#4 Thank you. We sit on the swing often. For the first 20 years of the swings life it hung in our gameroom. Got a big screen tv and it had to go outside. That used to be a flowerbed under it and we also had rock fill it in.
What does your front yard look like?
#5 swing
#6 The small foliage plants are basil. There are 6 hydrangea in the big bed but the weather has not been kind. I am seriously considering putting them in pots and moving to the back yard. Maybe today.
#7 this is looking out from the front....not a good picture at all. Shows the rain-chain. Had to put small gravel under it as it was digging a hole. For about 20 years we had a rail and decor like a 40's style house. Just took it down this spring as it was beginning to rot. In past years have had impatiens and begonia but summer of 2006 was extremely hot and dry and even constant watering could not keep them going. This spring switched EE because it is in full shade. Find that EE take almost no care and multiply every year.
#8 Very original when we installed the door and put the Texas star (s) at the front. See them alot now. I am one of those that doesn't want anything to look like someone else.
March to my own drummer all the time. It is too expensive to change a front door to avoid duplication. Actually a lady two blocks over has a double front door and she put two up just like mine. She even asked it she could copy. I would not say no because that is her choice. Supposed to be the highest compliment if someone copies. I love her a lot so guess it is ok.
lou...i have never seen a door like yours....i find it quite original and nicely done....:)
Lou, I know what you mean about the Texas door! I've seen simple to comlicated versions of them at the store and on homes---thats originally a door I had wanted to....but for that "forever home" someday but have since changed my mind. I'm exactly like you---I hate to have the exact same thing as someone else and that extends to vehicles, home decor, etc. Something in the landscape however doesn't usually bother me to have something "similar."
Tir, did the pictures answer your DH's questions? I think maybe I'm getting the hang of posting pictures on this nutty machine, so if he needs more pictures...
silver---you did awesome posting pics!!! they all help immensely! thank-you.
Good luck with your building.:)
Oh I won't be "building" anything for awhile...just scoping ideas for landscaping but hopefully the DGer who wants to mimic your trellis will post their finished masterpiece for us!
Oh I'm sorry, I thought it was you. Well, I wonder who that was? I guess they'll show up.
It was cocoa_lulu.
Hi Silver. Sorry to leave you hanging. We have been building the last three days. I'm worn out, slept 11 hours last night. We are copying your trellis, our arbor is half way completed, no going back now. Your arbor sure is pretty though, maybe next year I'll add some more supports. Right now I just hope to finish what we have started. I'm going to post pics when completed, at this moment it's just a huge mess.
Awesome! I can't wait to see it! :)
I'm looking forward to pictures.:)
TNN, here is an update. On labor day, I removed four fifteen year established red tipped photinia (never looked nice due to black spot). I planted five pink knockouts in the back and then one Bill Warriner, one pink flower carpet rose, on Belinda's dream, and one mystery miniature (my guess is 'scensational').
See pics
looking at the pics, I'm not liking the raggedy liriope/mondo grass stuff in the front. Might have to replace that next.
other view
Collin, I LOVE the pink tones in your brick! My last house I'd describe the brick as almost a mutli-toned salmon color---it was so pretty! LOVE the KO's! I had no idea red tipped photenias got bs!!!! How DO I trim bushes anyhow---dh noticed me trimming just the light green new growth on my lollipops shrubs (sorry still no close up pics) and wondered how long you can do that. I am hoping to put in some double knock outs myself. I've been thinking long and hard about the suggestions to change the shape of the landscape beds---they are rather deep for me to be climbing in for regular trimming of the rosebushes---I'd say they must be like 5-6 feet deep. And I could broaden the area for the doorway. We are thinking to expand the driveway midway towards the backyard/garage so it will become a double drive then and it would be a good time to have someone pour a new sidewalk going towards the drive. We'd just do the prep work (remove old sidewalk). I think you have the right idea to remove that grass in front of the roses. Roses are a great stand-alone beauty.
Thanks TNN. I looked everywhere for the new double pink knockouts. The only place somewhat close that will get them in soon is Chamblee's in Tyler. I couldn't wait until Spring (thats when they get them in). I found a home depot landscape store with Blush, red, double, pink, and rainbow. I already had double red and pink and thought about trying the blush, but didn't really like how they faded to almost white, so I ended up buying more pink knockouts. Didn't like the look of the rainbow KOs much at all.
Oh, as far as trimming the lollipops. The only way to do it easily is with a powered hedge trimmer and a ladder for the tall stuff. I tried using the old fashioned manual hedge clippers, but that takes all day. There is a new device that is much easier and safer than the old style hedge trimmers, it's relatively light weight hand held hedge mower with vacuum collection bag. see links
http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Groom-Collecting-Trimmer-GG11M/dp/B000FO6HAS
http://www.composters.com/garden-products/garden-groom-midi-hedge-trimmer_205_7.php
http://www.composters.com/garden-products/garden-groom-pro-hedge-trimmer_116_7.php
Photinia gets terrible fungal diseases, especially if you keep them trimmed. Photinia is incorrectly misplanted all over Dallas. It wants to grow to twenty feet, but home builders plant it under five foot windows all the time, I guess because it fills in so quickly.
We worked up in Dallas some and in the older posh neighborhoods with expansive yards they'd have the phoetina's bordering the properties that was like 10-15' high! It was massive but very elegant in that instance.
I trim with hand clippers but I only have the 2 lollipops. Wondering how far to trim the ball back when you do it though---I'd just been cutting only new growth but then the woody stems are thicker every time you know....
Photinia does much better as it grows taller. You're right, it looks nice as a property border when allowed to grow 15-20 feet tall.
I've always liked the Chinese Photinia better than the Red.
I don't have the energy to read the entire thread, but here are my ideas. If they are the repeat of someone else's, so sorry!
1. Don't "rip" out the sidewalk. Instead, find some brick that looks like the house's and just line the edges with the brick, which will make it wider and look more formal, but still charming.
2. Then, line the walk with bushes...probably boxwoods or something that can be trimmed square.
3. Plant 2 or 3 types of bushes against the house in groups of 3 or 5...or long rows of the same thing with a lower, different bush in front. Probably pittosphorums, as they stay low and compact and look rather formal and almost Asian...I LOVE them! For another, plant red tips (can't remember the correct name) if you want height in a hurry!
4. DON'T cut the magnolia!! They are the perfect tree for a formal-looking house! And think of the beautiful leaves you can "harvest" during the holiday season for decoration, not to mention the blooms in season!!
5. Make your beds VERY wide. You will have room for layers of plantings eventually.
6. Plant lots of caladiums, etc. on the outer edges of the beds during the correct seasons. Your type of house calls for lots of greenery but not really flowers in the front, unless you have dense banks of the same thing. Formal....
Good luck and show us what ya do when it happens!!!
Connie, that is pure genius. Your suggested brick amendment to the walk up would have really nice impact, and an easy diy. Looking at the pictures, all the brick on the house and pavers are horizontal. Would you line the path with vertical or horizontally lined brick. I'd probably go with one strip of horizontally orientated bricks on both sides of the existing path. Going horizontal makes it wider also. I also thought of double vertically aligned bricks in a stepped running bond pattern (might look too 'busy')
My home is red brick with hunter green trim. I'm going to paint the trim to a lighter color, like a beige, tan or off white, just because the sun has really faded the dark green so much.
But, I really like the green. What would you do-green, or some lighter color?
I'm going to re-do the bed in front of the windows next spring. Boxwoods and Begonias, maybe. I like the rosesAlso plan to plant a Shumard Oak tree, and maybe a Texas Ash tree. The grass was in bad shape when we first moved here, and had to be dug up and re-seeded in places.
Collin,
Yes, I was speaking of (well, not very clearly! :-) running the bricks horizontally..and yes, one brick wide would do it.
So the path--from the street--would run to the door and the bricks would run the opposite direction....it's a common way to do a front walk, I think. Wish I could find a pic of that application.
Okay, Sugarplum...I've got a suggestion for ya. Both my ex AND father were homebuilders, so here's what I usually trimmed that color brick with: a grayish taupe. It will go well with the roof color also. I absolutely LOVE red brick with gray trim: very classy-looking! THEN you might paint the shutters a very deep maroon OR green if you want some color...or just the front door a dark red? Or the same color you now have all the trim done in if you would "miss" that color.
Another thing I would do....take your front bed and extend it ALL THE WAY to that tree, making curvilinear lines, and plant with some type of groundcover--like Asiatic jasmine? A small-ish house looks BIGGER when you enlarge the planting areas. It "fools the eye" because people follow the planting areas and don't concentrate on the house's lines alone.
Your home is very neat...and the color looks fine to me, but then puters change colors at times.
I would also plant jasmine ( the climbing type) at the base of your mailbox. Looks charming and makes the postman's route much more pleasant! :-)
Just got back from a trip to Crowellli's stately garden/home and oh my gosh!!! DIVINE! I have to implement some of her beds with the generous cuttings she gave me. It, as always, will be a long work in progress. I think I'm on the right track now.
This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 1:53 PM
Tir-Na-Nog, Did you take pictures of this wonderful home? Can you share? I am ALWAYS up for looking at beautiful gardens and homes!
Pat
No I didn't but they would be crow's to share if they wanted to. :)
I'm assuming from you message that "crow" is a member here?
Thanks Connie_W for the suggestions. That grayish-taupe color does seem like it would go well with the mortar and roof color. I hadn't even thought of that color. Can't wait to go look at paint samples. I have some pink jasmine in a pot w/stakes that I am planning on putting in the ground. Maybe it would look nice around the mailbox. Hmmm...
Tir_Na_Nog,
just curious, what's the square footage of your home? It's beautiful!
Just over 2,400'. Thank-you for the compliments. :) Good luck with your projects to---my list keeps growing and growing and.........
Everyone has such beautiful homes. I live on 18 acres with a double wide. We are getting new windows installed and new steel siding put on. When the contractors gets done then I will post a picture of the before and after. I have flowers everywhere. They are placed where I can view them from the patio or my bedroom window.
I do enjoy looking at all your pictures of your homes. So keep them coming.
Linda
Linda,
I know---that was the whole hope of this thread---I love looking at homes and how others have landscaped but instead I've managed to ramble on what improvements I plan to make to my place LOL. New windows---that sounds wonderful! We plan to have that done in spring 2009 if not sooner. 18 acres that sounds like a lot of garden to keep up with! Look forward to some pics of your yard!
P2. Go to Landscape.com. Crowelli has posted several pictures. She is a very active member of DG. Lot of members tend to stay "close to home". Myself, I browse everywhere......just nosey I guess.