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aspiringdiyer

Any Landscaping Ideas?

aspiringdiyer
2 years ago

Hi all,

Looking to boost curb appeal with some landscaping but I’m not sure where to start. Anyone have any suggestions?

Comments (10)

  • Yvonne Martin
    2 years ago

    Remove those sculpted bushes. Then hire a landscape architect to design plans for you. The plan should include the whole front yard including a sidewalk to the entrance from the sidewalk along the street. Emphasize native plants, consider the amound of upkeep needed, think about winter interest... I see a Japanese maple in the front of the house, plant another one out further from the house. For such a large house you need more mass of landscaping.

  • littlebug zone 5 Missouri
    2 years ago

    Yvonne gives great advice. Be sure not to miss #1: Remove those pruned-to-within-an-inch-of-their-lives evergreens.

  • mindshift
    2 years ago

    My guess is someone thought shrubs would require the least amount of labor. Unfortunately, no one seems to have paid attention to the tags on the shrubs that gave their ultimate height and width. The shrubs against the garage are not evenly spaced around the windows. And, the shrubs next to the sidewalk were probably expected to stay small?! I would remove them altogether and replace them with truly small shrubs that provide more interest, perhaps Barberry 'Crimson Pygmy' or Euonymus 'Emerald & Gold'. Perennials are less likely to crowd the sidewalk and don't usually require attention until at least three years after planting. I would, however, add a generous amount of compost to the bed for perennials. This ARTICLE gives a good list of perennials. You can plant early blooming bulbs like tulips or daffodils between perennials that go dormant. The bulbs will bloom early and the perennials' foliage will then cover fading bulb foliage. Fill in around new plants (shrubs or perennials) with annuals the first several years.

  • arcy_gw
    2 years ago

    Without a location seeking the advise of a local landscaper is your best bet. I agree with the idea of a gently curved walk from the sidewalk to the front door, perhaps a lamp on the way. Perhaps the walkway to the garage could be camouflaged by a planting bedding between it and the street. I am thinking whoever planted the arborvitae flanking the garage windows wanted them to reach their full height and appear more column like. If the other evergreens were allowed to form a natural growth pattern only 1/4 of them would be needed. Mass shrub plantings are no longer vogue. A mixture of grasses and perennial with maybe one shrub is more to today's liking.

  • nickel_kg
    2 years ago

    I agee with all the above, just want to add: if the current front walk works for you, keep it -- but it's acting like a visual collar keeping your landscaping jammed up against the house. It would look more welcoming and generous to add a curved planting bed outside the walk, from about 12 feet down the driveway to about halfway along the garage. Fill this bed with low, billowy plants (amsonia?) and spring-flowering bulbs, and possibly one small tree (crab apple? crepe myrtle? dogwood?) for an accent.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    2 years ago

    Hire an experienced and qualified landscape designer. Receiving random design suggestions online from those who may or may not have any idea what they are talking about is not going to get you satisfactory results.

    "Mass shrub plantings are no longer vogue. A mixture of grasses and perennial with maybe one shrub is more to today's liking."

    I think you will find a great many professional designers in various locations that would disagree with you.. Structural plants - trees and shrubs - will always be the basis for any well-conceived landscape plan unless one wants empty, bare ground for 6 months of the year. When properly selected, they require far less maintenance than most perennials or grasses, which are typically used as accents, not the foundation of the design.

  • PRO
    Patricia Colwell Consulting
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    I like nice foundtion plantings with that style house and for sure all those shrubs need to be gone.I would start with a walkway from the street to the front door always a nice feeling of welcome and a great place for plantings along the walkway. The second photo is an easier maintenance plan but IMO the more colorful one is better . As for what to plant you need to visit your local garden center to see what grows in your area. I wuld also advise you remove the shutters from all the double wide windows



  • PRO
    Norwood Architects
    2 years ago

    A landscape architect is going to give you the best advice and direction for your landscaping.

  • PRO
    Dig Doug's Designs
    2 years ago

    Here are some ideas:



  • aspiringdiyer
    Original Author
    2 years ago

    Wow Doug. That looks great! Any idea what something like that would cost?