Can you attach the plan you bought? Some of the plantings may work well and some may need editing out. The plan would have plants that would do well in your area.

Sorry about the poor writing, 😅

Or if you want more jazz ,you could tuck in some chartreuse evergreens instead of the boxwoods or chartreuse barberries small shrubs instead of the creeping phlox

have you thought about adding a solar fountain in the bed to attract more birds and pollinators.

frankielynnsie: I’m not comfortable posting the plan online (they own the copyright) but some of the plants they used include: hydrangea (shrub and tree), daylilly, arborvitae, dogwood, lilac, grasses, thuja, cedrus, cornus alba, syringa, boxwoods, helleborus ivory prince, cedar, lavandula, phlox, ajuga, calamagrostis, liriope (16 in one bed!), Veronica, hemercallis, bee balm, gold cypress, spirea, nepeta, burning bush (by spigot - ouch!), and maybe a few others with long names that I can’t match up (I shortened some long names, and there may be duplicates since I’m trying to match the official purchase list with the more common names in the plan). Not sure the list it helpful though, as I’d really prefer just a few simple varieties in a simpler layout. While I trust their plan would look beautiful, at least at first, I don’t know much about gardening and I fear it would quickly look like an overgrown mess. I enjoy gardening, and want to learn more, but I need to start with something I can handle in my free time.

orion_hamal: your mockup is definitely simpler and more to my liking - thanks! I’ll look up the other varities you mentioned. While I would personally love a water feature, we have two wheaten terriers that love looking out the front windows now and one barks at anything that comes near the house or yard so we wouldn’t be able to incorporate one here. But maybe in the backyard ...

Lol, the dogs would definitely get excited with any bird company... the plants are mostly what i put in my own beds and i can guarantee they are easy care. All i do is cut my perennials down to ground early march and occasional trim in march to keep my shrubs to size..if you choose natives , you can skip fertilizing etc..

If you do a line of boxwoods how much room will be in front of the boxwoods and how much behind?

emmarene9: I’m not exactly sure because I’m still learning how to properly space everything so it doesn’t quickly become overcrowded. But, here’s what I’m thinking (using boxwoods on the smaller side and giving them ~2 ft of space):

Right Bed: the boxwoods would be the front row so I was planning 1’ of mulch in front (is that typical?) which would leave ~ 5.5’ of space behind them.

Left Bed: there would be about 2’ in front of the boxwoods (where I would plant annuals or maybe some low flowering perennials), then the row of boxwoods, leaving ~ 5.5’ of space behind them.

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that I will need to leave ~3’ between the second row of plants and the foundation. So, that would give me ~2.5’ for the back row.

Please Google "boxwood blight" before deciding on box. Maybe it's a nonissue in your area. Next, speak with neighbors to determine whether deer will be a minor nuisance or major issue for you. Then we can talk plants.

Cecily: It doesn‘t appear that boxwood blight is an issue in our area based on a quick google search. Also, we have a small row of boxwoods on the left side of the house to obscure a generator, and two huge boxwoods were removed from the right side of the house when the propane tank went in. They seem to do well here. A number of neighbors also have them with no issues. Regarding the deer, some neighbors have more issues than others (mainly those on the other side of the street), and for all of us, some years are better than others. A number of years ago, they snacked on the row of arborvitae that runs down the right side of the house (not so much the first 5 or so by the house, but the ones in the backyard farther away from the house). After that we started spraying coyote urine on them and haven’t had a noticeable issue since. They‘ve never touched my roses, daylilies, rhodies, etc. that were in the front beds, however, which I’ve read they like. I also have a row of different types of roses on the left side of the house, in front of the boxwoods, that they’ve never touched and that have really thrived the last few years. I’m not really sure where that leaves us. I guess I’m not overly concerned about deer, but I also don’t want to plant a tempting smorgasbord for them to discover.

Super, you can have the boxwoods which you prefer. When you visit your local nursery, google the available varieties and choose one which is blight resistant to be safe. Two balanced rows of box fronting roses or hydrangeas is a rather formal style, that may be why your thread isn't generating many responses.

What to place behind the row of box? Roses need ample water to bloom well and it's a bad idea to water heavily around your foundation so I vote against roses. Peonies are lovely for two weeks then the foliage looks lousy by late summer so I vote against peonies as well. Hydrangeas are trendy and a multitude of varieties are available. A short hydrangea paniculata would be fine. Which one depends on the choices available to you locally. In my area, reblooming azaleas do well and are evergreen so azaleas would be my choice.

The weeping Japanese maple in the niche appeals to you. Personally, I dislike those since few homeowners know how to prune them. They become congested purple muffins. You're an experienced gardener so yours will be maintained. My only concern there is access to the water spigot and space for a hose reel.

Cecily: excellent points regarding roses and peonies, thank you so much! They’re out. I hadn’t thought of my ”plan” as formal, more boring/easy or perhaps trendy-farmhouse (?) but now that you say it, I can see it. I will definitely check on the best variety of boxwoods for us, thanks for that suggestion. I will also look into reblooming azeleas. They sound like they may provide us with both the foundation coverage and color we’re looking for. Maybe with one of those hydrangea mixed in. Regarding the japanese maple, after driving around this weekend, I’m not sure they appeal to me, for exactly the reasons you mention. Some look beautiful, but many don’t, and I’m truly not an experienced gardener. I’m good at researching and will put in the time to learn what to do, but the execution and results often fall short. So, I’ll need to figure out something else for that area. That window is to a powder room so something a bit taller would be ok (the shutters are never open), but I definitely want easy access to the spigot and room for a hose reel. Any thoughts or ideas? Our nursery had some nice, tall juniper but I thought they may be too skinny for the size of the cutout. I’m also realizing I may need something taller for the far right side of the house to hide the propane tank. Although I will also need to add a few shade-loving (preferably deer-resistant) plants down that side of the house. Thanks again for the new direction!

For the cutout area, I would lay pavers and use a big pot of annuals which I could move if needed. My termite guy says no mulch within a yard of the foundation so I wouldn't plant there.

On the right to hide the propane tank, you could consider dwarf hinoki cypress or holly. I'd pick a holly because they respond well to pruning and they also feed the birds. The hinoki would be great if you like to hang Christmas lights.

Cecily: I hadn’t thought about adding pavers and a pot of annuals to the cutout, but I like that idea a lot. It would also provide a stable surface for the hose reel. I also really like the idea of a hinoki cypress or holly for the far right side. I’m going to the garden center on Wednesday and will see what they have. Thanks so much for your ideas and recommendations!!

I would plant something with a habit like Geranium in front of the boxwoods. This one is Biokovo.

Of course I don't know if this grows where you live. I am just suggesting a low ground cover perennial. If it blooms that is even better.

Thanks for the suggestion, emmarene9. We have a similar geranium plant with purple flowers by our mailbox that a neighbor divided and gave me years ago. It does really well here. I need to divide ours now and was trying to think of someone to give it to, but I could try it out in the front bed. It’s my first bloomer and I like that it blooms early and throughout the summer, I don’t really want ground cover there though, so I’d want to keep pruning it/dividing it to keep it mounded. Good food for thought - thanks!

Here are some ideas for your zone:

You mentioned having a hose reel. The new expandable hoses are much easier to handle than having to rewind a hose onto a reel. To store them between uses, get some kind of composite container - I bought simple round planters. If the container you buy doesn’t have good holes in the bottom for rain water to drain, you can drill a few with a home drill. I bought planters the same color as my siding so they blend in. Makes watering plants and setting up sprinklers for the grass so easy and planters are more attractive than hose reel. Expandable hoses are expensive but worth it in my view.

Dig Doug: I‘m not familiar with the laurel or dashiki, but I like the look. I’ll check those out Wednesday as well.

khrisz: I love that idea and just saw a pretty good prime day deal on that type of hose. It’s in the cart - thanks!