Your house is magnificent!!

I think I’d line the driveway with planters. One of your inspiration pictures have that. I think I’d combine these two photo inspirations ( pic below) gorgeous gorgeous space!!

Also adding that I think mini lemon trees go so beautifully with your vibe :) maybe incorporate that somewhere

do you have that wonderful OH miserable clay??

does it snow there... is there any snow plow/blower issues limiting what you do near the pavement ...

it would sure help me if you gave us a pic or 2 of the whole scene.. rather than the small area pix ...

ken

We sure do have the “wonderful” clay and lots of snow, which my husband usually piles in this area. He can put it elsewhere, however.

I’ll take and add some additional photos. It’s hard to get much more in one image, however.

If we are talking about the area I think we are talking about, even a small tree may be too wide. So I'd be thinking more in terms of a largish shrub, maybe one of the large pannicled hydrangeas.

The area in question is 17’ wide. The section next to the porch is 17’ long and the section next to the house is 14’ long. I’m adding some photos.

Thank you for the compliment! Should I put the planters on the actual driveway, or on the grass adjacent to it? I have never had planters so large--can they stay outside all year round, even when it is -20 here? I don't know how we could possibly move giant planters with trees inside, or even where we would put them.

I'll check to see if lemon trees survive in zone 5b. :)

Lemon trees will not survive in your zone. You’d be lugging them inside every winter. And anything in pots will be a lot of work with watering, feeding and regular repotting. If you place them in grass you’ll need to trim around every single one when you mow the lawn. You’d do far better to plant in the ground for your and the plants’ sakes.

Make sure the mature plant/tree will not destroy your foundation. I often see trees that will grow have extensive root systems planted close to foundations, a disaster waiting to happen. Also make sure any mulch/dirt doesn't cover your weep holes

Ahhhhh. So much to consider. So potted dwarf trees don’t do well long term?

The warning about roots and foundation is a smart one.

if you have a modern intact.. rather new foundation ... the roots are irrelevant .... roots can take advantage of pre existing problems.. they can NOT create problems ... they dont carry little drills or chisels to break into cement ... most tree roots are withing the first foot or two of soil .... i dont know what weep holes in basement cement walls means ...

in the area marked with red Xs .. put in a a perennial cutting garden.. that can be covered by the snow ...

with trees... you will be sweeping leaves out of the garage in fall ...

ken

Thanks. I really want to make a little sitting nook, not a cutting garden. I already have one of those.

I was thinking of Gem Spruce trees in pots or Lollipop Crabapples in pots. Any thoughts which would be best to live well in huge pots for a very long time?

Pots on the grass. Not the driveway :)

I would replace the stepping stones with a matching brick walk. You could make an attached path to the sitting area you want , with shrubs instead of trees.

Thanks. We used the stones as a walkway because they were leftover from the patios floors.

If we were to plant Lollipop Crabapple instead of putting them in pots, will them being 15' away from the house be a bad idea? The house is 10 years old.

I can't seem to find pots large enough for under a thousand dollars each!

I’ll reiterate my point about the hassle of trimming around pots set on grass. Do you have a gardener? Or do you enjoy caring for a high maintenance garden?

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 - I have news for you, trees can do a lot of damage to a foundation no matter what material it's made of. Mature tree roots can spread in the range of 2-3 times or more the width of the tree crown.

The pictures show a house with brick siding, weep holes are the gaps between the bricks at ground level to allow air exchange behind the bricks. Covered up they are a source of getting water into the house.

Haha. My husband, my children and I are the gardeners! It sounds like an absolute terrible pain to trim around the pots. I wonder if a weed whacker could do that job.

I worry about the roots near the foundation as well as the driveway.

Another idea I found is boxwood in urns on plinths. Any thoughts about this?

While your house is architecturally attractive your lot is stark. You need to look at some of the European Georgian gardens and use elements of those gardens for your plantings.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Georgian+gardens&client=firefox-b-1-d&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=H_cXt3R98X-MQM%252CMKOqxSZR7rlTjM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTH5wP0M9FLvkzICN1MqWT4X0NX9A&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwieu4rK3trwAhWAQjABHd3BAsIQ9QF6BAgeEAE#imgrc=H_cXt3R98X-MQM

or search European Georgian gardens.

The corner of under the windows is begging for some type of planting ie flowering bush, spirea, lilac, etc The patio area is one other area that would benefit from being edged with plants.

One idea that comes to mind is to create a maze in that area, laid out such that there are routes to the drive, the side door and the patio. Maze could be create with small plants like box wood, with gravel or flag stone paths.

We are having a rectangular garden installed in a month. We have planned boxwood around the entire perimeter with hydrangeas in the center. For height, we have built two six foot tall pyramids of cedar which will be painted blackish-green. Sorry I can’t post inspiration pictures as my iPad is having a temper tantrum right now. Just search classic gardens on Houzz. You could probably use three in your space. I have climbing roses on mine, but you could use clemetis, ivy, etc. This will not block your view, but draw your eye to the garden while giving you some height.

"I wonder if a weed whacker could do that job."

Yes it will indeed do the job. I have 3/4 of an acre that is yard and natural areas. It takes me a little over and hour to mow the yard, and they about 3/4 of an hour to trim the lot. Yes I still get down on my knees to trim in some of the flower beds, ie those area that makes my wife upset if I cut one of her flowers. I use the weed wacker for every thing else. I can also put a brush blade on it and use it in the natural area.

However, if you have back problems it will only make them worse. You weed wacking will be on one levels so you can adjust the shoulder strap on the weed wacker to minimize the back problems.

One other thing, With you patio, you drive, I beleive I saw a garage in one picture and the size of you lot, You will definitely need a a leaf blower. It is great for blowing leaves, but "sweeping" the side walks, patio, drive, garage, and many other similar cleaning task.

Thanks. We have a leaf “vacuum” called a cyclone rake that we hook up to our tractor. It helps immensely with the leaves in the walkout and courtyard.

update: I bought 5 lilac trees. They are bushes grafted into a stalk. The landscape center people said trees in pots won’t do well and the crabapple roots would eventually be disruptive. Supposedly, these will not. So, hopefully I will get the look I want with these and they will behave.

Now, onto the lower plantings..... I don’t want anything wayward and scraggly. Any suggestions to mimic the images I posted? Thanks!!

Hope I didn’t make a mistake with these they will only be about 6’ tall

What about a rose garden? That is very formal and traditional, and there are lots of lovely roses even in a colder zone like yours.

Also, I don't know what zone they are, but linden trees are very formal and tidy looking. My favourite tree is a katsura, but I think that is for a warmer zone then yours. Japanese maples come in very small varieties that stay small (or can be kept small with easy pruning). They have a lovely shape and look nice in all four seasons.

Thanks. We have little leaf lindens lining our driveway, actually. Sadly, they have had SO many pests.

I love roses, but want this space to not have them.

I hope the lilac trees will look good and I can figure out what low plants to put between them for a really manicured look. I’m going to leave some grass space between t bed the driveway.

I love ferns in the formal garden and think they would pair nicely with your topiaried lilacs! (Though I admit I know nothing about which ferns do well in your region.)

I too love ferns. I am looking online for ideas as to how to incorporate them in a formal, manicured way.

I think the lilac trees are too small for any impact. My first thought was to creat a knot garden of 3 sections with Kwanzan cherry trees in the middle. If you want the center section can have a round cement table and benches for your cafe area.

Also, this is a very interesting project please keep posting your progress!

I love knot gardens, but the maintenance is too much for me. With two kids and work there is no way I can add that to my plate. Maybe someday.

I now also worry about the lilacs being too small for impact, but it is what it is and I am stuck with them now. 😬

We are going to start planting the lilacs in a few min. Likely won’t finish today because of other obligations, but I will post progress. I am now thinking of boxwood between them and some sort of low, dense white flower on the house side of this row of plantings. I’m open to ideas and criticism, so don’t hesitate to react.

The lilacs

are in now and Im playing around with some faux shrubs to try and decide about planting boxwoods to prune into a ball shape. In one image you can see them in the ground as if they were planted and one is in a terracotta pot. The soil here is terrible because of the rocks that used to be the driveway beneath the surface of the grass. Id love any thoights as to whether I shoukd keeo going or just stop and have only the lilacs.

I was thinking about creating a large bed, so that is why you see the edge here. I can fix it if I change my mind.

I wont stake the trees until the weekend so they will only be crooked for a few more days.