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valorie_falorie

landscaping ideas

last year

Hi there, this is my front yard. Recently I bought some knock out roses and added them. It still looks empty and looks like I need to add more plants. Just can’t think what more to add. I think I need to cut that lilac tree which just blocks the look of the house.

Before adding more plants, just wanted some ideas. Any suggestions for online landscapers. Thank you!

Comments (9)

  • last year

    My first step would indeed be to move the Lilac off to one side and stop chopping it into an umbrella. It blocks the feature bay window and throws the garden off balance. That's the landscaping bit. The rest is just planting. It is already not bad. It's fairly well balanced without being too regimented but you could move one or two of the clipped box to the left to balance the bed against the house. If that is a Hydrangea on the left by the window you need to imagine it at its ultimate size. Either put it elsewhere or duplicate it on the right so you have two flanking the bay. You could put in some annuals until the shrubs and perennials fill out.

  • PRO
    last year

    Some option to add some shrubs.


  • last year

    Thank you!

  • last year

    Lilacs are pretty tough. If you think it's too big there, you can move it. I think you just need more plants in your bed. What are the low-growing plants? What's your color scheme?


    One of the things I love about this picture below is that it's a relatively simple scheme that is lush and varied. It has dark purple salvia, some chartreuse lady's mantle and a lavender plant that could be lavender or could be another salvia. It has the 3 different shades in the pink/purple family and a contrasting lime green. Equally, it has different shapes, the classic rose, the spiky salvia and the bushy lady's mantle.


    You can adjust it to any color scheme. If you liked it, you could add salvia to your planting, they come in white, pink, purple. You could have two shades of pink salvia and silver artemisia for your contrast. You could have a yellow/red scheme, using some peach salvia, with a small yellow flower, maybe coreopsis, and maybe a jolt of very dark iris.


    Not knowing what else you have and liking the red to yellow scheme, I'd add some peach and red salvia, some pale yellow coreopsis, and maybe a nearly black flower.


    Once you have your color scheme, you can use it for things like early spring bulbs. Yellow daffodils, peach and red tulips and orange crocus. Or, if you are doing pink/purple/red, then white crocus, pink tulips, and some grape hyacinth.


    Garden Design · More Info


  • last year

    Thank you for the idea. I need to have a color scheme. Now I wish I did not buy red roses :). Have to buy something lighter to compliment it. Offcourse get rid of lilac.

  • last year

    The lilac would look good moved to off the right corner of the house.

    Where are you? If those are original Knock Outs, they'll get big. In my other garden, in zone 6, we try to keep them at about 4 ft, and I think they are planted on 5 ft centers. Those are too close to the walk, and too close to each other.

  • last year

    Thank you! But these knock outs are small. It’ll be good if they go wider as there is space between them. It faces north so partial sunlight -!: plants take time to grow there

  • last year

    You must be getting good sun there or the lilac wouldn't bloom like that. So I'm not worried about sunlight.

    Most plants are sold as children. They aren't fully grown, and often aren't even close. They have to be planted with room to grow.

    Of course, if you are in a cold place, none of this matters since they won't survive the winter anyway.

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    To find a color scheme you like, look at Houzz landscaping photos and save the ones that speak to you, focusing on color and shape. Red roses are classic. It's a great start.