Jane, first of all, congratulations on the purchase of your home! I think you have a wonderful opportunity to do a very pretty entry/welcome garden.

A couple of thoughts for you - first, your home has a casual, rather than formal, style to it so I would suggest a more casual use of the space. The drawing below shows a kind of "bean shaped" bed, which I have used in my own gardening over and over. I think it looks more natural than a box shape, and in this case goes better with the style of your home.

Second, as far as "bones," you mentioned the spirea and maybe boxwood. Again because of the casual style of the home, I would use these as accent plants rather than trying to create a formal hedge, and use your space to develop a welcoming flowerbed filled with low-maintenance perennials.

I also hope you can find room for a small-scale tree such as Cercis Canadensis (Eastern Redbud). We had one at our old place and its size was totally in keeping with the small scale of the house. When we moved last summer, the tree was about twelve feet tall and had a very nice 15-foot wide canopy. We used it for shade whenever we'd have a yard sale, and in spring it was one of my favorite bloomers! If you placed it on the left side of the diagram, out toward the outer edge of the "bean," it wouldn't block your view from the porch and in a few years would give you a nice little patch of shade for more plant options. :)

A bird bath would also be a welcoming touch; a large container on the porch, spilling over with bright colors, can complement the whole thing.

Other plant selections will depend on the sun and soil conditions of the flowerbed - it looks like a full-sun location. If you are having a pro come in and prepare the beds for you, be sure to study the soil and determine if you need them to work in any amendments such as compost.

Some of the plants that come to mind are Coneflower, Russian Sage, Black-eyed Susan, iris, and Oriental Poppy. A "snowball" shrub could be a nice anchor shrub again on the far left, back near the house - it has big puffy white balls of flowers in summer. These are all selections that expand themselves fairly quickly, in my experience, so they are good for the budget. Of course, if they are not suitable for your climate I'm sure there are many other options.

Finally, a note about things being "idiot proof." Understanding that you are on a budget and probably want some fairly quick results, I would just encourage you not to worry too much about making errors. If you have a long-term interest in gardening, whether things are "idiot proof" begins not to matter. The joy is in the process, in trying new things, observing what works and what doesn't, and just being a little closer to nature while you learn.

Good luck - a blank slate is a wonderful thing to have!

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Thank you. My goodness, just checked a photo of an Eastern Redbud -- beautiful! Unfortunately, it gets too cold here in the winter. I am envious. I will start looking at trees in the same scale. I think it is a great suggestion. I like the idea for a snowball shrub, and in that location. Actually, it would be nice to have a bit of a screen on that side of the veranda. The landscaper will be adding compost etc when he puts in the bed so that I hope will get everything off to a good start.

Do you think 6ft deep will be big enough for the bed? And wehn you say the shrubs should be accents, do you mean that I would limit them to one area of this small bed or is it more a question of size of shrub? I have been thinking of shrubs 3-4 ft tall because that way I will see a it if them from my livingroom. Too tall though? I agree with the point about casual and will factor that it too.

Thank you again for your advice... and for your thoughts on the "idiot" comment :)

Jane

Jane, let me make sure I understand, when you say "six feet" you mean six feet front to back, correct? You are not talking about digging six feet *down*? Assuming the former, six feet is plenty - if you use the bean shape it would vary a little with the curving line of the bed. With that much space, you will want to add some stepping stones around the bed so you can "step in" and do maintenance chores easily such as pulling off spent blooms, clipping back bushes, etc. If you in fact mean the latter - digging down six feet into the ground to amend and prepare your soil - it might be unnecessary to go that deep, but your landscaper is certainly more of an expert on that than I am.

The snowball shrub would make a great screen - and, if you put it somewhere near where your downspout comes out, it will LOVE the moisture! The one we used to have was in full sun and went nuts with plenty of water, and was about 8 feet high within a couple of years.

When I mentioned using your spirea as accent plants, I was thinking you might make a little grouping of them in one area - say, three togteher in a triangle shape. When they get a little bigger and fill in around each other, it would create a nice "drift" of color - which is very informal compared to using them as a straight-line hedge. You have enough room that you could do three together in a "drift" over on the left, and then maybe one or two more elsewhere in the bed by themselves. By repeating the spirea in a few places, then filling in other plants around them, you create a sense of rhythm because the viewer's eye moves around the bed, "connecting" everything together because of the repeated plant. Makes it feel a little more cohesive, while still being informal.

Also, I don't think 3-4 feet tall is too tall, although if you are using spirea it may take them a few years to get to that point.

At some point you will want to consider what else you will plant with them, as far as perennials. Whatever space is left, you can throw in annual seeds of some sort to fill in. (I'm a big fan of the adage, "If I can still see dirt, I don't have enough plants." LOL) And of course have a spot to add a birdbath or other architectural "feature" - statuary, perhaps.

Hi again,

Yes, six feet is front to back. I like the idea of grouping the spirea in two areas. Your continuity comment makes sense to me and I can imagine it. This is good! Perrenials and ground cover are coming from family and friends. I love irises so they will definitely play a role. Any ideas for the area against the walkway? I was think flowers and ground cover (creeping thyme?).

I like the idea of a statue. Makes me think of a English cottage.

Jane

Iris will be wonderful for spring color and they will spread/expand quickly. How do spring bulbs (daffodils, hyacinth, tulip) do in your area? They would be wonderful for early Spring. Creeping thyme would be really pretty - other options might be Irish moss (bright green foliage, and doesn't mind if you walk on it) or Creeping Phlox. A nice annual that "mounds" and makes a good border is of course sweet alyssum, which blooms all summer. These are dependent on your climate of course.

Your six-foot depth will give you plenty of room. Just for inspiration and ideas, you might search Google images for the phrase "entry garden." Also, another site that might be helpful for you is that of the Renegade Gardener. Don Engebretson is a garden writer (and of course gardener) who specifically writes about plants for the colder zones. If you go there and click on his Plant Spotlight link, right now he's featuring an evergreen with yellow-green foliage that also gives some height, called Yellow Ribbon Arborvitae.

Here is a link that might be useful: Renegade Gardener

Thanks for the site. Definitely a keeper. I am in zone 5 so that evergreen would be suffering here.

I Tried to post something a while ago--thought I was posting--but don't see it here.

Something I thought of this morning. The bed will run in front of the veranda which is made of pressurized wood. I figure if the soil is against the side of the veranda, the wood might rot. So the bed will need to be at ground level along the veranda and since my yard has a slight slope outward, the front of the bed will be a bit raised. I *think* that will safe guard the veranda but am wondering if I should be doing anything else to protect it... would a row of bricks separating the veranda from the bed help or just be troublesome. I think I am over-thinking this!

I'll check out the creeping Phlox---I think my sister has that.

Off to web search "entry garden"!

Jane

Jane, as far as drainage away from the veranda, I would just wait til your landscaper is done prepping the beds and see where you end up. If soil moisture were going to rot the baseboard of your veranda, it stands to reason that it would also threaten to rot the underground portions of the posts that anchor it on the corners. It's either not an issue at all, or it takes many decades for it to happen - otherwise, I don't think it would be considered such a viable building material. Maybe someone with a little pressure-treated-wood expertise could chime in and tell us for sure.

Well, today is Canada Day and I will spend my day researcher the ideas you gave me and settling on a plan. Thank you again. I am stoked :)

JanetGIA,

I just wanted to post a note saying thank you for your generous responses and advice! What great posts.

JJ - thank YOU, that's very nice of you to say!

Jane - happy belated Canada Day! Hope you are having fun researching!

Hi, Canada-East,

Don't know why, but clematis are floating in my head this evening. I only have a few varieties myself, but I love all of them. They should do fine in zone 5...most are listed as zone 4-8. The only real trick to clematis is the pruning groups. since I garden without being able to see, I purposely choose group 3 clematis. Otherwise, I'd be setting myself up for a slightly more complicated pruning exercise.

Here's the very quick version of clematis pruning tips:
Group 1 -- I don't remember. I think they only bloom on old wood, so you either don't prune or prune away about 1/3 of the branches.
Group 2 -- Blooms on old and new wood. If you hard prune, the blooms that would have come on the old wood can't, but you will get a later bloom on new growth. The recommended way to prune is to take out about 1/3 of the growth to shape the plant and increase vigor.
Group 3 -- My favorite. Blooms only on new wood, so you can happily prune these babies down in late winter to about 12" above ground. You will be utterly amazed at their growth, especially after 2 or 3 years to establish. Mine are gorgeous this year.

You asked about depth of your border. My borders vary in depth depending on whether I put it in or it was here when I arrived and I haven't changed it yet. The ones I put in are at least 6 feet, but usually 8 feet or more. If you have the room, add a foot or two of depth. I don't think you'll mind later on.

As to where to put a clematis or how to use one, you could add a trellis or use an obelisk or plant one near a shrub so the clem can use it as a natural structure for climbing. . Clematis don't cling or climb in ways that generally harm a structure...unlike ivy or trumpet vine, for instance...and the types I choose are usually the ones that are fairly modest in size, about 8 to 10 feet tall. Although I love my Sweet Autumn clem for its late blooms and wonderful fragrance, I totally planted it in the wrong place...which happens to be part of my front / entry garden. It belongs to another category of clematis which tend to grow 20 and 30 feet in single growing seasons, eventually develop substantial "trunks", and produce lots of babies. not the same thing as the modest yet exquisite beauties that keep to a more reasonable size except for the amazing dimensions of their blooms.

Here are some of the clems I've researched. These all seem to be in the nursery every year, so not hard to find. Really not sure how to suggest you use one, but think you'd really get pleasure from watching one of these grow for you...

C. 'Comtesse de Bouchaud', also (incorrectly) Comtesse de BouchardÂ. My favorite "no brainer" clematis. Very rewarding, even in first year. 4" velvety rose-pink blooms, cream anthers. Reliably blooms in partial shade. Group 3 pruning. Zone 4-8.

C. Dr. Rupple  6" striped Pale orchid purple, ruffled petals with a wide carmine central bar. Another strong grower. Zone 4-8. Group 2 pruning.

C. Ernest Markham -- 4" to 6" magenta red blooms. Sparsely June, July. "Masses of flowers" august to October. Performs equally well in full sun or partial shade. Zone 4-8.

C. Jackmanii. 5" solid deep purple blooms, creamy contrasting stamens. Blooms "profusely" June-Oct. Group 3 pruning. Zone 4-8.

C. Kardynal Wyszynski. Crimson red 5" blooms. Another easy keeper. Group 2 pruning. Zone 4-8.

Hii jj,

I only now got back online and saw your message. Interestingly, someone was talking to me about clemantis yesterday. I will be saving your post. The follow bed was put in yesterday. I already wish I made it deeper!!!! But it is going to work fine. I appreciate everyone's help.

Jane

Jane, be sure to post new pictures! Can't wait to see your progress -
Janet