Hi Emma! I know, right ?! I think my post was a bit confusing. I need help with the maple but at the same time I'm having trouble choosing full-sun-all-day long plants. The maple was my husband idea, he insisted on having it in the front yard.

I received your message for help. I’m going to do a little bit of research and I’ll get back to you. Are you planning on digging new beds then? What about anything existing that you will be keeping (I don’t see much in your pics, other than the one small bed with the evergreens)?

Hi The Plant Lady!

It would be great! I'm not sure about digging new beds, I'm very confused and this is frustrating me a lot. I'm trying to find help with a design landscape but I'm having difficulties in finding someone available and that serves my area. But perhaps the only area for digging right now is where I have the maple. My husband does not want new trees since we need it to cut some early this year because the roots was invading the foundation, I think he has a little trauma from tree roots. haha

I will post more pictures of the entire front of the house later this evening.

Thanks!

Before creating the rock gardens we had direct plants in the soil, but we had problems with infestations so I think this make us a little traumatized homeowners. haha But I saved some of the plants we had: nandina and the pink azalea that doesn't love hot days but it has survived. For now I keep them in a pot in my backyard. I would like to try to use them but it is not really necessary put them back in the front yard.

Found you! I think once I know what the sun exposures are in back yard and front, I can be of more assistance. You have to move that maple if it has a chance. It also might be planted to deep. It doesn't like its roots too wet. I usually build up the bed I plant these on so the water is allowed to slowly seep into the roots but not settle there, so a raised area helps this. At this stage, I might try putting it in a large pot and that way you can keep it in shade until it recovers. Keep soil moist but not super wet. that will give you time to figure out how to set up your yard. It doesn't look like you are getting proper watering either. Do you have a sprinkler system? I can provide better ideas once I know the sun directions around house. Just post a little sketch of the footprint of the house and east, west, north, south directions.

All the below plants are native for Maryland and grow in full sun and are partially drought tolerant, so they don’t mind dry soils. I only included plants that I have experience with and can therefore recommend as good options. I personally have 12 of the 15 on my property, and the remaining 3 I have experience with on other properties I have done. The options below will provide you with all year interest in the garden and varying blooming periods for flowers throughout the growing season. I also focused on smaller shrubs because it didn’t look like you had enough room for something that would get really large. If you are able to take some photos from a higher vantage point, or draw out the layout of your yard and location of sidewalks and approximate dimensions, I can hand draw you a bedding design that would compliment. I don’t like using digital programs because I like doing it very hands on so I can move lines and play with shapes. If you have any other questions please let me know!

Perennials

• Wild (Red) Columbine - 1’-3’
• Butterfly Weed or Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)- Milkweed species that has beautiful bright orange flowers and doesn’t spread aggressively like other milkweed does, 1’-3’
• Wild Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis)- beautiful blue flowers and pretty leaves - 3’-5’ tall
• Thread leaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis Verticillata)- 2’-3’
• Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)- 3’-4’ - beautiful unique purple flower spikes
• Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) - ground cover
• Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida) - 1.5’-3.5’

Grasses

• Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabis) - 1.5’-2’
• Little Bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) - 1.5’-2’
• Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) - 3’-8’

Shrubs

• New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) - 2’-3’
• Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) - 6’-9’
• Inkberry (Illex glabra) - evergreen, 6’-10’
• Maple-leaved Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium) -3’-6’

Vine

• Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) - 6’-12’ vine , beautiful flowers all summer & attract hummingbirds, can be semi-evergreen in your area

Hi The Plant Lady, Thank you so much for all your effort in paying attention to my discussion. My front yard faces east and west in the summer and I do have sprinkler for y lawn. My husband who installed the entire irrigation system, we even have drops system but i think the maple has being beaten by the sun.

I updated the post photos.

Impossible for house to face East and West. Or do you mean front faces East and back West?

"Impossible for house to face East and West." Haha .... not in today's world!

impossible is just a word and a state of mind

http://www.perennialresource.com/photo_essay.php?ID=311

watch out for the deer they eat azaleas

That’s not impossible Flo the way her house is situated it’s pretty wide so the sun shines East side to West side.

good now try to find the right balance

when it comes to plant infestations if insects get some type predatory insects

Well, a simple sketch of lot with orientation of house and compass of directions would be helpful.

That’s not how that works, Claire.

If a person is standing inside the house, looking straight out the front door, which direction are they facing? My guess is they’re facing south, thus anything in the front yard is getting pretty much full sun all day long.

Hi y'all,

Sorry about that, my front yard is South-facing.

Is that right HOWARD Martin? but no deers here. Thanks!

I was mainly talking about side to side length wise

And you were right Claire, east and west sides.

So guys, is anyone here able to help me with a better curb appeal?

I really appreciate it!

Maybe Yardvaark, Dig Doug or another pro will see this and weigh in. One thing I can offer is your Japanese maple might be getting too much sun. Some varieties can acclimate to full sun, but ours do best in filtered light or shade. However we're inland in Southern CA, so that makes a difference, too. The lace-leaf varieties, like your Crimson Queen, do better for us with less sun and plenty of water, especially a young tree. Not a pro...just my own experience.

You could also take your photos to a local nursery to see what they suggest.

ETA - Just noticed Yardvaark was already here. Nice list from The Plant Lady!

I'm no expert but call your local nurseries and find out what they have and what they recommend

My suggestion is to get another one. Sometimes some of the plants you get from nurseries don’t usually do well. Why would a landscaper plant a Japanese maple in full sun if it’s f partial to full shade? Maybe it needs some good fertilizer or it’s probably the roots. Is your soil always moist or well drained?

Couldn’t have picked a worse spot for that Japanese Maple. It got fried. Japanese Maples are expensive ornamental trees. Try something like a Weeping Mulberry tree. It likes sun and soil isn’t critical. Plant in fall for best results. Might try some interesting evergreens. You need a good plan. I will play with some ideas for you. Bbl

I put this very rough sketch together not knowing yard measurements etc. Hopefully it will give you some basics to take to a local nursery and select similar or exact options for your front yard. The flowers are the only annuals. Everything else is perennials. Anchor each side of your house with specimen trees. On the right, I selected a Japanese Blueberry tree. Pretty fast growing and stay upright with basic trimming. On the driveway side, I selected a Weeping Mulberry tree. These can be shaped nicely and grow fairly rapidly. I put Blue Rug Junipers around base of Blueberry and do make this a raised bed. Not high raise but like pitcher’s mound high and line bed with local natural rocks. I put Smoke Trees for deep red contrasting color, variegated Liriope for lighter tones and color just back from stone edging. You will need about 3- plant depth to 12-18’ wide beds so you can keep away from foundation. Other plants can be added as you build your design. Number 1 job. Outline nice curving bed shape. Spray paint for this purpose available at Lowe’s or Home Depot. Then prepare beds with amended soil and once plants are installed, mulch beds with good quality local mulch not treated with dyes. Maybe this will get you started.

PS. It would be great to add a couple shade trees centered in yard to give house shade in summer.

I like it Flo! I was thinking of fescue grass, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Geraniums, Burning Heart Poppies and a small fence and the other side would be the same but with a pond and outdoor pathway lights.

Oh I forgot to say Eryngium Planums and rocks

Thanks Chloe!

You are right. I'll try to move the soon, but for now I am having cloudy days and a lot of rain in Maryland from the hurricane.

Thanks Flo Mangan! I will soon move the maple. Thank you very much for the sketch and the plant tips, liriope I already have in the maple area and below my sherry tree in the other side yard. I appreciate your help!

silver maples love water and clay soil

and silver maples can handle full sun

Geraniums are great but might not handle full sun real well. Maybe ok in Maryland.

Happy Saturday,

I updated my post and already removed the maple for the backyard. I took the opportunity to add some "before" photos of the cleaning and preparation soil for the new sod installation front yard that I am very proud to show. But I still need help with design ideas for my curb appeal.

Thank y'all!

Nice weekend everyone!

Ok. Great. Looking forward to more pictures. TIP: mark out beds now. Don’t put grass in that area. You will save yourselves a lot of work!

u could plant silver maples for they are native there and they are are water hogs so they can handle your wet soil

you could get some oaks that a native there or sugar maple red maple or silver maples which are water hogs

We don't plan on having more trees. We had 9 roots stamps that were removed and 3 trees on the garage side that needed to be removed because the roots were already invading the foundation and we already have so many trees in the backyard that we prefer a leaf-free front yard.

Fio Mangan, I will keep this area without grass for a future softscaping design, no tall trees, maybe a small to medium size.

HOWARD Martin, I will research and study silver maple and my soil is part clay, but I will adjust it for future plants where will be planted. Thanks for the tip!

And how unfortunate that guy Yardvaark choose to come to my post just to leave NOT constructive comment instead of helping me. He gives so many good tips to so many people and has so much potential.

But what's the problem with people who prefer not to be nice?!

Great new week and the start of a new refreshing month for everyone!

Mrs. Applegate, I am sorry you did not get the input you needed. And the input you did get is extremely questionable. One of the primary issues with this forum is that many of those offering advice have no experience in landscape design and not enough plant or horticultural experience to be giving out advice. Especially in parts of the country they are not familiar with.

Moving your Japanese maple now has very likley sealed its fate.....possibly the worst time of year you could have done so. btw, many cultivars of Japanese maples are able to grow in full sun, with red leaved dissectums like your Crimson Queen prime among them.

And you certainly do not want to plant a silver maple!! They are almost weed trees, get huge rapidly (50'+ and with an equal canopy spread), have a very surface oriented and aggressive root system that can interfere with driveways and sidewalks as well as any underplantings and they are weak wooded and prone to storm breakage. A really poor choice for a suburban garden regardless of location.

FWIW, you would be much better off visiting a local garden center and asking for help. Quite possibly they have a staff designer or at the very least, someone who can help you pick plants appropriate to your location and setting. The recommendations and advice you have received here are pretty much a joke.....sorry.

Garden48. What are your positive suggestions?

I liked all the nice comments tips and I appreciate everyone who took a little of they time to come here to pay attention to my post. The only comment I didn't like much was from that guy Yardvaark.

I've tried to get help from my local nursery getting a appointment for quote from their staff designer but the guy never showed up, it's not the first time they've done this and I'm so sick of it.

I already moved my maple to a better spot in the backyard and I plan in having a landscape design. But thank you very much for your opinion. #peace

plant some native trees to your territory

then may I suggest daylilies

Russian sage does great in full sun and doesn’t need a lot of water.
Pow wow coneflowers same.
Limelight’s little limes and bobo hydrangeas are full sun plants.
Junipers love sun.
Boxwoods.

silver maples can handle clay soil

talking about low maintenance flowers try daylilies