I’m living here for a year or two, then plan to make it a rental property, so I want things that mostly take care of themselves. Maybe flowering shrubs and trees of varying height?
It’s east-facing and gets a great mix of sun and shade. You can see I put in rhododendrons in the front. I’d like things that don’t have aggressive root systems to destroy my foundation. Zone 5b.
by Blue85Heron
10 Comments
Look up native plants in your region and start there, they usually require less work since they are used to the conditions you put them in
That is a massive blank canvas and if you just stick a row of small shrubs against the foundation it will look like a total afterthought. You need scale to break up that giant expanse of vinyl siding. Pull your bed line out at least eight feet from the wall so you have room to layer without trapping moisture against your house. Frame the right corner with a small ornamental tree like a serviceberry or redbud planted well away from the foundation. Then sweep a solid mass of low maintenance evergreens like spreading yews across the middle to completely hide that exposed concrete block. Renters are not going to prune or weed so you need dense structural plants that take care of themselves.
On the left side plant a taller upright evergreen to swallow up that utility pipe. The biggest mistake you can make here is scattering a bunch of random flowering shrubs like polka dots across the lawn. That creates restless visual clutter and a massive headache for whoever manages the property later. Keep everything in wide connected sweeps of just a few reliable species. Before you start cutting sod take a photo of this wall and run it through the GardenDream web app. You can overlay different bed shapes and plant masses right onto the image to figure out the exact scale and layout you need before you spend a dime at the nursery.
Big-ass trellis with climbing roses
Massive curved bed that ends at the corner of patio furthest from house and first step at entry deck. At deepest a minimum of 15′ from house. The 3′ next to house/patio/deck/steps is a utility path that probably will get grown over but that’s fine. Put in a good edging to keep out the grass. Depending on the type of lawn grass you may be able to sheet mulch it or you may need to remove it then sheet mulch.
I’d love to see native plants in this bed. Anchor with 1-3 small trees that mature to ~15′ wide planted towards the grass side of the bed, fill to rear with 2-4′ tall and wider small shrubs and/or sedges that tolerate some shade and front with the easiest weediest native perennials you can find that range in height, width and how floppy they are. Leave the leaves, plant so when mature the plant foliage clumps will mingle so weeds are inhibited and less visible. Keep plants at least 1/2 mature width from paving and that utility path. If you live where fireflies are found in a couple years they may show up IF you leave as much litter as possible.
Why not build an Arbor that takes up about half of the space, left or right side, and then put a paver area with a firefpit, some large pots, shrubs. Make it a place to go and hang out. Since it faces east, it wont be a hot space and especially on hat afternoons and evenings, it will be cooler. No windows for smoke or noise to reach inside. Fruit trees have notoriously week root systems, so plant some pear or apple trees. Semi Dwarf grow the fastest and can get about 15 ft which would be perfect.
Be very careful of vines. They will get inside the siding and cause Significant damage. Try trellis thornless roses
Remember to not plant against your house. Too always want to keep any foliage clear of the siding.
Ever thought about adding windows and a statement tree like a Japanese black pine, Japanese maple – something that is beautiful to look at. Granted I don’t know what is on the interior of the house, but I hate seeing these blank walls on houses.
I’d say a row of Smooth Hydrangea with a multi stem serviceberry at each corner.
Lets connect, I am a landscape designer. I can help you!