help..any suggestions ..plans...???

last year we pulled out all of our shrubs and stuff from the front of our house....we want to plant a lot a of things but im not sure where to begin i cant seem to decide on a color theme ...we are putting a koi pond in this spring..it will be to the right of the front porch..so i know its harder to help me with no pond there yet but i thought maybe I could get some ideas... i really want a lot of flowers and plants im just not sure what i should plant im open to any ideas or even if you have pictures of your own yard. ... also im trying to think of what to plant by the pond but i think i need to focus on the walk way in front of my house first...we also have a garage in the back i would like to plant some things along the side so it looks nicer...any suggestions would be great thanks! i have more closer up pictures but i am not sure how to upload more than one..if i figure out a way i will

another picture..

the garage..usually the cars and stuff dont just sit out lol

last picture i promise lol

Wow - I love having a "blank slate" to work with, & you house is so pretty! IMHO, I would add an attached pergola to the front of the 2-story facade on the left, in pic #1 to cover the walkway to the front door & add some architectural interest & shade, as well as flowering plants & vines (or roses). I think it would make your house really "pop", & give a boost to the curb appeal. Samantha

Then, I might add a similarly styled one to the edge of the porch roof over the front door. I would echo the style of the posts already on the porch. It would be "deeper" than the one in this picture, & likely need posts of its own, but I think this gives the idea. Samantha

Roxy,
You have my sympathy ! I too have a huge amount of space
that I'm trying to fill. And have been planning, editing, deleting for a
few months now - deciding what area to work on first & what can
wait. My "Master Plan" details my garden priority for the next
3 years.
When I first started to plan I went to the library and looked through
books that showed actual blooming gardens rather than blotches of
color on a garden plan. After seeing how the colors would truly
mesh I then looked at the plans to see how it was put together.

I actually had a color scheme in mind. We are having the house
painted grey instead of the red I so detested.
Red hardly goes with a broad palette of colors. The grey will
make blues, purples and even black (hollyhocks) really pop.

So decide what colors will do the same for your house.
Watch the patterns of sun & shade then select from your color
palette the flowers that will work in your lighting.

Deciding the height you want will also help you to narrow things down.
Along the driveway do you want ground cover plants or a staggering
of heights? Do you want to plant bulbs there so when the plow comes to
shovel you out it won't dig up the what's been planted?

Hope this helps you to get started.
Cris

Hey Roxy:

It definitely looks like you have a lot of room to work with!

Whatever you decide to do, I would suggest being as "sustainable" as possible. Be sure to pick out plants that are native to the area and require low maintenance. Here in Florida, the University of Florida has a pretty incredible website that helps you select plants that are well suited for the conditions. (http://floridayards.org/fyplants/index.php) I would check with any nearby Universities to see if they have any similar resources.

Our company recently posted an article on sustainable landscape design. If you are interested, I would definitely suggest taking a look at it.

http://www.stacklandscape.com/sustainability.html

-Thomas

Make sure you don't start a bunch of projects all at once or you will become overwhelmed.

If you want to start on walkway planting, do a google image serach of "walkway plantings" that will give you some ideas. I always like very neat walkways but that may not be your taste. I like daylilies, liriope or dwarf ornamental grasses lining the walk.
Do an advanced search on flower/plant company websites and plug in your info, this will show what plants are good for your zone, soil, sun/shade requirements.

Have fun!!!