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Suggestions?Landscape Design Gardening in Canada

Help! Requesting Front Yard Landscaping & Curb Appeal Suggestions

3 years ago

We live in a cul de sac and have the largest front yard which is overshadowed by a very large tree. This tree is ominously swaying towards the circle's power lines and likely needs to be cut down. Our grass has been ransacked by squirrels and skunks; I tried getting rid of the grubs but then weeds just overtook and there's like 3 different types of grass growing in patches. Plus, our driveway is slightly too narrow for double parking and I'm dreaming of adding 2-3ft with a mini retaining wall to align with the stairs. I'm so overwhelmed with just the basics, but I really want to create a beautiful
foundation garden and cover the facade of the stairs. I have no idea what to do with the side patio...

I'm Zone 6, Canada. Prefer a low or maintenance-free garden (my succulents do well in the dirt) and like the idea of year-round greenery mixed with summer/fall perennials. This is my first ever houzz post; please help :)

Found 2 baby Rose of Sharon trees in the backyard when we moved in and transplanted here.

I'm not looking forward to chopping down the evergreen because it provides much appreciated privacy from the road and neighbours.

This is the only patio space I have right now. I'm not one to sit here, but I don't want my patio to be bare. I'd also like some privacy from the neighbours beyond the fence.

Comments (5)

Embothrium
3 years ago
Hire a certified arborist to prepare a Hazard Tree Evaluation before you decide the tree is one.
Samantha
Original Author
3 years ago
Ya, it's on my to do list.. Theres quite a few leaning trees in my backyard as well, but they wouldn't cause as much damage as the power lines if something terrible happened... Any suggestions on a replacement tree if needed?
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Like the changes already! How about moving the address to the R of the window? And the flag doesn't do anything for me--it says "soccer mom" rather than "French," no matter how tasteful the flag, though I totally understand why you felt you needed something to take up the space. :-) I'd put in a wrought iron trellis next to the "closed" shutters and grow an antique rose up it. ("New Dawn" would almost certainly be too much of a thug. Someone who knows more about roses than I could give you a better cultivar.) That's a house begging for lavender, too--and some small, well-kempt, carefully pruned (not usually a fan of shaping heavily, but the house calls for it, and with the lot size, it'll be very manageable to maintain) evergreens to ground it. Maybe dwarf boxwood? Topiaries by the door or leading up to it? Carefully shaped dwarf fruit trees? I'm thinking rosemary and irises, too. I like the window box, but it should be larger. Geraniums are popular for window boxes in that part of the world and look great, but you can make it more modern by adding something that spills, too. These are just a few thrown-out-there thoughts, not a design yet. :-) But here's some eye-candy for inspiration. Here is a link that might be useful: French Gardens
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Yardvaard, thanks so much for taking the time to do the rendering! - We were debating widening the front tree planting; I like your visual of it! - Addl questions/refinement (added another closer pic so you can hopefully see more detail): -- The red tree to the right you mention pulling back to a regular circle and doing plain groundcover as well. We have 2 protruding pipes towards the bottom (nearer the 3 bushes) and will need to keep it elongated to cover it. As it's a very large area, I would like to have some type of colorful interest there, with perhaps a groundcover in the middle, keeping the three red bushes if possible (they were a gift). Is there a design you would suggest? -- Your drawing shows groundcover for the overhang/window on the right, and a single bush for the one on the left. The area is large, about 11 feet from the rightmost post/porch edge to the brick wall, and almost double from the window to the edge of the walk. The bed to the left is even larger. Won't a single groundcover on one side and a single bush on the other make it seem to sparse? Also, how would you outline the bed on the left (include the birch tree or leave it on its own)?
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(@ Yarkvaark) "Thank you so much for your input. My problem is my windows don't start til a little over 5" high so I need larger foundation plants. I like what you put there. I was thinking of trying an aborvite in the middle of the two garge windows. What is the shrub you designed in front of each window? It looks perfect! I had been thinking a rhode but I'd love something different since most house have the rhode up here. Much much thanks!!" The purpose of landscaping is not to rebuild the facade of the house in plants, covering all of the exposed siding. I think an Arborvitae be between the garage windows would clearly be in that directions. There's not room for such a plant and it's not necessary. The shrubs I"m showing below windows come to the bottom of the sill so they surely are large enough to do the job ... but then, they're generic. I don't know where you're located and shrubs would need to be selected according to your climate. It looks like the shrubs near the porch would work if someone would let them grow taller. There would be many option for shrubs this size in any locality.
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Who is going to be responsible for maintaining the landscape you or the tenant? If it is going to be the tenant, put in a lawn and leave them a mower in the garage and be done with it. You can make it modern with two really big boulders in the lawn. If water is an issue, then do a drought tolerant groundcover and two really big boulders. if you plan to provide a landscape maintenance service as part of the rental things can be different. In either case remove the white river rock wall at the front entry.
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shari13
3 years ago
Removing the shutters would be free. Sorry I can't help with plants.
Samantha
Original Author
3 years ago
I was going to paint or replace the shutters to match the door colour. I thought it'd look naked without them.
KW PNW Z8
3 years ago
Seems to me you do have 3 large projects here & they should be tackled in certain order to prevent wasted money & time. 1st project = large evergreen. Get an arborist to look at it & give you options. Determine what your liability is if it does fall & take out power lines. Answer to that might determine fate of tree but whatever you do to it will dramatically affect any landscape plan. Maybe it needs only to be limbed up & thinned out. NO topping to make shorter! It looks like a tree or shrub is in front of it too. 2nd project = widen driveway & figure out what kind or if a retaining wall will be needed or achieve the look you want. 3rd project & the fun one = create an appealing front yard! In this project my advice it to move those Rose of Sharon tree standards away from the house. In their natural state they are fairly large shrubs but easily pruned. They just look too close to house In that narrow bed. I’d also advise making a much larger planting bed in front of the house - you’ve got lots of room for a big curved bed to fill with all of the kinds of plants you mentioned you like. Those Rose of Sharon trees can be part of that bed. But, you need to know what the fate of big evergreen tree will be before you can plan the bed & also the retaining wall - where is it etc. So, that’s my advice - 3 steps in most useful order. 🌸

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