Nice! Thank you so much for that awesome visual Yardvaark. Those shrubs flanking the porch are about the height I want, though I struggle with what exactly would provide that look without quickly outgrowing the space. The window starts at 4'. One thing I am wondering though is I'm not sure I'd have room for those crepe myrtles. The sidewalk from the steps is only about 22' deep, so it would leave just tiny strips of grass before the ditch. I'd just as soon cover the whole thing in groundcover but my husband has a thing about grass.

Also wondering, do you think those two upright boxes would survive if I moved them? They need to be gone from their current position but I may be able to use them elsewhere if I don't kill them in the process.

>she recommended 4 Otto Luken Cherry Laurels on either side of the porch, fronted 14 dwarf azeleas! That seems pretty excessive to me, not to mention expensive<

>I'd just as soon cover the whole thing in ground cover but my husband has a thing about grass<

Then maybe go to a plant outlet and choose some shrubs that look like what you want and plant a row of them in front of the foundation, leave it at that. The facade of your house certainly does call for straight lines and other formality. With flowing beds and informally arranged trees not being coordinated with the design of the main front part of the house against which these would be seen.

I’d remove those 2 guard soldiers at the end of the sidewalk for starters. They only serve to highlight how shallow your yard actually is.

Oh definitely . Any idea how well they take to transplanting?

"... I am wondering though is I'm not sure I'd have room for those crepe myrtles." It is only you figuring that they are crape myrtles. To me they are tree form "shrubs" that size that seem to fit. They could be any kind of plant of that size with any kind of flowers, or none at all. You are the one in charge of picking plants that fit and I'm sure some kind of plant that is in the ball park exists. It might have much different details than what is shown.

Maybe tell folks your state, as the planting zones are fairly broad.

some general ideas:

this is not a common house type in my area .... drive or walk around your neighborhood ... and take time to note what pleases your eye.. and who made mistakes .... snap a pic ...

you have a tall house.. you need some vertical aspects ...

understand.. that foundation plantings are planted to hide the foundation.. not on the foundation ... understand the future potential of whatever you might pick ... when offered a latin name for a plant.. take it to IMAGES on a search engine ... and look to future size.. and plant them accordingly ... the mistakes you will see about town ... are large plants... that were planted as babes ... TOO CLOSE TO THE HOUSE ... perhaps like the ones you removed ...

take hubby on your tour .... grass alone is nothing without a garden to offset its flatness ...

link to planting guide .... do understand,.. there is at least a year of proper watering .... to get plants established .... maybe an extra year.. if you go large ... once established .... they wont need much care at all ... except perhaps.. for pruning ....

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

start by defining the beds ... and make them wide enough for the future ....

give us a big city name.. z7 is not enough.. as it can be divergent ...

if you want something unique.. you will have to shop beyond bigboxstore .... but with budget constraints ... maybe only one or two cool plants will set it off .... you can plan for a purchase a year or two into the future ... think of a garden as evolving.. rather than complete instant gratification ...

as to the holly ... there are all kinds and sizes of named varieties ... dont rule them out ... just because the prior owner bought plants with huge potential.. and then planted them too close to the house ... if yours were deer proof ... then they still might be an option ... otherwise.. i have no help with deer ...

good luck

ken

Thanks for the feedback. Ken, your comment about the need for the need for some verticals is noted and I agree. What I struggle with as I noted in my first post is how to deal with such a shallow yard for the planning. As stated in my intro, I am in zone 7b. I live in central Virginia. I'm not ruling out anything at this point. I have explored my immediate neighborhood and I haven't found much to inspire in yards that have the same light as mine, frankly. There are mostly very large Victorians in my neighborhood, surrounded by oaks and lots of shade, so very different light for most of the homes with any height/size. My block just happens to have newer homes. I'm much more confident when it comes to flower gardening, just not that knowledgeable when it comes to shrubs, which is why I thought I'd post here for ideas. Shrubs are a lot more expensive, especially planting en masse, so I guess I'm a little less cavalier with this project and not so willing to experiment as I would be with a perennial flower bed. I have never experienced deer issues before moving here, but they are eating machines in the front and did away with all of the hostas I planted under the trees in short order. Maybe that's why the previous owners planted the hollies, though yes, the variety they chose became much too large.

"I was rather hoping for some advice on the kinds of shrubs .... but maybe I should have posted my question in a different forum?" You might get some plant advice here. Sometimes you need to stop at another forum if you want to pursue plants further. There is an order to the design process which begins with assessment and analysis and progresses to concept and then eventually, to [plant] material selection at the end. To maximize the value of the process to yourself, you'd want to engage in dialogue along the way .... clarifying and agreeing, or not, with the various suggestions that are made. If you reject an idea based on a misconception and it is pointed out, then you'd want to update as to where you stood on the idea once you understand the misconception. To move past it without acknowledgment or decision freezes the process in place. Is the arranging and organizing all worked out as far as you are concerned?

Must you have grass in front? If you use that space for lower shrubs (groundcover) you will have a bit more room. Grass is useful in that it provides negative space and allows the eye to rest, but you have so little space it isn't really necessary. I'd be inclined to eliminate it.

I can't help with shrub ideas as I am in a vastly different zone with an even more different aesthetic! But it is useful to know what is available locally before you get your heart set on something that you can't find. The closest specialty nursery that I know to you is Susanna Farms in Maryland - take a look at their website. They have a lovely site and large selection of interesting plants. They may also be able to recommend a local landscaper and/or show you some shrubs that will work in your climate. There may well be nurseries like theirs closer to you, as well.

Susanna Farms

"If you reject an idea based on a misconception and it is pointed out, then you'd want to update as to where you stood on the idea once you understand the misconception. To move past it without acknowledgment or decision freezes the process in place. Is the arranging and organizing all worked out as far as you are concerned?" I was under the impression that I was participating in the discussion, so sorry if you felt I wasn't acknowledging your input. That certainly wasn't my intention. But to answer your question I am still trying to decide on the arrangement. I may need to work on this in stages, but at least need some evergreen foundation shrubs. Your graphic, as well as the other input, has convinced me that I do need some verticals in the design, though I question the number of trees in your picture in such a small yard. Now I am considering less grass and more groundcover, especially if we add at least one other tree.

"Your graphic, as well as the other input, has convinced me that I do need some verticals" Keep in mind that the tree form can range into some quite small, or narrow, sizes. Usually such sizes would come from what is otherwise, a large shrub. I'm sure there's something available for you. Too, when a sizable plant is near the house, it's back "half" is trimmed away, unseen. The front yard looks like it can afford 8' of bed depth at intervals. That's enough for a small -- 8' to 12' -- "tree."

As my zone suggests, I live in MD. Behnke's is a great source of native plants and has wonderful variety. However, they charge standard retail prices. You might want to visit a wholesale nursery that may ALSO provide limited retail sales. For example, I visit Schott Nursery, which is north of me and probably too far for you, but they are a wholesale nursery that has Saturday hours for retail. Their prices for trees and shrubs are significantly lower than standard retail, even for regular (non-trade) folks like me. There may be something similar closer to you, but it might take some digging around.

Listen to the locals!

Maryland is several hours from me. I have several local nurseries within 15 minutes' max, albeit all retail, so I'm looking at about $25-$30 per 3 gallon shrub, depending on the shrub.

Dig Doug's Designs- Thank you for taking the time to draw that up. Another lovely option, though there is already a Japanese maple to the left of the house, just out of view. Otherwise this looks very doable. I was kind of afraid to do just two shrubs on each side of the porch but now that I see it pictured it looks very nice. Thank you!