Pictures would definitely help. There are many free photo hosting sites you could upload them to. People often post to this forum asking for ideas and it is easiest to give ideas when people post photos.

Welcome to the NE forum. Have you drawn up a plan, to scale , of your yard and the existing trees, buildings, and driveway etc? This is always a good place to start, especially if you make notes on it about sun and shade, views to keep or block, etc. Having a plan like this can make it much easier to get the overall effect you want.

I have a favorite website about "naturescaping" - I refer to it when I'm looking for the next step in replacing lawn with gardens.

There are several plans on the site, and a scheme for naturescaping in stages - a good move if you want to prevent panic among the neighbors.

Although I don't always use the natives that they recommend, I like their overall approach.

Here is a link that might be useful: naturescaping

OK thank you for that! :-) Here are the pictures of the front.

Pic#1: right side w/ azalea bush I am keeping- the other "thing" which I hate- that flanks the drive way will be gone.
Pic#2: Above shot of same area; measures 41 x 84 x 192 or 3.5ft x 7ft x 16ft--I have thought of ripping out that patch of useless grass and using the whole area for planting.
Pic#3; Left side of house; rhodo is staying
Pic #4: Above shot of same area; measures 41 x 72 x 192 or 3.5ft x 6ft x 16ft

PS- you'll note the random placement of some bulbs that we inherited with the house; crocuses, tulips, and daffodils which I want to give new homes to.

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> I have thought of ripping out that patch of useless grass and using the whole area for planting.

Definitely, yes, do that! Since the current planting area is only 41' wide, you can really DO something if you use the larger area. You could balance it on the other side of the house by widening that area to match.

If you want to have shrubs in front of the house, 41' just isn't wide enough. For one thing, the 2' strip area right next to the house is in a "rain shadow" and will be extremely dry. Second, it's better to leave at least that width open, for air circulation and maintenance. So, a shrub that will be 4' wide at maturity needs to be planted "on center" at least 3' from the house, preferably more, and it will therefore outgrow your 41" really fast.

I'm reading a couple of Gordon Hayward design books (at the same time, it's a long story) and he talks a lot about creating an entry garden instead of lining up a row of shrubs in front of the house. He also talks about designing your garden so that the house is IN the garden; so that when you look out the windows, you see a garden, not just a lawn. If you've got the interest in wildlife, you could make a plan now and implement it in stages over the course of a few years. But, if I were you, I'd start by taking up some lawn near the house. You can put in a few shrubs (from your master plan, of course) and fill in with annuals and perennials for the first season or two.

I'm jealous of your nearly blank slate - you just have a few things to work around, and that's really lucky for you, in some ways.

Hope you keep us updated on your plans and your progress.

Thank you for those tips!

"So, a shrub that will be 4' wide at maturity needs to be planted "on center" at least 3' from the house, preferably more, and it will therefore outgrow your 41" really fast."

Hmm- I thought that the azelea was a wee bit close to the house itself- wonder if that has to do with it's "stunted" growth. I just think it should be a bit bigger at this point- assuming that was planted at the same time as the rhodo.

"I'm jealous of your nearly blank slate - you just have a few things to work around, and that's really lucky for you, in some ways."

Hahaha..well that was a mistake to say the least. We *had* evergreen shrubs that flanked the steps and last week I decided that I was tired of them being little tinderboxes inside- the only parts that were green were the outside skin so to speak- so I decided to thin out the inside. Hmm..well this one wasn't paying attention as it was getting late and I was tired- and SNIP--opps a wee bit too high and so I had this HUGE hole n the front- yeah so I decided to trim the up to the hole and they became scary looking Candy Land trees..oops! Ahh- live and learn. Of course I hated them anyways to be honest part of me is glad they are gone and I now have the blank slate that you speak of.

Widening BITH sides would be key- and I think it would look exceptionally nice on the rhodo side- a nice waterfall effect of such with plantings- plus it would make my life easier when I mow the grass- I always get all the bees and yellow jackets angry when I run the mower under the bush--hmm...

I was also thinking of using some landscape timbers- almost raise the bed a bit just to make the edges a bit more crisp- especially by the walkway a nice "wall"- plus it would make my husband happy NOT to have plants right up against the house. I have great soil which I am thankful for so I would keep the bottom unlined and just do the sides with the paper.

Oh so much to do so much to do- and I just found out yesterday I am hosting Easter dinner- Yipes thanks for the warning!! ;-) Well I guess it won't be done before relatives come over- was shooting for early summer to have this done in time for a family cookout. Oh well!

I'll keep you posted with before/during/after pics. But of course as you all know there really isn't such thing as an "after" pic- maybe I shall say before/during/work-in-progress pics instead!

A few random thoughts that haven't been mentioned.

1) I would avoid landscape timbers. May be consider stone -which would longer lasting and more natural and less maintenance. My sister ripped out a bunch of the landscape timbers and they were decaying and rotting out and had started to attract carpenter ants. So I don't have direct experience with them but from what I saw with her place I don't have a favorable opinion.

2) Carefully research any perennials you put in to make sure they aren't spreaders (invasive) or overly self seed. With such a nice blank slate you don't want to introduce anything that could be a problem.

3) For the Easter get together you could put a few planters of pansies or prepotted bulbs out by your steps so it won't look so blank if you are worried about the relatives!

4) I only use graph paper and a notebook to do my garden planning. The software programs for landscaping (the few I've tried) require a huge investment and the time to keep up your plan so I didn't find them helpful.

CaRpEnTeR aNtS! Yipes..no I don't think I want those although the Flickers woudl be happy, so thank you for that info!

My thoughts on perennials were actually pretty run of the mill so to speak- but things that woudl bloom at different times- like crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths and Irises- and than may a few more later bloomers so the color is always there and constantly changing. Maybe leave spot for some annuals to mix it up each year a bit.

As far as Easter goes- I will share that I got a $10 coupon from Lowe's- and I went and bought to pretty Easter Lillies and it came to $4--woo-- so I think I did good there- and I think I can transplant those as well but they will also keep in the containers until I am ready. I wanted some lillies b/c they smell so good and hummers like them. The ones (lillies) at the Garden center were much bigger and they had a wider variety of colors - but they were also $22 a plant and not in my budget after going to the grocery store earlier to stock up for Easter dinner.

Planning- went to vinnys garden center locally http://www.vinnysshowplace.com/ and I have to say they weren't that helpful- free lanscaping drawings customized for you. Hmm..the shape came out nice but when he told me to get rid of that huge rhodo AND never asked me about sun exposure I basically stopped listening. Plus I said I wanted to use the area for attracting birds and butterflys he gave me some plants that I just didn't think would do the trick- a juniper that does not produce berries for starters, no bee balm, not a butterfly bush. Kinda left there a bit disheartned to say the least.

The Easter Lilies you can definitely plant out in the garden. Cut the dead flowers off and let the foliage grow all summer and fall to replenish the bulb for next season. Add some bulb booster fertilizer to the planting hole. Of course they will bloom in summer their natural bloom time not the forced time for Easer. You have to watch for the lily beetle (see other posts in this forum for info) unfortunately -- a newly introduced menace to lilies.

I am not surprised by your experience at your local nursery, you get what you pay for must be true in this case. So free in this case wasn't worth it. You may try to go to free seminars or low cost seminars at NEWFS (New England Wildflower SOciety). If you want natural type plantings to attract wildlife they have the plants and expertise to help you. Check their class lists here. Of course I just see that you are in CT so this may be too far for you....

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: NEWFS Courses