Totally a personal opinion but I would invest in the removal of the chain link fence before spending even a dollar on landscaping. It is extremely harsh and actually negatively effects the value of a property.

If you don't have the funds or desire to replace, I suggest Blue Shadow Fothergilla paired with a purple leaf perrenial. Another option is to use a Holly as the backdrop for winter interest and plant a dwarf Hydrangea in the front.

Oh don't worry, it is coming out this fall after the first frost. I have morning glories growing on the fence on the right side so I don't want to take it down right at this moment.

Do fothergilla mind shade?

Nice house.

I think I would let the masonry show if it looks good. Maybe have a low flower bed in front of it.

Fothergillla will perform well and still have decent fall color with 4-5 hours of sun. Any less they still do well but the fall color won't be as intense.

I'm not a fan of the showing-the-masonry idea, not because there is anything wrong with the masonry, but because in a yard that short you only have so many places to grow beautiful shrubs!

If you don't want something evergreen, my choice for in front of the masonry would be white hydrangeas. That's a sweet old-fashioned looking house and they would give a lush, cool, look that is appropriate to style of the house...

If you do want evergreens, there are many to choose from depending on whether you prefer needle-like leaves or broader leaves like those on cherry laurels and some hollies.

I have a fothergilla on one side of my porch and I am very happy with it. Super-cute blooms in late winter/early spring, and the leaves are a cooling blue/green in the summer and very colorful in fall.

What evergreen options do you think would work well? I absolutely hate holly. But, I am open to some other evergreens that fit the time period/look of the house. Sticks from a bush are usually enough to make me happy in winter LOL.

White hydrangea is an excellent idea! I will look into it. Not sure how I feel about fothergilla.

i could get about 40 MINI [not dwarf] conifers in there if i had a budget ... plants that grow about an inch per year... and i would get some of them at girard nursery in saybrook.. to the east of you an hour or so ..

might want to try over in the conifer forum ...

is snow load an issue???? meaning do you need to throw the shoveled snow on the bed???? any salt or snow remover issues????

what is the tree that adds the shade.... something that allows things to grow under it???? or a maple ....

ken

no snow loads or salt.

there is a giant norway spruce to the right providing some shade. there is also a young oak on the treelawn directly in front of the house that will slowly increase shase throuughout the years. no tree roots bother the shrubs or flower bed.

i would really like to cut into all those drab grey horizonatal lines .... dont get me wrong.. nice paint job.. just to much horizontal ...

link below de groots spire .. an arb ... for each pillar... i have some going on about 8 feet tall .. and one foot wide ... the ones in shade will under-perform the sunny ones at the other end .... but who cares.. unless you are one of those compulsives who will need each one to be perfectly symmetrical ....

get some one gal.. one foot plants.. INSURE they are single leader.. and you should be all set for about 15 years .... link below is the size ... the pic.. i know nothing about that seller...

after those green verticals... knock yourself out otherwise ...

in the alternative.. some clematis up the posts for the verticals...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: 12th pic.. smallplants.com

Evergreens that aren't hollies...I really like my cherry laurel shrubs, I also have boxwood, and both of those are traditional plants that would go with your house. I have never gardened as far north as Cleveland, so I don't know whether they're suited to your zone, you'd have to check on that.

For white hydrangeas, I have Annabelles because they are practically standard-issue here in Kentucky, but there are lots of other varieties so you might want to ask at a local nursery which ones do best in your area.

I'm in 6, too, so it should be somewhat similar (although it might get colder in the winter). I will look into the cherry laurel, those seem interesting. I have so many options now! The arborvitaes, hollies, cherry laurel...how am I gonna chose?!?!!?!? LOL.

Don't forget decidious plants too! You can do amazing things with texture and color with confiers but they "can" get old quick.

Also I think Ken means to much vertical, you'd want horizontal branching plants to help break it up.

White hydrangeas!

What kind of a rose did you get? I can see whites, pinks, reds, or lavenders up against that pretty house- but not my favorite golds and oranges. Maybe it's just my computer screen. What colors do you like?

I think a short skinny conifer would look pretty all the way to the left to help block out your neighbor's plain wall. Does Hinoki cypress grow there? They are so pretty.

I am a masonry fanatic- so if the masonry is not painted, and it's pretty, I would be inclined to let a little show through.

Have you considered planting up at the front of the property rather than just up against the porch? Are you wedded to the lawn?

Renee

no... ken meant too much horizontals.. as in all the clapboard .... including the neighbors house ....

ken

ps: and now you have me speaking in third party queens dialect.. whats that all about ...

Hosenemesis, I would love to plant up to the sidewalk. In fact, I'd like to have no grass whatsoever on our small lot. However, my partner loves grass (even though he doesn't take care of it like he should), so that's a no go! I told him I'd compromise and leave the grass upfront if I could have a pretty cottage garden in the back. C'est la vie.

No rose yet. Not sure how I feel about the rose yet. It may be "too much". My partner feels that I am cramming too much stuff in. I love informal cottage looks and you can never have too much. He comes from a family with a house that has a few shrubs and a tone of mulch. I pretend to listen, but I don't, and I come back with plants from nurseries and he gets upset lol but I don't care.

I may just go with a clematis that won't get as extremely large as the rose, as I will have a dutchman's pipe on the right side and I'm sure that will get huge.

The bushes...he thinks they are just fine but eh. I'm going to look and research the fothergilla, cherry laurel, and annabelle white hydrangea. Wish me luck!

Sorry, I would have thought you meant verticals. The verticals are much more prominant and have depth.

The clapboard is layered and would be considered more of a backdrop as the lines are much much much(did I say much?lol?)less pronounced than the pillars, windows, fence and door.

I guess we all look at things differently.

I feel your pain about the partner being upset over buying flowers. Mine thinks I am trying to start a nursery. As far as the cottage garden thing goes, they historically are in a full-sun or partial shade location, which yours doesn't seem to be. It is a pity though, because with such a short front lot and traditional stick/vernacular victorian, it would be lovely. I agree completely with the idea of hydrangeas. They are beautiful, romantic, and provide oodles of bouquets for the house. I am not sure if you can grow Osmanthus Fragrans that far North, but look into it. They require morning sun and little else, and reward you with a yard full of intoxicating fragrance, a definite plus for your front entrance. I would plant them symetrically and prune them towards a tree or standard form. Hope this helps!

Good luck,
Ken (in tropical Florida where nothing traditional grows)

Gorgeous house. When too much horizontal was mentioned, it plunked my twanger. What you don't want is a planting mimicking the exact lines of your porch railings. Regardless of what you use, there should be some variance in height of the shrubbery. And shape, and maybe texture. After I replaced that sidewalk with something softer and with curved lines, there wouldn't be one blade of grass in the planting. It could be a knockout, and I'd go formal.

But, what would I know? I'm from Appalachia ;-)