Four Season Garden Help

Hey guys I was sitting in front of my house today waiting on my wife to come out. I don't know if it was the dreary day or the winter blahs, but something has to be done in the front of my house. It looks pretty good in the summer but It looks barren in the winter. I am going to take a picture so maybe you guys can help. I want to get some ideas of what I can do to have it look nice year round. Right now one side looks nice (could be better) year round the other side looks full and has lots of flowering plants in the summer and then in the winter is just a hodge-podge of random plants.... I guess I need to get a picture to show u what it looks like and get some design ideas. If anyone has pictures of theirs and the names of the plants I would much appreciate it.

Evergreen shrubs will help alot. There are some that have different colors in the winter time too instead of green leaves.

Some evergreens: Boxwoods, aborvitaes, rododrendrons, junipers and yews are all options.

Red twig dogwoods add lots of interest in the winter time with the bright red limbs.

Harry Lauder Walking stick has a unique shape.

You don't necessarily need to use plants to add interest to a winter landscape. Any kind of garden elements such as statues, arbors, trellises, stone walls,walkways, picket fences, etc. look great even in the winter. I leave tall plants such as coneflowers standing thru the winter, and I even leave the dried out brown remnants of morning glories hanging over the arbor. I clean it all up in the Spring, but in the winter it gives texture and interest to the yard, especially if you get some snow! I always plan my gardens with winter in mind, knowing that when everything dies off, I will still have to look at the yard for many months. Concrete urns of different heights look very good in the winter too.

I forgot to mention,deciduous trees. Even when they lose their leaves, the remaining silhouette can be quite beautiful. Those weeping mulberry trees look great without leaves, and very pretty with tiny white Christmas lights too. There are great variety of colored garden globes, set at different heights these look lovely in the winter months. Just use your imagination, it's fun to create a winter garden.

Thanks guys! I usually try to think about mature height and forget to think what it will look like in the winter or as it grows. I love all of your suggestions and I thought I would show a picture to help. The right side is the side in question. I moved things around a bit last year as it was becoming unbalanced due to the height of some of the faster growers. I moved a rose bush over by the stairs and I think I might move it to the back yard this year.. to give me more of a clean slate. The tall grass on the right is great, and I plan on dividing it this spring and I don't know if I will keep it there. It hides an ugly gas meter, but I want something that goes together more and helps hide the dish. There is a bunch of Lariope in the bed and some other flowering plants but I kinda want a rustic look as well and to flow with the other side. Those four bushes where there when we moved in and my wife likes them so I am stuck with them. I cut the boxwoods up to look like dwarf trees. I plan on making the posts and porch all cedar wood. The trim will be going to a warm brown color with sage green shutters.. so I think a nice rustic look would be nice as well as lots of flowering plants... any suggestions as to help it flow in the front would be great... I am loving the arborvitaes. just kinda not sure where to start.... thanks!

I think you need an evergreen that has reddish leaves in winter. But that is me... My yard has variegated yellows and reds in winter and it "shows" the red bricks of the house and makes it look real good.

I see "cottage" written all over this cute house.You could do so much if you went that route. But if you like the rustic look, why not think about some split rail fence around the yard, or unpainted picket fence, stained cedar maybe or left to age a natural color.Picket tops can be cut in any shape and each section of picket configured in many ways( such as scalloped). How about a bigger window box. I would also redo the walkway in random colored stones or bricks, that would add more color.

Well I am definately going to build a bigger window box.. that one was left when we moved in. I have a bunch of cedar wood to build it with. I like the idea of cottage I guess thats more what I was thinking. I like the idea of red evergreen... I do have someone thats going to give me a burning bush to add some color...

Burning bush has lots of seeds that will sprout Every Where! It is a lovely lawn plant, tho. Just remember to plant it by itself so that you can mow all of the seedlings. They are a royal pain in my back, but I love the darn things and this house came with 3 planted in different beds. I love seeing the numbers of birds that eat the seeds in the fall, and their stems give some winter interest.
I also have a Nandina that has reddish leaves through most winters and great red berries. It grows vertically and does not take much horizontal space at all, so it is planted next to other bushes easily.

Glad you are thinking cottage,,, that's a great style! I know it is a lot of work and a bit of cash, but I would think about removing the concrete walkway and using old bricks as I said before. But the beauty of it is, the old chunks of concrete make fantastic stone walls, you could expand the right front garden you've already got and encircle it with these concrete stone walls. You would only need to go about 2 "stones" high. I built a 20 foot stone wall, 17" high to enclose a raised flower bed. I used the concrete from someone's old sidewalk and it worked beautifully. ( and even looks good when nothing is growing!) You really could expand the garden on that side quite a bit, put a weeping cherry right in the center of the bed and plant the rest with the flowers and plants you love.

ooohhh Bluebunn!! Pictures?? I'd love to see that!

Here is the wall as I was building it.....

Another view with new bedding plants.....

Things were beginning to grow here.....

That looks great and would be a good retaining wall for beyondink's yard. (Mine too.)

If you don't like the idea of tearing out the sidewalks, an expanded flower bed would still be nice in the front of the house under the window using real rock... like this one There is actually a small pond there in the center that raised bed.

Here is the pond, just one of those prefab things hidden in the bed.

And one more idea for stone garden....

bluebunn that wall looks great! I want to go out and bust up some concrete now! Unfortunately right now isnt a good time to do that as we are renivating the inside. There is however a large patio I am dieing to tear up and I think there is a very good chance it will become a wall this summer. You guy have helped soo much and I think here is my plan. Since the driveway and sidewalk are both concrete and to tear them out would be a pain I am going to stain them both a brown color to match the new trim and the wood that will be going up (cedar) A new window box I am going to build with some cedar I have. I am going to take you guy's advice and extend the bed out. I have lots of rocks in the back and they will come forward to become the retaining wall for the right bed and another just off the pic where I was standing the neighborhood sidewalk goes down hill from right to left so I am going to build a wall there so there is not a one foot drop at the end of the yard. I am going to plant some sort of blue rug type and annuals. In the right bed I am going to plant a "Hopi" Crape Myrtle to the right of the stairs.. Four seasons of interest there... over where the grass is now I am going to plant 3 Nandina "Heavenly Bamboo" to mask the gas meter and dish (hopefully I can move that to the side) I am going to have some clematis grow up the right corner on a trellis I am going to build. now for the middle under the window and in the extended part I am not sure what to put. the plants I have there now some lillies, lariope, and these other ones that fill up the whole thing with bright flowers.. but I am not sure what else should go in there to balance it all out in the winter... hmmm

Sounds like a great plan!!!

Be sure to post your pictures when you do it all. I think you will be happy with all your new plans!

Cinnamon bark maple (Acer griseum), blue hollies, boxwood??

Good plans there! Be sure to post a pic when it's done and growing this summer.