You don't need landscaping software to plot everything by season. Just look up the plants you think you want and create an excel spreadsheet that you can sort by your requirements ie. sun/shade, wet/dry, color, form, height, spread, seasons of interest, etc. You can always add more categories. Later, after you've planted things you can refine your spreadsheet to add notes and bloom times.

For every plant you think you like, put it on your spread sheet after you look it up then you can figure out easily what to put where.

The trickier part comes with plant combinations. Limit your plants in the beginning and repeat them. Later, when you have more confidence you can add and subtract with abandon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Books on Texas Natives

Thank you, Miss Rumphius. That sounds like a really good way to organize and compare the plants I'm considering. I will definitely do it.

Appreciate the tip -- Carol

Hi tree,

Hmmm, looks like you have a nice, traditional home with a nice traditional lawn, in a nice traditional neighborhood. My guess is you want to spice it up a bit, but not to the point of sticking out too much. The house faces north...

Looks like this would probably be a couple of years project as a do-it-yourself. So, for the time being at least (maybe even permanently) I'd leave the strip between the sidewalk and the street alone. Probably, the first year just focus on that area between the driveway and the house walk. I'd also limit the plants selection initially, like Miss Rumphius said.

One of the things I'd do is open up and lace the big tree in front a bit. As far as the bushes in front of the house--I'm not really into boxing and hedging stuff. I'd let them grow more naturally and open them up a bit too.

One of the things that would be a concern to me, is that your front yard sort of slopes down to the sidewalk and driveway. I'm not sure how you want to deal with runoff issues.

I'm a gardener, so I take things strictly from that perspective. I have a tendency to cram too many things in...but I guess I like it that way.

Remember too it takes usually at least a year for a plant to 'take'...and yes, sometimes they don't take but just die. I like the different forms of Rosemary a lot. They don't require much in the way of water, they always look good and they don't require much in the way of maintenance. BUT, they can be slow to establish sometimes. Another group of shrubs I like a lot are Cistus. Just about the same requirements as Rosemary and there is a huge difference in the appearance between the species.

Yellow & blue go really well together. Red, yellow, & orange can freely mix.

I also think you can experiment with succulents and agaves too. The finer leaved shrubs and plants can soften the succulents up so you don't get too much of that desert/cactus look.

I'm always hesitant to give suggestions because sometimes posters want a nice looking yard, but aren't really into gardening. Seems like you did your plant homework though.

I'm not familiar with south-central Texas weather but doesn't it get really hot and wet in summer?

Anyway, instead of babbling on, here's a pic of yellow Leucospermum with spiney stuff in the back and a big Cistus bush blooming.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Once you're taught what a box is...thinking outside the box is like building a house without tools.

-Ron-

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You can right-click the mouse on the image to view a bigger image.

Ron:

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I love working in my garden--much prefer it to mowing grass. My goals are to eliminate a lot of the lawn and--as you guessed--spice things up some.

This part of Texas sure does get hot in the summers...not a lot of rain the past few, though, which is another reason I'm focusing on natives & drought tolerant stuff.

I'm not familiar with Cistus, or Leucospermum, which is very cool. The form really appeals to me. I'd want it in rose, though. I'm avoiding yellow because I don't like the way it looks with my peachy colored house.

When it does rain here, it tends to come down in buckets. I hadn't given much thought to the slope near the sidewalks. You're right, it will be a problem. I'd be out sweeping stuff stuff up after every heavy rain. Well, another little challenge...

Hadn't noticed how wild & wooly that oak is getting till I looked at those pictures again. I do need to get out there and clean it up.

I've had good luck with rosemary and lavenders in my back yard, so they'll be included for sure. I'm really drawn to some of the desert plants and love the way you're immediately aware of their structure.

The pictures on your gardenweb page are...wow! You've got quite a slope--no wonder you thought of runoff.

Thanks again,
Carol

I think you have a beautiful home, from the second picture anyway, i cannot tell at all what your home looks like from the big tree in the front that is covering the view of the porch...maybe that is for privacy? Maybe lacing the tree as someone suggested would be a good idea, which i am assuming means thinning it to open the view up a bit :), and pruning back some of the lower limbs so that you can view the house and still maintain some privacy would add tons of curb appeal. Then i personally would remove all those shrubs as they look overgrown and bunched up (again that may be for privacy while sitting on the porch?) and place a flower bed completely around the house from where the backyard fencing starts on around the front and back to the fencing again. I think this would add alot of appeal to your home as well. Is there a flower bed around that big tree or is it just to hard to get under with those lower limbs? It really is unbelievable the differnce in how your home looks from picture one to two and you have a very pretty home. Just my personal thoughts, good luck!

I think you need to lay out the proposed bed lines on the ground and see if mowing around them is possible. Your plan has a lot of smallish curves, and you may find some them are not easy to negotiate with a mower.

Keep in mind that in many towns, there is a strip of land adjacent to the street that is a right of way owned by the town or state. There may be regulations governing what you can or cannot do in that area, and even if plantings are allowed, road construction or widening or utility work may require you remove those plantings. The tree may not be allowed at all, so you'll want to check first.

Funny how you can look at something every day and not really see it. That is a bed under the oak, ymaddox. If I limb the tree up the lantana under it will probably be happier with the extra light. I need to wait until June, though, because of the risk of oak wilt. Replacing the foundation shrubs will have to wait, too, until I get something else going further out in the yard. That's an idea, though.

saypoint: I'll check the curves before I cut in the beds. Hadn't thought about any restrictions connected with the parking strip--will check with the city before starting. That parking strip is part of what's motivating me to make these changes. I want something out there besides weeds and bare spots.

Thanks...you guys are great -- Carol