Brand new house..yard is a blank palette

Hello, this is my first tiem here,Any advise, or do's and don'ts for a brand new yard. I am the type to not plan ahead very well, and just jump in. I have prepared (amended the clay) in flower beds, seeded the lawn last fall, and am now looking to buy plants ( lots of garden gift certificates from santa this year). My problem is i like everything!! Kind of partial to ornamental grasses right now, and have a very large shadey area for hostas and..... something else that likes shade? Planted one lonely tree this fall . A harry lauder walking stick, i was heart broken to leave my 20+ year old one when we moved.

I know you said you don't plan ahead, but in the long run your garden will look better if you do plan things out a bit! Otherwise it'll end up a big jumble of things that may or may not look good together, or you'll end up with 40 ft tall trees planted 3 feet from each other, etc. The good news is you can't plant anything now anyway in your zone, so you've got a few months to spend some time planning! I'd figure out first what you want for your trees and larger shrubs, those will form the backbone of your garden. Then when it come to filling in with annuals and perennials, the best thing you can do is plant in groups rather than just one of a kind. What I like to do is draw things out on graph paper--I look up the full grown width of the trees/shrubs and make sure I plant them far enough apart that they won't collide with each other, then you can fill in around them with annuals and perennials. It's also good to pay attention to flower colors and make sure that the colors in each section of the garden go together. I like to do sections of garden that have primarily plants of one color, but then add some accent plants in a contrasting color (purple in a bed of mostly orange/yellow for example).

Hi Nyghtspryte, the planning bit from Ecrane is a must, there is nothing more sole destroying than spending a lot of money on plants, trees or shrubs and in 4 years time, realising you have to dig em up and move them, knowing some will not survive the move. you might even have to move something else just to replant a shrub and make room.
I would suggest you go outside and take pictures of your bare yard, enlarge this pic, and lay some tracing paper over it, then start to draw shapes, features and beds/borders, curve the beds/borders etc till you are happy with the plan, remember to add things like walkways, service areas, window and doors, car-parking etc, so you can make plants to sort of scale, do you need to hide something from view like an oil tank or next door neighbours old hut, this info will give you what Ecrane was talking about when she mentioned structure as you can include trees, tall shrubs etc to hide, enhance or shade an area. Once you have done a rough plan on paper, you can then go outside, take a long garden hosepipe and lay this along the ground, bend it or straighten it into the shapes you require for beds/borders etc, then go back indoors to look outside at the shape as you will maybe be looking out onto your garden and maybe not want the borders too close to a window, or under some household structure, you just keep adjusting this hosepipe till you are happy, when OK, mark the shape with sand trickling from a juice carton or cut the shape out with your edging tool to cut the line, then dig out the bed/border and get the soil ready for your plant list. add lots of animal manure or compost so the soil gets enriched for the plants arrival.
Until you reach this stage over the winter months, I would suggest you go to your library or book store for some books on landscaping, plants in coloured pictures and mature borders as you will start of with very small plants not realising that in a few years time, they will be full matured and maybe need dug up and thinned out, trees are another thing you need to reed up on, you need to know the full mature height and spread of the type of tree you plan as they can stay quite neat for several years, before they get a good growth period as when young, they are trying to lay down roots rather than growing up and out, other things you will want to know is, shrub borders are far easier to care for than flower borders, but a mixture of both will give you colour all year round if you choose wisely and save yourself cash and energy in the long run. As you can see, it ain't just a case of going out, buying a plant and then a garden appears, a planned garden is there for life, a hole in the soil and a few plants need worked till you are happy, so learn to be patient, learn now in winter what plants you like from pictures and around your local neighbourhood gardens and well prepared soil will reward you and your plants a hundred fold. good luck and happy gardening. WeeNel.

Hi Nyghtspryte,
The one suggestion I would offer is don't expect to have a complete garden in one season. It's great to start with a clean slate, but unless you have a lot of disposable income and lots of time, putting together a garden is an ongoing project. Much of it is trial and error, but that's kinda the fun of it -- always adding or moving plants. So don't get discouraged if your first attempts are less than spectacular . It's gonna take a while. Most importantly, just have fun.
Sharon
P.S. I too really like ornamental grasses. However, most seem to require full sun. I made that mistake the first year I planted Miscanthus Maiden Grass. I ended up moving them the following year to a sunnier location, and they're going great.

Hi Nyghtspryte,
I also had a completely empty yard, almost an acre of it, when I moved into my home almost 2 years ago.

If you want instant color, then go ahead and put annuals in for this season or you can also do a container garden, but if you want long-term growth, it needs a lot of planning.

I've spent hundreds of hours doing research because I have nasty clay dirt, full sun & high heat, and I want season-long blooms; the colors part was the easiest! lolol I'm doing all cool colors.

My biggest challenge has been my front border which is 160' long x 4-5' wide. Every time I think I've settled on what I want out there, I change my mind a couple of months later. At this point in time, I think I've decided to do a mix of purple & pink perennials, some groundcover, some mounding verbena, and a couple of different ornamental grasses - all mixed throughout on black mulch. But the way I've been going, that could change again. lol

I'm actually glad I didn't get it done with the first plan I had, tho. ;)

A beginner to this sight: Starting a farm market in Spring. We have a day service program for the MRDD population, and think they could really benefit from the garden experience. Could use any info on plant starting, to everlastings good for them to make crafts, and popouri. Or good ideas for a farm market (simple) projects. Downsize

Hi Downsize, you might want to start a new thread with your question since it's not the same thing that Nyghtspryte was asking about. More people will see your question if it has its own thread, plus it'll get confusing here if people are trying to answer two different questions in the same thread.

Hi downsize, do start a new thread as you will be surprised the folks who will be able to give you full info rather than a fast response, you sound like you are full of great enthusiasm and be a shame to feel we dont want to help you, but to start of, give your soil type, your size of garden area you plant, your zone etc so we can all get back to you with the best info to get your mind into gear, good luck. WeeNel.

Nyghtspryte,

I completely understand how you feel about jumping in and doing things without planning in advance. I find myself doing that alot, but I also agree that it is extremely helpful if you had an overall plan before you begin. Everything doesn't have to be planned at once - you can still leave some room for flexibility.

Since you are already thinking about this months in advance, take the time to consider starting some flowers from seed. You will save yourself a boatload of money in seed starting. Just consider that one geranium alone will run about $2.50 - $4 in the stores. That same money can be put towards starting a dozen flowers!

Not only should you start all of the annuals, if you have the room, but I would also recommend starting some perenials that bloom in the first year like coneflowers. Fifty dollars put towards seed starting (that includes money for some shop lights if you need them), will bring you a huge return. Plus if you start early enough, you will have large blooming plants come planting time. Check out the seeding starting forum for additional information, as well as the annuals forum. If you change your mind after you've started your seeds, the investment is minimal compared to purchasing plants.

Another source that I have used for inexpensive small starter plants is Ebay. There are a few nurseries that sell starter plants at a relatively low price. They are too small to set out in the garden in my opinion, but after spending a month or two in the house to grow larger, they are still a deal compared with what I would have spent at the stores.

I grew the blanketflower, and black eyed susans from seed this past summer.

what size is your backyard?

I must of overlooked it if you did, in that cause, I am sorry

I've gotten a ton of plants from eBay and have had pretty good luck with them.

Wow! Thanks for all the great responses. My yard is just under 2 acres, but i'm just concentrating on the flower beds around the house , and my veggie garden for the first year. I'd take a picture, but it would just be a pic of snow right now. My main problem seems to be impulse, i bring things home that were a good "deal" or their given to me by friends and relatives, and they just get stuck in where ever they fit. I guess what i'm looking for is some good base plants to start with. i have an area about 30 ft long and 4 feet deep, between side walk and house, i would like some shrubs here, and then i'll fill in with annuals. Any suggestions for low maintenance but attractive ones, so far all i have come up with is burning bushes, which only look nice in fall really. another area about 25 ft by 25 bordering patio and house, i'd like something with a little height here, ornamental grasses? also the builder planted some plants in the front of house he called them snowflake plants???? they look like they might be some kind of viburnum, white flowerson longish branches, they bloomed late summer into fall last year, but that could of been because they were planted late summer maybe? Bushes and some good base plants i think is what i need help with most.
Thanks everyone

Snowball viburnum? V. Macrocephalum. Beautiful plant.

You'll need some good everygreens. I like the variegated Euonymus, hollies, pines, and junipers.

There are also forsythias, would be beautiful interplanted with evergreens and they are so easy to work with, require little maintenance. That's something else I hope you are thinking about. Once you get it planted, how are going to care for it. Since you seem to be starting from scratch, this is a good time to make it as easy on yourself as possible. :)

Hi Nightspryte, you would be best to do a soil test and get back onto the thread, there are some wonderful Rhododendrons, Azalea's Camellias etc, but they need an acidic soil, so when searching for shrubs, you need to know if you can actually grow them, temp wise you would be fine, but soil wise, maybe not, that is one reason why I suggested you get along to your library for some books where you will see coloured pictures of trees/shrubs etc, and how they are set into the landscape and borders for full effect, that way your not spending money on expensive shrubs that are no use to you, it is also a great way to get knowledge about the plants and fills in the cold dismal winter evenings,
Good Luck. WeeNel.

If you could take a picture of your yard, then you can put a "before" picture in the landscape design forum. There are people there who come up with all kinds of ideas that might be helpful. Plus a look through some of the old threads may give you an idea of what would work in your yard.

Another great idea is to look around your neighborhood. This will give you a good idea of what shrubs are thriving in your area. It may also help you determine what you don't want, which is just as important as what appeals to you.

You are planning already Nyghtspryte!

The correct name of the forum is Garden Design.

my yard is also a 'blank slate'. last summer i dug flower beds around the house, amening the soil as i went along. i used large rocks for the borders and planted some perenials and rosa rugosa. i planted a magnolia tree far away from the house.
i bought a wrought iron garden gate. from there i can start a line (not straight but curvy with the landscape) and maybe have alternating flower beds, shrubs etc
i have thuja green giant. i bought them and have nursed them along and will plant them soon as a privacy fence between the house and the road. we love evergreens. its time to put the christmas tree into the ground.
there is an old homestead down the road that is abandoned, and i can go there to get irises and daffodil. free plants!!!!
i dont have a hard and fast plan on how to landscape but i do try to imagine how the yard will look when the plants are grown, trying to plant where i want shade, and privacy.
in the end i want a nice rose garden and a herb garden.
right now all we have is a house in the middle of a pasture.
just trying to let you know how i am 'planning' this yard. it will be an ongoing thing. i would really like to make a clematis trellis on the side of the house, dont know if dh would go for that
temps here in wky are in the 60s :O
happy gardening!~ Vicki

I have a half acre, and for some ood reason the Culture here is palm trees or empty yard... good for me because all around my back fence I am planting trees along side it. (6-12 feet away from the fence depending on the tree.

This way I still have a backyard where the little one can play.

but two arces... hmmm

I like things I can grow and eat... With two arces... A lot of different trees with different fruit... I do not know what edible things grow in your area though. :( hmm Raspberries or blue berries?



One thing, since you are zone 5, have you heard of PawPaw trees? They are nice.. I am planning on buying some in the near future (ones for zone 9)...
They are small trees, if you kill the runners, they will grow up to 20 feet tall, they have a tap root system.

My near acre yard is divided into rough 1/3's, with 1/3 going to be fruit trees. I just got my first 2 to put in - a Santa Rosa Plum & a Georgia Peach - I'm so excited!!! lol

For shady spots try ferns, bleeding hearts, coral bells, hostas, and Bergenias, are just a few that loves shade.

Below is a photo of Bergenia with its leathery-like, heartshaped leaves and rosy red blooms. My favorite shade plant. Height 6-8" tall