to redo it, I would space things a little differently, but otherwise I am happy with it. Foundation plantings are kind of a modern thing....our forebearers knew better than to put things up against the house, because overgrown stuff is bad for stone foundations and wooden siding. Critters use them as bridges, too.

Definitely stick to the small size of anything you add....for all the reasons mentioned by arcy, plus it’s a lot cheaper.There have been studies done that show that after about 5 years the smaller plant catches up with it’s larger sibling. And if you do some more evergreens, go for dwarf cultivars. Even at the big box stores the tags give the ultimate size. I too, would extend the plantings all the way to your path....and I would extend the other bed to include that pretty flowering tree if it still exists. Whoever mows the lawn will thank you if they don’t have to duck!
I love what you’re doing with the pots...and as you add more shrubs and perennials, those will be easy to move around.

For what it's worth, I have been composting for the last 40 years. All I do is dig a small hole, and put the vegetable peels, melon rinds (cut in smaller pieces), etc, in it and cover them up with dirt. No odour, flies, animals digging it up, and it's amazing what a difference it's made to my garden. I can now dig in the garden without getting callouses! Another bonus. We have no trash.