I know very little on choosing the right shrubs or perennials that are low maintenanc.
Feeling overwhelmed with options. Could use help with suggestions for what to fill in this front yard and side yard bed. Front faces west, gets a lot of sun.
Appreciate any help
by greenrider4
1 Comment
First thing you need to fix is that downspout dumping water right onto your foundation corner. Get a black corrugated pipe extension on that and route it at least four feet away from the house before you even think about buying plants. Next you need to widen that entire planting bed by about three or four feet. Right now it is way too narrow and looks like a landing strip trying to support a massive porch. You want the bed deep enough to balance the visual weight of the house. Plus a wider bed gives you room to layer plants instead of lining them up single file like soldiers.
Since you get baked by the afternoon western sun in Ohio you need bulletproof stuff. Start with structure by planting a sweeping curve of Dwarf Inkberry Holly or some tough low Junipers to give you green in the dead of winter. Behind that you can drop in some Little Lime hydrangeas because they can actually handle the sun and will give you height against the porch railing. Take that lonely daylily clump and buy five more just like it so you can plant them in a continuous flowing mass. You never want one isolated plant sitting there by itself creating visual clutter.
Before you start ripping up your grass to widen the bed you should run a photo of your house through the GardenDream web app. It lets you visualize the exact bed lines and overlay those hydrangeas and evergreens so you can see how the layout works together. It is a solid safety net to make sure your plant spacing and bed depth look proportionate to the porch before you spend your weekend sweating at the garden center.