we dont need your hardiness zone.. we need a big city name ... and then zone ...

i need to go finish my ribs... ill come back later ... or tomorrow.. depends how big a coma i get from the ribs.. lol ...

note my zone is not in my name... its the rest of the line.. try your members page ... look to the upper right on this page ... YOUR HOUZZ OR THE PRoFILE ICON UP THERE ...

KEN .

god i hate caps lock.. lol ..

Ken,

NY CITY is 90 minutes from my house 😊

Enjoy the ribs...

Just go ahead and remove them. The area will look better with nothing there. I would probably cut them off at the ground and paint with shrub and brush killer but I am old and wouldn't have the energy to dig them out. Then I would plant something that doesn't get so tall.

The slope of the bed down to the J. Maple is not pleasing to the eye and the edging along the front of the bed also needs some work. All those basics need to be addressed before planting anything.

Your sidewalk to the front door runs up right beside that bed so I would take that into consideration and make it welcoming area.

Instead of removing the burning bushes, you could prune way back. If they just grow too fast, then remove them.

I am not a fan of the rock edging. Maybe if you turned them on their sides and embedded them into the soil, they would look better.

Add more evergreen low growing plants and perennials . Look for variegated varieties. Don't plant too close the the foundation. Consider the width and height at maturity when planting. Mountain Laurel, hydrangea, and rhododendron should do well in your area.

Thanks everyone!
The sidewalk concrete is in disrepair; I’m looking for other ideas for that also.

We pruned the burning bush 1.5 years ago and it’s already gotten that tall again.

The yard slopes at the edge where the maple tree is, so that’s the path the previous owner followed. I see what you mean, though...

I like having the bed edged with stone but agree it needs to be cleaned up.

If you're going to replace the walkway, you could add concrete pads like this.

Modern San Francisco Living · More Info

Let's start over with where in the world you are. I'm not a fan of playing 20 questions, but I do have some. State? County would be nice. Next, which direction does the house face?

I've got some guesses, and they are going to severely limit what you can try there.

You have to prune burning bush hard every year, otherwise they get huge - quick. Consider removing them.

Mad:

Let's start over with where in the world you are. I'm not a fan of playing 20 questions, but I do have some. State? County would be nice

I listed my zone and location up thread... no 20 questions needed.

House faces East.

I'd aim for a larger specimen to the left of your windows, and then a variety of textures and colors getting gradually lower toward the front. I don't have specific recommendations, because that's what I rely on a local nursery for (or a landscaper)!

OK, if you are going to be coy...

I'm out.

I really like the look of this—

So should I build up the pavers on the sloped side? Or just reset them?

Remove the bushes--if they're burning bush they're invasive in the environment anyway. The bed needs to be larger and should curve away from the house, not towards it, and curve much further out from the tree and around to the side. You can use a hose to try out the curve.

Here is rough idea of how you could really make this side yard stunning. Layout master plan and implement as funds allow. #1, get an arborist out to help you trim the maple to reshape it some and open it up a bit. Then make it the star by surrounding it with a bead with native boulders and various plants to ultimately create a great look. I tried giving you a vision with this mock up. It’s a concept but basically work with the maple and create very large bed than cones much further out and curves around to driveway. When the bushes are removed, consider how to open the view and light to entry. Right now it is totally blocked. Of course, you have to work with local good nursery to help select plant material that would be ok in your exposure and zone. Hope this helps you see how with a little work and some planned evolution, you can substantially increase the curb appeal of your home.

Wow, Flo! That looks gorgeous. Thank you 😊

I would trim the bush 1 foot below below the window and trim it back every fall. People are always ripping out landscaping on this site which may be fine if you have the money and time to replace with large plants, but I would add to what you have per Flo’s rendering. Remember all great landscaping requires regular maintenance, either DYI or hiring someone to do it.

Here is comparison.

This is a landscape design forum.......folks are always going to suggest removal or relocation of overgrown, inappropriately sited, ailing or invasive plants. In this case, the burning bush fits 3 out of the 4 characteristics and needs to go. The biggest concern is its invasive properties as it is a listed species in NY (and much of the rest of the eastern half of the country).

Work arounds may be possible in some cases but work arounds seldom are a basis for good landscaping. So do you keep a dull and boring, overused, overgrown invasive species just to save some time and money or do you opt for a well-designed and thoughtfully considered, ecologically sound landscape?

Y’all should see what this area looked like when we purchased the home. I had the choice to remove that bush at that time, but opted to keep it as it was the only thing semi healthy.

I like this home so much

Thank you!

Okay , here’s what this yard looked like when we purchased our home.

The previous owner let everything grow so out of control that we couldn’t see out of the windows. We had all of the overgrown things removed, and when we did we found the stone edging that exists now. We didn’t even know it was there! My husband and I we mulched and reset some of the border concrete last spring. We still have a long way to go!

No wonder the maple is leaning over! It might recover a little now that it can breath. It is a nice house with loads of potential.

Thanks! It’s been a real labor of love inside and out. Lots of undoing things the previous owners did 😬

It is wonderful that you have taken this on. I will bet the neighbors are thrilled. Takes a lot of patience. And $$$. But well worth it.

we need a big city name

I'm going to say this again: not everyone lives near a big city. The nearest big cities to me are NYC, Philadelphia, and Cleveland. They're all about the same distance, and our growing conditions and zone are different from all of them. Syracuse and Rochester are closer, have different growing conditions from here and from each other. For some people, the nearest big city might be Hooterville or Bug Tussle!