Landscaping

[SarahFair]

Landscaping seems like it should be one of the last things we need to do, but seeing as there really wont be MUCH to do and we should be closing on our house towards the end of planting season, gardening is something I really enjoy, and I already have to go in front of the historical board for a fence.....

How have yall landscaped yalls front yard?

We are surrounded by large water oaks (why water oaks!?) so its shaded with filtered sun.
The district says we are to preserve old trees and try to use as much native wildlife as possible.
Meh.
Our native plants are pretty boring, plus no one else is, but alas, I still must run it through approval..



Im looking for inspiration on landscaping around older homes. I know zones will cause different plants, but still looking for general ideas.

Whats there now is mostly weeds and little scraggly bushes.
I like color, a lot. Blooming shrubs, flowers, trees...
I really want some hydrangeas for summer maybe some azaleas for spring....
Get crazy.


Im also wondering if Im going to have to get my statuary approved.
Its a large lion and 2 large gargoyles. ....nothing huge, maybe about 3ish feet tall each..

[Corsetière]

I'm big into gardening and I'm starting with a blank slate here, so I am very interested to see what others have done!

I did refinish a pair of cast iron urns that I plan to install into my retaining wall/fence in front.

[SkipW]

I see you are in Georgia, so...When we lived in Florida we tried to use native plantings as much as possible but that limits you a lot. We planted front and back differently. Back was to be lush and private so we used traveler palms, areca palms, hawthorne and gardenia. For accent items we used guava bushes/trees and ginger. In front, more tailored, we used more guava and for low we used bottle brush ferns and several types of grasses. All of this was pretty much full sun though. In the shady areas we used a lot of varieties of Bromeliads.

Now that we live in Maine, of course the 'native' items are a bit limited unless you want pines But in the shady areas we have hostas and some ilex (small leafed holly variety) We also have a boatload of lily and rugosa rose. For an accent tree in one garden we just planted a Kousa Dogwood (Japanese Dogwood). Also here we have great Limelight Hydrangea and Blue hydrangea and Rhododendron.

Designing a garden can be a lot of fun and also be a crap shoot. We have always lived by the 'sink or swim' guideline...in other words, try what you like and if it doesn't make it, try something else.

[mjt]

I'm also a Darwinist Gardener (you have to be in Zone 4...); replace it once and if it doesn't survive, try something else.

Our house is a Georgian Colonial Revival, so we went with a more symmetrical landscape plan in the front. It has a mixture of shrubs and perennials. We also have a variety of bloom times, so something is always in bloom during our short-ish growing season. This is the sunny part of our yard so this is where we have the "riot of color". The rest of the yard is extremely dense shade which means the interest comes from variation in height, texture, and shade of green...

Here's an image from when it first went in in 2012 (landscape posts on my blog tend to be in June of each year):


And an album of all the landscaping work we've done.

[Casey]

Black urns under Georgia sun will cook most plants. If truly in shade, probably be fine.

[SarahFair]

I like the urns, but yes, black would not last long here in Georgia..

Thanks for the replies so far!
Its just going to be quite the change from full sun from dawn til dusk to a shaded lot.

Im not going to worry too much with the back yard. We have 2 german shepherds and a medium shepherd mix that like to patrol the perimeter
Theyll run over anything I plant.

[Nicholas]

There is nothing like correct landscaping to add to the curb appeal, like I see above.

As a Floridian I too went with as much xeriscape landscaping as possible at my previous Fort Lauderdale house because keeping a green lawn was almost impossible.

<------------- At this house I have great soil and grass. In the front I used bricks and two barrels with crocus plants on either side of the walkway.

On the side I designed and built this area with leftover stuff to hide the AC unit, which is very obvious to passerby from this side of the house. That centerpiece is the panel from the Lowes screen door that use to be on the front of the house. The two poinsettias on each side are from last Christmas and they are doing very well.

[Kashka-Kat]

Funny you should ask Sarah because when I saw your pic I immediately thought a big colorful & fragrant butterfly garden in front with things like phlox, buddleia, roses, etc. or whatever would be appropriate for your more southern location.

Actually you could do almost anything - informal & cottagey, or something with a bit more formality. Here in midwest a praire or meadow-inspired garden is popular - native grasses & flowers - love that slightly overgrown wild look that such a garden can give to a house.

I too have a Darwinist philosophy, but with a twist - if it doesnt work Ill move it to somewhere else in the front or back yard - ie try a different micro-climate. The downside of this philosophy is eventually you run out of yard to dig up and convert into gardens

[SarahFair]

At my current home I have butterfly bushes, hydrangeas, double knock out roses...
But I dont know how well theyd really do in the shade.

Knockouts I know arent going to like it.
Butterfly bushes will do okay in the more sunny locals, plus I can plant spring bulbs around it while it's dormant...
Im going to need to watch the area I want the hydrangeas to see if they'll get enough sun.
I transplanted one that gets very minimal sun and is grown a lot, but it doesn't get very many blossoms anymore

[SouthernLady]

Hey SarahFair!

My home is an 1883 farmhouse, and I am blessed to still have some of the original (or near original) trees still on the property. I understand exactly what you are saying about landscaping, as I am an outdoor gal myself and love digging in the dirt. I hope to post some of my landscaping pictures on my blog shortly, so keep an eye out for it.

I don't know how long you have lived at your home, but my grandmother made a VERY wise suggestion to me when I bought my house--wait one full year to see your house in all four seasons before you start planting anything. My grandmother has lived in nothing but very old farmhouses, so she spoke from experience.

You see, many times there are old bulbs or plants hiding around your home that you will only notice during their bloom time. I have a very old daffodil variety at my house that I would not have known I had, had I started digging for landscaping when I wanted to. Because I waited a full year, I was able to mark where different bulbs were and if I needed to move them due to changes in the landscape over the years, I could do it at the appropriate time of the year.

If available, visit historic homes in your area that are close to the time frame of your house. Many of these places have appropriate period plantings and landscape styles that might give you ideas for your own home. Almost all places will allow you to photograph the exteriors. (On this line--I know of a few museum homes that do not allow interior photography, but when they find out I am restoring my own home and would like to photograph a particular detail in a room, they will allow me to take a no-flash photo of that particular thing, so long as no one else sees me do it. If I go this route, I try not to photograph the entire room, but only the detail I want. I also show the tour guide just so they know I am not taking advantage of their generosity. I keep a special folder of pictures on my phone of my house in various phases of restoration to privately show the tour guide, then I show them a picture of the area in my house I hope to use the detail photo to help restore.)

Landscaping an old house is also a wonderful opportunity to plant some antique or heritage varieties. There are several websites that sell these type of plants and also provide a bit of history on each one. I am a rose lover, and I have scouted out some varieties from my time period I hope to shortly order and plant around my house. Little plaques are available that you can also order to put by these plants that tell what variety they are, if you wish to go into that much detail.

I am not sure what your neighborhood is like, but because I live in a pretty rural community, there is an abundance of empty lots and properties where very old homes once stood. In the springtime especially, the antique varieties of plants come out of hiding for a few weeks with lovely, colorful, not-seen-much-anymore blooms. Sometimes this calls for a Saturday road trip for scouting these plants out. If you find plants you like, take pictures of them and make a note of where they are. You can contact the property owner for permission to dig them up, explaining you would love to add the abandoned plants to your historic home. Most of the time, the owners are happy to oblige. The plant will be appreciated, they aren't out anything, and you get free plants.

You may possibly need to get those statuaries approved. Is your board easy to work with? If so, perhaps going ahead and asking them might show them that you are indeed interested in working with them to keep within the "historical boundaries" they require, while adding your own unique taste to it.

I look forward to seeing what you go with!