One ornamental tree in the center with interesting branching structure (crape myrtle, weeping cherry, a clump of 3 white birches, etc.). Plant it closer to the sidewalk so it has room. Then a creeping yew for ground cover and maybe a couple of other small evergreens toward the ends (holly, maybe).

I think pretty, bright pastels when I see your grey shake siding.

A romantic cottage garden would be lovely. I like this one but I'm not a huge fan of ornamental grasses in this type of application so I would try to tuck a hydrangea or peony in there, and some roses :)

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Oh, I just did something similar but much smaller. I used rocks and gravel to meander a path through the area and planted a beautiful arching type Japanese Maple. Use a few big rocks/boulders for accent and some garden art of some sort, some creeping ground covers- think succulents or sedums. You don’t have room for birches there- don’t make the mistake of planting something that will outgrow the space and require constant pruning and leaves in your gutters and a mess on the roof. your path and grass look really nice. Too dark for pics tonight, I will add some tomorrow.

I don’t have a lot of advice other than don’t overplant the area. Look closely at plant tags and take mature size into consideration (especially on ornamental trees). Less is more.

I also want to say that your stonework looks great! It both blends and contrasts with your home. I love it!

You don't have room for a tree. Bigger shrubs will take over the space in a few years. Plenty of garden catalogues have plans for semi-circle gardens. You can look at the pics of the plants, too. Magazines have them, too.

https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/easy/15-no-fuss-garden-plans/?slideId=slide_e1f76fd8-f1a6-4c7e-befa-6be053629cb3#slide_e1f76fd8-f1a6-4c7e-befa-6be053629cb3

Do you have kids? A dog? This may impact what you put there. Do you want something aromatic? I could see some lovely roses (mr Lincoln are deep red with upright habit and can be cut and brought in. But they have significant thorns so you may not want that.

I think small compact shrubs like boxwoods with something vertical to highlight the area in the center would be nice. Maybe even some ornamental grasses.

Depends on your style and lifestyle.

Thank you, all, for your comments on this. @dlnd2012, good point. Those are very important factors. I have small kids and a dog.

I like the lush look. Get a wise nursery person to help you plan plantings to achieve this richness in a few years.

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Deco, these were the kinds of pictures I was hunting unsuccessfully for to illustrate my comment! Beautiful.

I think I filtered too narrowly. :)

There is plenty of room for a small ornamental tree in that bed!! Something in the 10-15' range would be completely appropriate and provide some necessary height or verticality to that location. A weeping redbud or cherry, small Japanese maple or flowering crab or a tree-form hydrangea would look great there. Or do some research into "patio trees" - these are not really trees at all but usually flowering shrubs that have bee trained into a tree-like form and are intended for small planting areas like patio beds. Ninebarks, hydrangeas, lilacs, dappled willow or a vast number of dwarf conifers can work in this situation.

Thank you for creating mock ups, Miz G!

I like the birdbath idea and you can get a floating solar fountain for some nice sound. Please clean a birdbath often to prevent bird flu from spreading.

This portable type could be placed anywhere.

Post is from 2018.

DRATS!!