Front yard landscape help - edited as my first post wasn't clear

HU-948209406

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

We are replacing the mirrored windows at the front of our house and would like to add a garden area along the front of the yard to create some privacy so everyone walking by doesn't get a full view into our front windows. At the same time we have run out of space for fruit trees in the back yard and I am thinking if we had a nice looking garden along the front of the front yard then I could get away with squeezing some additional fruit trees into the front yard.

Photos of what we currently have are below:

We live on the Vancouver Island, on the West Coast of Canada which is zone 9. We get some freezing temperatures in the winter but it mainly stays above freezing. The front yard is west facing and it get very hot and dry in the summer so we would need drought tolerant plants that like full sun. There is a slight downward slope from the street to the house. I would like to try to incorporate as much fruit producing stuff as we could, while keeping it looking nice.

I am horrible with design and I'm hoping to get some ideas for a garden area with some height along the front of the yard, as well as some opinions on if I can get away with adding dwarf fruit trees in the front yard or if this would look strange. We are thinking of possibly lining the driveway and front walk with dwarf trees kind of like what is shown below except it would just be one row, not the whole yard.

Any thoughts or tips on how we can freshen this yard up while also hopefully incorporating some fruit trees/bushes into the mix. We are completely redoing the exterior at the front of the house so are just planning now and would hopefully implement the changes next spring.

Thanks!

Featured Answer

JoJo (Nevada 9A)

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Also, you indicated you're not good with maintenance... Fruit trees require a ton of maintenance.

Obviously you can hire someone to come in a few times a year to do the pruning, spraying, etc. but are you prepared to harvest and preserve what you grow, when it all ripens around the same time, and suddenly you find yourself with bushels of fruit?

Also, even properly pruned fruit trees can take on an awkward shape and look after a while, and they're not "decorative." Does curb appeal matter to you?

I'm not trying to discourage you but perhaps you should consider something easier like blueberries or raspberries. Minimal pruning (more for raspberries) and no spraying. Plant several varieties (early, mid-season, late) and you will have fresh berries for the family for several months.

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
it is great to work on a plan.. but i wouldnt do anything until the construction is done ...

the small bed between the walkway to the front door is for nothing beyond a few perennials with limited size potential ...

and with the height of the window facade.. you do need to come out into the lawn to plant larger things that are in proportion to that height.. but wont overgrow the limited space in the long run ...

if visitors will park on the street.. remember that passengers need some space to open the door and get out of the car ... so dont garden right to the edge ...

your first concept pic above .. is not a low maintenance planting .. and since you say you arent great with such.. do plan to make it all as care free as possible ... it is also severely overplanted ... too many plants in too small a space ... [not to mention a palm tree with tulips under it ... what the heck is that all about ... lol ...]

those are my general thoughts on what i see.. good luck ...

ken
HU-948209406 thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
JoJo (Nevada 9A)
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Your first option (with the palm tree) illustrates pretty much what you shouldn't do to a house. (I know it's not exactly what you want, but...) The plants are too tall and situated too close to the house. It looks completely boxed in and hidden -- the opposite of good landscaping.

If you want privacy, you should plant trees AWAY from the house, so they grow closer to people who might look into your windows. The idea is to block THEIR view, not YOUR view out of your windows.

The landscape with the square tree edging -- super high maintenance. Look how manicured the grass is, and how impeccable the edging is (probably finished by hand clippers). During the growing season (which for you is all year round!) you will be out there with the mower and the edger a couple of times a week if you want to maintain this look.
HU-948209406 thanked JoJo (Nevada 9A)
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So many good suggestions here, thank you. Thank you too, for the kind and encouraging words. We really love our home and location. When it came on the market we were thrilled. DH had been here several years prior to it being listed and done some work for the previous owners. He said at the time that if we were ever to move, this was the location where he'd love to live. We never dreamed they'd list it. A couple of years later we were ready to be done with our farming adventure and here this place was, suddenly on the market. But, when we came to see it, it was sobering to realize how much work it needed. We'd just spent 5 years redoing the farmhouse and outbuildings (and 4 years redoing the previous home, and 6 years the one before that, and...you get the picture.) It took us a few days to make up our minds whether or not we were willing to start all over again. The location made the difference for us. It's been exhausting, but we're relieved to be this far along in the process. In the meantime our kids are getting bigger and every hour that we spend working on this place feels like a drain on our family, so we really want to try to be selective with what we do. DH is relatively fussy, and hasn't seen the level of craftsmanship he would desire in local contractors, so by choice/default, he does everything himself. I haven't had much opportunity to talk with him about the garage idea yet. He was pretty tired last night, so I didn't bring it up. Thank you for the plant suggestions. Some were ones I haven't heard of, so I'm in the process of looking them up. :-) I really like the look of boxwoods, but the one caution I read is that they don't like wind, which we get a lot of here. Is that really a concern? It's interesting to hear that deer eat hostas. I haven't had any issues with that (yet), but they certainly have a wide variety of other vegetation to choose from in the surroundings. Roses sound wonderful. I do want lovely plants that we can see from our windows.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Some valid comments above. And some advice from someone living in an almost identical climate just 100 miles or so south: growing edibles of any kind is not going to be a low maintenance proposition. In fact, a garden that focuses on edibles tends to be on the higher end of the garden maintenance scale. And make sure you are selecting fruiting trees that will actually grow well and produce here. Nectarines tend NOT to be on that list :-( It is just too cool here in our summers for them to be productive and the fruits to ripen. It's tough even to find peaches that will thrive in this climate!

One of the best resources for PNW gardeners is Great Plant Picks. This is a compilation of plants that are well suited to the PNW climate and growing conditions and are generally considered to be trouble-free and readily available. It was developed by some of the PNW's leading nursery people and horticulturists. They have a great listing of drought tolerant plants for full sun.

Unfortunately, GPP does not include many fruiting plants. For the best suggestions for those, I'd suggest inquiring with UBC.
HU-948209406 thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
HU-948209406
Original Author
3 years ago
I wasn't clear in my original post - I may need to start again.

We have a variety of fruit trees and bushes, berries and a large vegetable garden in the back. I'm not anti garden maintenance - I just tend to neglect the front yard because it never seems to look good no matter what I do (and I tend to prioritize puttering in the back with all the food producing stuff. We have run out of back yard space for fruit trees and at the same time I would like to add some taller trees/bushes at the front of our yard to create a bit of privacy as we are replacing some mirrored windows at the front and everyone walking by will have a full view into our front room. I was thinking if we had a nice looking garden along the road that we could then squeeze in a few more fruit trees in the front yard - but I would also like the yard to look nice.

I am horrible with design and I'm hoping to get some ideas for a garden area with some height along the front of the yard, as well as some opinions on if I can get away with adding fruit trees along the driveway, walkway and front of the house (right side), or if this would just look strange.

I'm not married to the look of the photo I posted above, I just want something that would look nice and create a bit of privacy.
emmarene9
3 years ago
It seems to me like many fruit and nut trees are deciduous. They would only provide privacy for part of the year. I think you would be happier with evergreen plants.
Olychick
3 years ago
Perhaps think about espaliered fruit trees. The can be beautifully decorative and form a living privacy fence.

Front yard landscape help - edited as my first post wasn't clear

JoJo (Nevada 9A)

Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

JoJo (Nevada 9A)

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Front yard landscape help - edited as my first post wasn't clear

JoJo (Nevada 9A)

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