I tend to be a little OCD so I don't know how to plan my front bed. We have a slope going down from the front steps to the corner of the house. My question is... do I plant taller stuff at the corner and gradually shorter towards the steps or do I plant all the same stuff and just ignore the fact that they won't be level with the bottoms of the windows?
It really doesn't matter, it's all about what you will consider visually appealing. If you want everything to look the same height, then plant taller things as you go down the slope. Or if you prefer to have all the same plants and don't mind a height difference, then do it that way. It's strictly a matter of personal taste.
Or you could fill it in and level it. I've got a little of that OCD thing going on too!!!
You could put some shrubs close (but not too close) to the house and prune them so that they all are even with your windows. Then you could put a mix of anything else you like out in front of those. Another possibility is to build a brick planter all along the front of your house that can start out shallow and gradually get deeper which would give you a level flowerbed to plant in.
I have really considered doing a brick planter, but I think I may be getting in over my head if I do that. I'm thinking about a mix of knock out roses and a burgundy/purple colored shrub. Then out from the corner some plant a Japanese maple. Maybe the extra height there will help balance it. I have never been too big on shrubs so I haven't been too excited about doing this part of my landscape. I am definitely not Edward Scissorhands when it comes to clipping them back. We'll see! Kinda nervous! What do you think about the maple though? I have always wanted one but don't know how well it will do. We get morning sun on this side of the house that lasts until mid afternoon and I think I read that they prefer shade. I saw some in the area that are thriving in full sun though.
I have a Japanese maple, the burgundy lace leaf kind, that thrives on full sun and total neglect. The only time I mess with it at all is when it grows over the path to the back yard. It's about 5 feet tall and 8 feet across.
Have you thought about creating a bioswale so rain water flows down and away from the house? They've been putting a lot of those in with new construction in my area (Portland, Oregon), and it looks great as well as being better for the environment. We've even been hearing frogs again at night in our urban neighborhood!
If you want burgundy/purple shrubs, Chinese fringeflower (Loropetalum chinense) is pretty. Some varieties are dwarf, not growing more than approx. 4 feet while others can go more like 8-12 feet. I have several on either side of my driveway that we just love. They don't have to be pruned and bloom with hundreds of gorgeous dark pink flowers in the spring with another lesser flush in the fall when temps cool back down. I feed mine with azalea fertilizer as they like the acid type fertilizer. They are also evergreen (or should I say "everpurple" LOL).
Carterkz, I have actually been putting a little thought into a rain garden (had not heard of the bioswale). I love the idea of using the rainwater (when it does come) to my advantage. We are under drought here so we are limited to watering only 3 days a week. I will have to do some research on a bioswale. Thanks for the idea.
carter, where can we learn more about bioswale? never heard of it.
but no thanks on the frogs. the swimming pool is below my bedroom window, they about drive me into another bed at night in April!
tiki - i can't tell how old your home is, but my first reaction (as Realtor) is "traditional southern" style facade. My first thought was plant some of the really tall growing azaleas on the low ground, middle tall on the middle ground, and short growing on up next to the porch and door. Go with the evergreen ones if you want pretty year-round foundation plants. or mix in a few eumonyeous (spelling?) and boxwoods. Boring? maybe, but you can always throw in something cool. Like camellias or magnolias. Something you already know grows well in your climate and can keep those brick walls cooler and take the heat they are going to reflect in GA. Try the new everblooming azaleas for short growers. Mix up the bloom colors a tad for pizazz - all one color does get boring to see.
if that low end gets a little more shade in the afternoon, you can also go with one of the really tall growing camellias. Plant it at least five feet off the house foundation - don't plant it two feet off like someone did at my brick house! twenty years later its over the roof eaves and the roots probably go under the house. Looks like it sprouts from the house's corner! LOL
the beauty of these plants: you know they grow well in your area, they go well with your home's overall "look", they tend to be low maintainence, and their pruning is minimal too, and they grow reasonably fast enough to give you a look within five years or so like they've always been there. No expensive grading, and a camellia (some shade) or a magnollia (full sun) at the base will enjoy and hog any run-off.
I'm too wordy here, and I have no formal landscaping training, just know what "sells". extending the "bed" out in front of the shrubs would be a great place for annuals, irises, knock-out roses, etc. The old "plant in threes" rule to make things look orderly seems to be going away except for the landscaping pros who make everything look the same.
on second thought, though, grading that slope might not be such a bad idea - that looks like it would not be fun to mow grass on.
and be careful of raised beds putting dirt and moisture again your masonry. can cause problems as you have mortar all the way to the existing grade.
This message was edited Jul 4, 2008 12:18 PM
bonjon, you have some excellent ideas! I don't think we're going to put in raised beds or grade it. I may try to level it out a little closer to the steps for a bench or a swing and put a Japanese Maple down from it with some knockout roses in front of that and maybe a river birch out from the corner of the house. I might try to incorporate some barberry bushes along with the knockout roses. I'm not definite on the river birch. I don't know what to put out there yet. But, I plan to be able to plant some annuals around the front of the shrubs too. I thought about bordering with an ornamental grass of some sort but I know that they tend to fill out a lot. I want the bed to come out as far as the sidewalk at the front steps. I like a full bed with variety and color. Oh and yes the front of the house gets very hot through the day. I would like to get some of the sun off those bricks hence the full bed of things large enough to serve the purpose but not make it look overgrown in several years.
well, you ARE in Georgia - what about a Tulip Magnolia in there, too? nice full looking bush/tree, some grow much taller than your house and are nice for planting around at the base - as the tree grows wider, the bed can expand. The spring bloom is a magenta on one side and stark bright white on the other - very fun and just screams "happy spring!" cant remember what the fall foliage color was, but my folks gave me one for a birthday as a child. Their home had brick same colors as yours and the tree looked quite nice against the house. The japanese maples will look good, but some of their colors blend in against the red brick. there are some deep purple based foliage crepe mytles that might show up better. Japanese Maples are pricey and very slow to grow.
caution on any trees - get them out away from the foundation at least 5 feet more than you think they look good - they grow big and can cause foundation problems. fill in the spaces while they grow with something that you can sacrifice later or easily transplant - that's why I said azaleas and boxwoods! this goes especialy for river birch if you chose one with multi- trunks. better yet, maybe slower growing, how about one of the fancier conifers that can withstand heat and humidity? I know Plant Delights Nursery has some great ones. Our local university based arboretum has sales every year, too. check it out!
What's an Auburn fan doing in Georgia? haha Anyway, my house does a similar thing, with the slope going down to that end of the property... I would not change the slope of mine because it runs off very well now and I wouldn't want to mess that up. You would probably be wise not to change it too much unless you are unhappy with the run-off now.
Ha Ha! We Auburn fans are definitely a rare site here in Georgia. I'm originally from Auburn and moved here after getting married. The runoff is not a problem but I would like to take advantage of the water that does pass through there.
I love magnolias but I also know that they get way too big for that side of the yard. Is there a shrub version of the magnolia? I would love something like that. We had a magnolia tree at our old house and I loved the fragrance of the flowers but like I said I need something smaller. Does the River Birch get big? I guess I thought it might be a little bit of a smaller tree. Crepe Myrtle is certainly a good choice too that I haven't thought of. They grow very well here. I never even thought about the fact that the Japanese Maple would blend in with the color of the bricks. I prefer something that will pop a little and yes they are expensive.
Are you going to put in gutters, or just let the rainwater fall from the roof into your flower bed? If you don't have gutters, you will want to put some pretty stout plants under the roof run-off area. I don't have front gutters, and all my mulch flowed away-- so I got some nice river rock pebbles instead for the strip where the water hits the hardest. My shrubs and plants are in front of the river rock on that end-- all except for the clematis I just put in, and it is behind where the water hits so hard. It is too soon to tell if it is going to do well, but I was hoping it would help balance my "low end" as well as the big gardenia I have there now.
welll, regardless of the taller shrub or tree you put there, if there is sufficient runoff -
I'm a member of the AIS - American Iris Society. Most of the beardless irises: bog iris species, Siberian Iris and Japanese Iris, but especially the Louisiana Iris do extremely well in a garden setting if there is sufficient water - they all like to get throughly soil saturated, uplike the bearded ones that would rot in the same wet soil. They wont take over in the garden like they might on the waterfront either. with all that sun I see - that would be awesome for them! I'm not as familiar with them - I know the LA and a few others do well farther south of me - you might have to check to see if the JIs do - but you would love some of the deep crimson colors they bloom in early summer, I should think? Crimson, Auburn - right?
We're not going to do rain gutters. I actually plan to put everything in front of where the water hits the hardest.
You can get a general idea of a bioswale here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioswale
During dry weather they look kind of like an island bed, but during rain (we get six months a year here in Portland) they take care of runoff in an environmentally friendly way. If you have an area that naturally channels rain water away from the house, why not work with it instead of trying to change it? I'm all about whatever is easiest. lol
At first I was thinking that a rain garden is what I needed but that clarified it for me. A bioswale is more useful in areas that the water runs through. I think this is what I want to do.
that does look like a smart way to slow the water and let roots get it instead of carrying off the nutrients.
