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WWYD re: landscaping (LONGer than I intended)
Originally I had planned on completely re-doing the landscaping around our house this spring.
When we originally saw the house last summer (never saw it in the springtime) it was completely overgrown, and last fall when we moved in we tore out the existing growth, scraping it down thru the first layer of dirt, leaving (we thought) only one bush that was pretty, but completely overgrown, so we cut it all the way down so it could start over.
Now that it's springtime, we're actually getting some bulb plants coming up that, so far, aren't bad. Mostly daffodils (one of my favorites), but some new ones are starting to poke thru as well that we're not quite sure what they are yet.
Other than one small area of our front landscaping, I really hadn't thought of any plans yet (I'm not so good at the picking plant thing. Or the green thumb thing). And what I want to put there (coral bells) will take at least a year to take root & thrive anyway. At least they did at our old house.
So, now I'm thinking maybe I should just not do much of anything this year? Maybe just try to keep it weeded and see what comes up? See what I have to work with and all, now that the extra growth has been removed?
I hate the idea of waiting another year to "pretty up" the outside of our house. I mean, we've made some vast improvements from what it was, but it's still very... icky. Just icky w/ a few daffodils now.
FYI - it's 400 ft off the road. So basically it just annoys me, and I'd probably be a bit embarrassed when guests came over, even though they'd know we we'd renovated / were renovating. Basically, no neighbors being upset re: the view.
Sorry for the long rambling. I'm just trying to think it thru. I'm not very knowledgeable in this area, so I guess I'm hoping for some outside input.
Thoughts? Opinions? WWYD? Wait it out, right? As much as I don't like the idea, that's the smart thing... right?...
Re: WWYD re: landscaping (LONGer than I intended)
You dont necessarily have to wait to see what comes up...everything should be sprouted by June. It's ok to take your time to decide what you want planted too.
We have gradually added plants over the years, and will continue to do so. You could ask this on the gardening board too if you are looking to get more specifics. GL, and have fun!
Having inherited some pretty intense landscaping with the house I bought, I'd say wait it out a year and see what comes up. This will give you a chance to see how much sun you're getting and where at different times of the year - as well as really look at it and think about your options. WIth things trimmed down, you may find yourself wanting to complement what comes up more than replace it all. I'll admit that I got a bit gung-ho with my house at first and ended up ripping up and moving things several times in the first 2-3 years - not to mention blatantly killing a few things.
You don't necessarily have to deal with full fug-ness for the year. You can tidy it up and put mulch down. Consider buying some potted flowers to pretty things up. I created a few daffodil planters when I dug up bulbs that were not where I wanted them. So now when Spring comes, I grab the planters out of the back of the yard, put them by the front until they bloom and die for the season, then put them out back by the mulch heap again.
You could also take the time to take the free workshops that are abundant this time of year at Home Depot, Marvins Organics & the like which will help you pick out plants and design something pretty for when you're ready to do it.
I'm all for waiting to see what comes up and go from there. You may end up with a lot of really nice plants/flowers and if not at least you can see what you are dealing with.
Otherwise, for me, I would hate to know that I dug all that stuff out and maybe didn't need to. GL!
We're in pretty much the same boat (bought our house last june), and I'm taking a wait-and-see approach. So far the crocuses were a pleasant surprise--but only lasted a few days before the bunnies (or something!) ate most of the blooms. We have more plants emerging, but I haven't figured out what they are yet.
We plan to be in this house for a long time, so we figure an extra year of planning landscaping isn't a big deal. We've got enough inside-the-house projects to worry about still!
The Fluffy Cat says... "Boxes are the best toys ever invented!"
If you can fit it into your budget, I would highly recommend hiring a professional.
When we bought our house, it had been previously owned by a landscaper who enjoyed that stuff. As a result, there was a ton o stuff planted and it was very labor intensive. A few years ago, we decided that it was much more work that we wanted to do so we had Sharon Nursery come out and do a redesign for us. They removed a ton of bushes (including the ones with thorns) and put in much less than was there before. Everything we have now requires very little maintenance on our part. We just have to trim and mulch every other year. I think the final cost for us was around $2k but it was worth every penny.