Does "...but I'm not sold on it" mean that you're disregarding all of the plan ... or that you're using part of it? It wouldn't be possible for us to know what "...the rest of the landscape plants..." are with just what you've told us so far. What area specifically are you asking for suggestions for ... the whole front or just the right side? Either way, we can't see the right side because of the black shadows, or the far left side of house because it's missing. So it wouldn't be possible to make suggestions for those areas or know how to integrate with them. I suggest you return to the same camera position and add the missing areas by pivoting the camera to capture the scenes. (As opposed to moving camera farther away from the subject.)

Gmail fails me again. I never received notification of a response! Anyway, thank you Yardvaark and also, sorry to have written such an ambiguous post! We are focusing our efforts on the entire front of the house for now. We'll get to the sides when the budget allows. I am using some of the suggestions by the landscaper, mostly the placement of the plants, but am changing out some of his recommendations for the plants themselves. On the left, sunny side of the house, I'll have a tea olive on the far corner, dwarf pringles podocarpus, sunshine ligustrum, kaleidoscope abelia, drift roses, daylilies, and agapanthus covering the front. A bird bath or fountain will go into the recessed area, surrounded by agapanthus and daylilies. At the entrance will be frostproof gardenias and color mounds. My question is what to do with the right side of the house, given it is partial sun in the morning, dappled shade to full shade in the afternoon. I want some uniformity, but I'm afraid the plants on the left side of the house needing mostly sun wouldn't do well on the right. Is using completely different plants on the right side listed on the "what not to do" list? Would using shi shi gashira on the right side with a frostproof gardenia work? I'm also thinking of putting a massee lane camellia on the far right corner of the house, instead of another tea olive. Just wanting to get multiple opinions before making these decisions on our investment. Pictured is the shaded right side of the house in question.

I don't think it's possible to comment on your design intentions based on a plant list. Great plants can be poorly used. Run of the mill plants can be well used.

Insofar as your question about using different plant material for the right side of house ... it's essential that you use plants which perform well for the existing conditions. That they aren't exact matches for plants used in another location isn't critical. Use plants that fit the need.

It almost sounds like you do not intend to rework the bed area. I love some of the plants you mentioned but it sounds like a lot of variety for the space that is available.

Your house does not need any enhancement to look beautiful. Will you be doing the work yourself?

Sound like it leans "busy" to me, too.

emmarene, yes, my husband and I are going to do the work ourselves. We do plan on reworking the beds, extending them and creating pleasing curves. We'll probably end up with a depth of 9'. I haven't marked the lines yet. I am posting a side view for a better vantage point. Of course, what you see plant wise no longer exists. It's truly a blank canvas! One landscaper even suggested extending the bed all the way to the sidewalk. In my opinion, that's too deep. With the deeper beds than what you see, do y'all still think the plan is too busy? I'll attach a sketch of my plan, if y'all can make sense of it! Thank you for your continued input.

{{gwi:2117615}}

Here's the side view.....

{{gwi:2117616}}

Immediately I find the bed lines not likable ... like a ruffled doily waving around the house. It would be better to develop a bed with lines that are smooth and in scale with the property.

Were this my house, I would seriously consider widening the walk into some kind of landing at the bottom of the steps (to the width of the column opening.) Regardless of whether you do something like that, I would not have any tall material in the immediate approach to the steps. It would seem confining, obstructive and therefore, unwelcoming. (I've had the hardest time seeing good looking gardenias everywhere I've ever lived ... though I'm sure they must grow well somewhere!) It would be better to keep the area in front of the entrance low and if possible, colorful.

The tea olive will make a nice large shrub, but where you're using them, they would be better as small multi-trunk trees. Move them farther away from the house, though.

I truly cannot see where you have a place for all the shrubs. If you're trying to hide all the lower features of the house -- quoins, shutters, windows, porch -- then maybe. But I really doubt that's a goal. And your plan is not allowing for the size the plants will develop. Shrubs are crammed too close to house.

{{gwi:2142997}}

This post was edited by Yardvaark on Thu, Feb 5, 15 at 11:37

Ok, agreed on the bed lines and I like yours much better. Now, as for the plants under the window, entrance, and groundcover, any recommendations? I live in Zone 8b, house facing south. The shrubs I chose were because they are small and I would plan on keeping them pruned back.

I think the shrubs you're considering will need more trimming than you're expecting. Looking at the space below the window, there is barely 18" of height. If it were me, I'd be considering something like a patch of Liriope, as it would not need any height trimming, but just an annual mowing, and it's evergreen. If one of the shrubs you're considering is the right height, by all means use it. Look around the neighborhood to see what is being used for low groundcover. (I cleaned up the drawing a little and added a place for daylilies.)

Don't know why this originally was a duplicate post. Thank you for your suggestions and I'll do some more research on low ground covers.

This post was edited by StillASprout on Thu, Feb 5, 15 at 12:27

Sprout duplicate posts are common here.

I am concerned of the neglect of your entry area. Even the way you choose to take pictures make it seem like the entry area is very unimportant. I think more attention should be focused on the front door and less emphasis on the really large bed on the left side.

I get the feeling that your sketch was not drawn to scale. Just because everything fits in your fantasy does not mean there is actually room. I suggest you measure and then draw out the plan on graph paper.

I like Lantana and think you should use it in the entire left side boarder, in the same color. There will still be room for your small green shrubs closer to the house and room for your choice of plant in the alcove area. I had no idea there was a Podocarpus that would stay lower if sheared. Now I want a few.

If there is ever a time of day that your entrance area is not in the shade I would love to see a picture of it. Or a close up, even when shaded.

My suggestion for the shaded area-----hostas,or other lush-looking shade plants, and maybe a nice bubbling fountain or stone lantern. Go to www.stoneagecreations.com for some great inspirations. A friend of mine works at this place and I've used many of their creations in my gardens.

This post was edited by green-zeus on Fri, Feb 6, 15 at 13:53

Emmarene, you are so right about the entrance being neglected! And no, my sketch was not drawn to scale. I have measurements of the sections of house and an estimate on the depth of the beds. That may change as I begin to space the plants. I have a terrible time envisioning the needs and space of mature plants, since I'll be purchasing mostly 3 gallons.

I'll do my best to remember to take a picture of the front entrance in the sunlight! I would love your continued feedback.

I met with a landscape designer yesterday! He provided fabulous ideas and I am going with his plan. Thank you all for your input! Now, if any of you have advice on lowering the pH of my soil quickly, you can comment on my post over in the Soils, Compost, Mulch thread. If it's not one issue, it's another!

Lowering the PH of your soil may be possible, but I think it's easier on the gardener to work with plant materials that tolerate the PH that you have. What is the makeup of your subsoil? In my area of Texas, the subsoil is limestone and water comes from aquifers that are formed in the limestone. Tap water has a PH of 8.5. It would be very difficult to change my soil PH and irrigation with that water would negate the slight acidic changes that I could make. People do grow gardenias and azaleas here, but not without a lot of amendments and I'm not sure that the shrubs are all that they can be in a more hospitable environment. All of that being said, a lot of plants are happy with the high PH.

Please remember to let us see the results/

Ok, sure, emmarene!

pH 7.2

Phosphorus: 33

Potassium: 153

Magnesium: 314

Calcium: a whopping 4851

I'm in South Alabama; soil is group 3, clay and soils high in organic matter

Most all the plants selected fall within the neutral range. My main concern is for the shi shi camellias which require a pH of 5.5. Camellias are plentiful in my neighborhood and seem to grow well, so I'm not sure what to do!

I just Googled ShiShi Camellias because I wasn't sure what they were and read that the reason that they need the lower PH is because they don't uptake iron in the PH range above 7. Why could you not plant them in an acid-loving plant mix and the use a foliar spray containing iron? Higher PH causes tie up of certain nutrients.

Hmmm, that sounds like a fabulous idea! Would there not be an issue of essentially creating a root bound plant by using this method?

I'm not sure what you mean. You are planning to amend the bed prior to planting all of those carefully selected specimens anyway, right? Why not use amendments that acid loving plants want? I really can't imagine that the plants would become root bound. The roots of these shrubs will behave normally. It's the foliage and blooms that will be affected if they don't receive the needed iron. That was why I suggested the foliar spray, just deliver the iron onto the foliage.

Better yet, choose plants that thrive in the soil that you have rather than attempting to grow plants that you will need to constantly monitor and adjust the environment for.

When I was a novice gardener, I like to find pictures of beautiful plants and all I thought to check was the cold hardiness. If they grew in zone 7b/8a, I bought and planted them. Many dollars later and not a small amount of frustration, I decided to get a little education. I have learned to work with plants that actually like it in my climate and environment.

Have you asked for plant recommendations at the Alabama Gardening forum? The gardeners in the area that you are in would be better able to advise on what the best plant choices are.

Alabama Gardening