Help! Need ideas/tips on front yard landscaping and entry area

6 years ago

Hi! We have a massive magnolia tree that costs too much to remove and it is a beautiful tree but its roots are so large and the grass wont grow in that area because of it; it's hard to plant flowers/shrubs in that area because some of the roots are above ground. We usually have our boat in our driveway so no one really parks there, we typically have to park in our yard which I'm hoping to eventually put in a rock driveway since grass wont grow where we park obviously, so you have to walk through the grass to get to the front door. We have 3 stepping stones to our entry way up to our front door and right now I have it mulched and bricked off but it looks tacky, sad, and boring. I'm not sure how to brighten it up with plants and what to use to border off that area because the grass won't grow. I need to have rocks or mulch there because we track in copious amounts of dirt without it. Theres an area behind the magnolia tree and right next to the mulch area that grass wont grow and I don't know what to do there either. I had it mulched off in a huge square but it looked like too much mulch area and looked really awkward. There's also patches of grass in our yard that are dead/not growing because of weed killer that I used but some areas are starting to grow back. We live in North east Florida and our yard gets semi-sunlight but the magnolia tree keeps it kind of shaded in that area. I just want it to look nice and bright and pretty and want it to last without having to re-do it every other month and I want to try to prevent so much dirt from tracking in the house. I would also love for it all to be very affordable (we are newly weds). Thanks for the help :)

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Comments (5)

tannatonk23_fl_z9a
6 years ago
Could you just use pavers where you currently have mulch going to the entrance? Watch on Craigslist or similar sites - often people give away pavers or bricks or sell for a very reasonable cost.

Or you could frame up a sidewalk area (make it at least 3’ wide), mix and pour concrete. It’s not that hard to do a small area like that.
houssaon
6 years ago
I think Concrete pads would work.
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User
6 years ago
I like the concrete pad or paver/brick idea.

For plants, I'd put in planters and grow shade plants in them. There's really no way of growing much under a tree, and if your magnolia acts like my magnolia...fergettit. :-)

But a nice set of matching planters to whatever walkway you put in would isolate that from the water-sucking tree and give you a nice bit of height and isolating visual around the walkway. You could add some good shade plants that would really set that off, like coleus.
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Yardvaark
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
It's a fact ... you'll not be able to get rid of the mess until you create a permanent, hard walk where there is now mulch. The magnolia roots are going to make it harder, but it must be done if there is to be a cure. I agree with others that something like concrete (simplest and cheapest) or pavers/brick are suitable. A walk laid out to acknowledge the tree will look and work better than one that doesn't.

The bench only makes sense if there is a way to get to it ... i.e., use it. But because of Magnolia roots, it would add a lot of difficulty extending the walk to the bench. Therefore, I'd recommend using the bench elsewhere and having only plantings at the front of the house. Consider using a groundcover like Asiatic Jasmine to cover the magnolia roots.
ShadyWillowFarm
6 years ago
Super cute house!!! What about a bright sunflower yellow, or maybe a coral for the front door? And trim back that little shrub between the door and garage.