OMG! Need YOUR Help! New 2 all of this!

Wow where do i start! My front yard needs some landscaping. Nothing extravagant just something simple and pretty! I live in a small town and have yet to find a landscape designer w/out having to get someone 45 miles away and that just cost me extra. We have a nursery here in town that will come and plant whatever design I want I just dont know what type of design! I'm not very creative! If you'll look at the pic of my front yard maybe some ideas will spark, will you share them!! I want something low maintenance and fairly inexpensive and fast growing, is that possible?!

Can you give more information?

What direction is your house facing?

Where do you live? Zone?

How much rainfall does your place get?

What type of soil do you have? (Sandy, clay, loamy?)

What type of lawn grass do you have right now?

I think you could do a nice corner bed at the corner on the left in the picture. Maybe raise it by some pave stones, maybe do a small split-rail fence to define the corner or some other low fencing and plant a really eye-catching shrub there--something like a Contorted Hazelnut shrub. They are not cheap, but HD usually has a few for sale here. They are sold in large tubs and run about $70. Then you could plant some bulbs and maybe some Creeping Flox to spill over the wall.

You can utilize that old tree stump for several years by putting a BIG planter on it and fill it with seasonal flowers. Make sure you add something trailing around the edges--like ornamental Sweet Potato Vine or Million Bells or some Wave Petunias. Creeping Ficus would also look good, and it is perennial.

Anyway, that's what came to my mind.

Gita

How house is facing west. I live in Oklahoma. Not sure what "zone"! Rainfall well if you ask people around here we havent had enough but when we do get it our front yard up by the brick floods and that area is mostly shady. The rest of the yard is in sun. How do i know what type of soil I have? Same as grass? Right now i barely have any grass! It's patchy in areas right now... Does that help ?

try this site http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html Patti

HOw do i put a big planter on the tree stump? When you say planter you mean ?? And as far as trailing around the edges I would just put them around the tree stump in a circle, right?

jyn
I would start by having the stump removed by a stump grinder. I had a couple of stumps removed and the cost was about $75.00 each. Oklahoma zones are either six or seven depending whether you are in the upper or lower part. If your house faces west be careful what you plant in the yard. As you probably know afternoon sun in Oklahoma during the summer gets rather warm. Bermuda would be a good choice for grass. It thrives with heat and a little water. The other members have offered some good suggestions.

i would use the stump as a base for a statue or some kind of focal point and the wrap a garden around the stump!
maybe some stepping stones up to it!
to the right of the sidewalk next to the house-i would do a shade garden-hostas, coral bells and more!
Watch the sun where it hits on your yard(the moon to as it is closer to where the summer sun will be)
That big tree on the corner of the yard is going to make some shade too!

My first thought is break the area up into sections. Take it slow, it will probably take you 4 or 5 years to complete. Do the basics, test your soil, what sun exposure do you have. It can be intimidating, but after you begin, you'll catch on quickly. Good luck!

jyn23---What have you decided to do?

The comment above about planting around the edges would be in a large planter pot on your tree stump if you can balance one there. The vines hang down around the edges of the pot and look very nice. You can plant taller things in the pot, like grasses, geraniums, many others.

Just a note: You can get a large clay pot or the plastic imitation ones without spending a fortune. Put packing peanuts in the bottom half if you are planting annuals (they don't put down deep roots) and then put in your good soil, but do that after the pot is in place to avoid moving something really heavy. Planting in pots is a good idea for getting started. You place them in a row or in a group or here and there---you'll be surprised at the impact they have. That way you've not invested as much effort and money and you can see what will grow well in your area. Then next year add more of those things.

This message was edited Mar 24, 2007 10:45 PM

Thank you EVERYONE for all your responses. I will definetly keep you posted with what we decide to do! We are waiting to get our roof re-roofed before I start the landscaping!

Check out LarissaH's questions. Certain plants work in certain zones. I'm kind of new to this (last 4 years) and one thing to consider is how much sun you get & from what direction it comes. Bear in mind that it changes slightly from winter to summer. I love the Landscaping 1-2-3 book from Home Depot. Also, just ask friends & neighbors, talk to co-workers. It looks like something of interest in the center would be nice - but not too big. Japanese maple? Sweet broom? It's always a learning process - have fun!