Landscaping help

krennersds · April 2012

We've lived in our house for 2 years now and have just started really looking at the landscaping. In particular there is a large raised bed by the front door that we're not sure what to do with... I have a few pictures here of the house when we moved in, it's essentially the same, except two of the bushes have died. We're planning to tear those out, the two closest to the door, and leave the one closer to the garage. I'd like to fill up that bed a bit more with some easy-care perennials like lavendar and maybe leave some space near the front for some low colorful annuals. Our house faces north so the area right next to the house is part-shade, the part of that large garden bed further from the house gets full sun.

The house is on a large corner lot in a neighborhood, and our whole yard is raised above the sidewalk as you can see in the photos. I was wondering about planting some shrubs along the border of the yard, or even just by the walkway that leads to the front door. We would also really like to plant a few fruit trees, but we're not sure where. Also, there is another small stone walkway leading from the front door to the side of the yard, creating a small half moon grassy area underneath that large front window. What can I plant here? The space from the ground to the bottom of the window is only about 12". I live in Sacramento, CA which I believe is USDA zone 8 or 9 and Sunset zone 14.

Thanks for any help!

**I tried to PIP but my browser is not letting me. Sorry! Here is a link...

http://s1052.photobucket.com/albums/s459/Krennersds/

~NB~ · April 2012

krennersds:

... there is a large raised bed by the front door that we're not sure what to do with... two of the bushes have died. We're planning to tear those out, the two closest to the door, and leave the one closer to the garage.

I'd like to fill up that bed a bit more with some easy-care perennials like lavendar and maybe leave some space near the front for some low colorful annuals. Our house faces north so the area right next to the house is part-shade, the part of that large garden bed further from the house gets full sun.

The house is on a large corner lot in a neighborhood, and our whole yard is raised above the sidewalk as you can see in the photos. I was wondering about planting some shrubs along the border of the yard, or even just by the walkway that leads to the front door.

We would also really like to plant a few fruit trees, but we're not sure where. Also, there is another small stone walkway leading from the front door to the side of the yard, creating a small half moon grassy area underneath that large front window. What can I plant here? The space from the ground to the bottom of the window is only about 12". I live in Sacramento, CA which I believe is USDA zone 8 or 9 and Sunset zone 14.

Thanks for any help!

**I tried to PIP but my browser is not letting me. Sorry! Here is a link...

http://s1052.photobucket.com/albums/s459/Krennersds/

The existing shrub bed adds nothing to your house. The entry walkway looks very narrow (like 3'?) and originates too far forward on the driveway. I'd redesign the ENTIRE area and create an expansive courtyard to transition from the driveway to the front door.

Don't EVER outline you sidewalk or your house with flowers or shrubs.

You're absolutely right that you need more trees and shrubs. You have a lovely house on a corner lot- it doesn't get much better than that. There is so much potential here, I would be jumping out of my skin with excitement to redesign it.

WendyGR · April 2012

"Don't EVER outline you sidewalk or your house with flowers or shrubs."

I'm curious, why not?

krennersds · April 2012

~NB~:
The existing shrub bed adds nothing to your house. The entry walkway looks very narrow (like 3'?) and originates to far forward on the driveway. I'd redesign the ENTIRE area and create an expansive courtyard to transition from the driveway to the front door.
Don't EVER outline you sidewalk or your house with flowers or shrubs.

You're absolutely right that you need more trees and shrubs. You have a lovely house on a corner lot- it doesn't get much better than that. There is so much potential here, I would be jumping out of my skin with excitement to redesign it.

Yes that's about how wide the entry walkway is. Our front porch is also so tiny it's pretty much not usable. Can you show me an example of what you mean by a courtyard?

Thanks for the tips.

FoxinFiji · April 2012

You have a lot of questions and a lot of options if you're willing to redesign these beds and add new ones. I would hire a landscape designer to work up a set of plans for your yard. They will help you with bed design and plant selection and you save money by doing the work yourself and taking as much time as you want to complete it. Give them ideas of what you want (ie. drought resistant, low maintenance, color combos, etc.) and they will cater the plant selection to what you want. Your house has so much potential!

~NB~ · April 2012

WendyGR:

"Don't EVER outline you sidewalk or your house with flowers or shrubs."

I'm curious, why not?

Many reasons. First, it is not creative. Outlining all the existing hardscape features without any regard to whether those features themselves even need to be redesigned is the mark of someone without any ideas. Second, it follows NO design principle. It is anti-design principle. Good design considers the entire property as one canvas and doesn't cut thin ribbons of planting beds through it to highlight a (badly designed) sidewalk or driveway.

It emphasizes the sidewalk, which in this case it is too narrow. It also is a reflective, heat conductive, impervious surface, meaning weeds are much more likely to grow in borders alongside it. It's not a strategy that supports desirable plants in the long term; which belong in spacious, sweeping, mixed beds, containing trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants together.