Landscape designers HELP!

[EweSheep]

We put alot of work into the front of the house this past month despite of all the heat and cooler weather we have been experiencing. Now the slate is bare or needed something to "fill" with color.

We are planning on getting green shutters on the bedroom window and paint the door green. Hunter green to be exact. What other improvement can I make the house itself more presentable?

As for the landscaping part, we cut and tore out the evergreen bushes that was under the bedroom window and the big window and could not remove the big stumps. So we covered it with small rocks and lined with young hostas for border trim. I have that "live forever" plants in some of the side part with two young fern bushes. One wooden oak barrel that needs something inside of it, preferred annuals so I can always change the colors to it every year. I want to have some plants that are hardy in the side but the border would get alot of sun. The house faces the north.

I used to plant shade vincas in the window box for color but have no idea about any other plants that suitable. NO run away vines or climbing vines because we dont have the time or maintaince to keep cutting them back year after year. Perhaps sweet potato vine would work.

Should I liven the dormer windows with window boxes too? What kind of plants and color should I put it there? How about the big window?

I love lawn ornaments of Celtic design or anything that I can blend with the Cape cod style of house. I do like metal and wood birdhouses but not sure what kind.

My DD wants an angel in front of her bedroom window. There used to be a window box there but dont know if it would look good to have it back on it again. It was rotted and can not be restored. Green brass window box??????????

Any suggestions and advices PLEASE!

 

[Ol'FashionHen]

Is the whole landscape bed shaded?

 

[playswithfowl]

I think that some sort of window box with brighter plants in it would liven it up and contrast with the brick and darker colors.

 

[farmerkim]

I would plant some annuals in the front bed and maybe along your sidewalk. I watch a lot of gardening shows and they say you should pick 2 colors of flowers and repeat them, for a snappy look. Maybe purple and white. The front of my house faces north too. I have daylillies,hostas,pansies,ferns and bleeding hearts.

 

[EweSheep]

Ol'FashionHen :

Is the whole landscape bed shaded?

No, it would be half shaded and half sunny. where the hostas are, in sun for a good six hours.

The barrel would be in the shade 100 percent of the time.

What kind of plants would you suggest along the sidewalk going out to the street?​

 

[EweSheep]

The front porch will be covered with wood deck planks because we can not tear it away from the house. It is permantely imbedded in the house structure so we just put a "cap" on the concrete.

It would be in colonial style ballisters and deck. Not sure if I would go with natural wood or white or ?????????

I love watching those improvement shows but nothing is close what I would invision what it would look good with the old house of mine. Yeah it was a mess inside! Gutted out the kitchen and bathroom! UGH! and installing new windows from Sears.

 

[CMV]

Various hostas, plantain lillies, astilbe, sedum, bugleweed and bleeding hearts all mixed together would look lovely and give you color for most of the season. Maybe a shade loving, dwarf hydrangea or rhododendron for some height to break up the lines of the brick. Annuals in the planter, but remember to get annuals of differing types- some free-standing in the middle, draping plants in front, and tall or climbing vines with a trellis in back.
Paint your front step- nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make things look new. I'd also paint the hand rail a different color- the white is too sterile and stands out too much. I love the idea of the shutters and window boxes. They look quaint.
Have fun.
ETA- Go with natural wood. If you don't like it you can always paint white over it later.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
I love Astilbe plants! Mine is Zone 4 and not all plants can make it during the winter months. I used to have bleeding hearts on the farm house we used to live in but the nursery we have they have two or three different colors, dark pink, pink and white.

I agree with the UGLY white hand rails and want to get rid of it. Starting to rust badly in some areas too, pulling away from the concrete. If you see the corners, it is corroded because the concrete had alot of large rocks and very brittle. It used to have that awful green fake lawn cover on it and it was a mess!

Clematis grow in shades? The house on the west side needs something too! I dont like yuccas but if it fits the house, they will stay. We will be replacing the basement windows.

Picture of the west side of house will be coming up shortly!

 

[EweSheep]

This is the west side of the house.

Half way done, need to lay down landscape cloth the rest of the way. Having MAJOR problems with mulberry trees growing on the chain link fence. At one time there was a HUGE mulberry tree there and they didnt tear out the stump.

I got a mind to tear out the chain link fence and pile rocks on it! Big ones!

The white coated window, is blocked off due to the gallery style kitchen on one wall. Yep a very small kitchen! We dont know if we want to cover that window with shutters closed permantely and a window box OR a large trellis to cover that spot.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
I live in a hard zone 4 and all the plants I listed do very well where I'm at, especially the astilbe and bleeding hearts. Clematis does prefer shade, but is at risk from disease and pests. I have tried it out at a few locations around my house, but can't get it to take. Maybe you will have better luck than I. I have found this funny little vine called ground nut that grows really well here in NH. It spreads a bit more than I'd like, but it is easy to pull out if it gets out of hand. It has a neat vine and in the late summer has beautiful clusters of deep pink flowers. It smells awful when you sniff it, but the smell isn't permeating. I think it's actually considered a weed, but it's a pretty weed.

For the west side I'd leave the yucca and break up the harsh lines of the stems by mixing in some Shasta daisies, coreopsis (especially thread-leaf varieties), tall phlox, some black-eyed Susans (or echinacea), Russian sage, some low, mounding geraniums and possibly some of the low growing sedums. Throw some early blooming spring bulbs in for early color- clumps of tulips, or daffodils. I'd try to stay away from two of my favorites- day lillies and irises- because the foliage looks too similar to the yucca and you want to soften those lines.

I wouldn't draw more attention to that window by closing the shutters on it. I love window boxes, so I say YES to the window box. Paint the inside of your white window to look like closed curtains if you can get to it. I knew someone that painted a blocked off window to look like a "view" of inside the house. You really couldn't tell the window was non-functional. Straight white is just so attention grabbing that I would try to minimize that if possible. Putting a trellis over the window could also look good as long as you are not trying for an "orderly" look to your house and gardens. By blocking out the window with a trellis it may make that side of the house look lop-sided.

Good luck. I hope my suggestions were helpful.