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Pls help-Bought new home-new to gardening-PIP
DH and I just bought a new home. There's an area near the front steps that wraps around the back of the house that is laid out for some landscaping (see pictures). The previous homeowner didn't seem to take care of this area.
It looks like some of the soil has gone missing over the years, so I know I'll need to replace that. I don't know what it's called, but there's that black tarp stuff for weeds that is there but it's all ripped up and shredded. Bushes are 1/2 alive if alive at all. I was thinking of literally ripping everything out and starting from scratch. New soil, new weed tarp stuff, new plants, and probably mulch.
I would like to put something in this area that's fairly easy to maintain. I'm thinking perennials so I don't have to replant every year - but then I like the idea of annuals because I know they tend to stay in bloom longer. And maybe some other bushes? We get really good morning sun in this area. These pictures were taken at about 7AM if that helps.
Is my idea of what I want to replace this area with realistic? What kind of plants should I put here? Any advice/help is appreciated - like I said, I'm very new to this - and I don't know much about gardening at all.
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll80/lily2521/Garden3.jpg
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll80/lily2521/Garden2.jpg
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll80/lily2521/Garden.jpg
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll80/lily2521/Garden1.jpg
Re: Pls help-Bought new home-new to gardening-PIP
That area is so pathetically small, I'd expand it. I'd landscape the whole hump thing. I would start by finishing that stoop- I can't see the whole thing, but there's no edge cap or handrail on what I can see- I'd fix that first. You need to improve the entryway; what you have now is unfinished cement steps.
I'm curious why they mounded the soil up so high that way? I'd build a retaining wall at the bottom of that berm, and tear into it, removing all the black plastic remnants and adding soil amendments. I'd plant some shade tolerant evergreens. I'd make the bed come out from the corner of the house as much as I could afford to (based on price of materials needed) and plant a taller, bigger accent plant there to provide some visual screening for the backyard.
Wish I could see more, it looks pretty barren at the foundation. Good luck.
I'd love to expand the area, but we're in an association type development, so I don't know if it will be possible.
I haven't thought of roses - like you mentioned, I always assumed they were hard and a lot of work. I'd love to do roses if I could. Are there a certain kind of roses you would recommend?
Beds should be sized to your house. Since we can't see your house in the photos, I'd say that size bed belongs only to a small single story house. If the house is two stories, it should have deeper beds.
Yes, absolutely rip everything out and start over. There appears to be a small tree by the steps, I'd keep that and the couple hostas by the trellis. (And by keep, I mean transplant to somewhere more appropriate.)
You don't need landscape fabric. It doesn't actually work - weeds just grow on top of it. It does horrible things to the soil underneath.
I'd replace the rock with mulch. You don't actually want to use rock for mulch - it heats up and traps the heat, cooking your plants' roots.
What you truly need is shrubs. There's no backbone to your garden, just some weedy looking perennials right now. Evergreen shrubs are the foundation to a good garden, they're the backdrop. Perennials and annuals are like fun eyeshadow after you've put on your concealer and foundation, KWIM?
Go to the library and check out a bunch of books to start learning. Gardening's not hard, but it does require education.
Oh, and for roses, you must have full sun (they do not like any shade). Knock Out roses (that's a name brand) are the kind to get - they need zero attention, just plant and ignore.
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Thinking of doing cosmetic updates to a dated home? These were our costs.
I agree about some evergreens. It looks like there is already an evergreen right next to the bottom of the steps but that there is something else trying to overtake it. I'd pull out all of those bare stems to see what kind of shape that evergreen is.
Your hostas look to be doing well, so you might want to consider adding a few more of those. They add nice greenery all season and some kind of neat blooms. You could get a couple other varieties of hostas to add interest. I'd also definitely work with that trellis - a pretty flowering vine growing up that trellis would be pretty!
Do you have any good garden centers in your area (not big box stores)? The staff their can be incredibly helpful in selecting the right plants for your zone, soil type, and amount of sun.