Please give advice on front landscape

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I would like to make some changes to the landscaping around the front of my house. Everything currently there was placed by our builder. I would like some advice on what to add, remove, or replace to make it more visually appealing. located in SC

Featured Answer

PRO

Yardvaark

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Sorry to say, I would get rid of all the plantings. If they grow, they would overwhelm the porch and destroy any hope of it appearing "welcoming." I would consider widening the walk approach to the porch -- maybe all of the walk -- & putting plantings elsewhere.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

laceyvail 6A, WV
8 years ago
Certainly I'd remove the shrubs on the left, between the walk and the porch and replace it with low groundcovers that will stay in that area--no groundcover junipers, for example which will rapidly outgrow the spot. Lirope might work and I'm sure there are others in your zone.

To the right, the conifer will soon outgrow the spot--it's much too close to the house. I can't tell what the other shrubs are, but I suspect they may get too large as well.

Without a full view of the front of the house, it's impossible to give any further advice, but I suspect that the plantings may be too close in to the porch to balance the size of the house.
agmayes thanked laceyvail 6A, WV
Related Discussions
Third storey extension ideas please?
Q
Comments (6)
Hopefully, you have investigated your existing building conditions. Have you consulted with a structural engineer as to whether the third floor framing can hold the additional live load and existing rafters can handle the changes as well as increased insulation depth? Have you talked to the building department to determine whether the available floor area based on ceiling height meets zoning requirements? Is access doable with a stairwell from the 2nd floor that meets fire and building codes? These are just a few questions that need to be asked. You should consider consulting with an architect face to face to expedite feedback that would be pertinent to your situation rather than asking us to give advice at arm's length.
...See More
Small bedroom colour advice please!
Q
Comments (2)
How about BM dove white on all the walls with a navy on the window wall,that wood give plenty of light in the room while using your favorite color.Lots of color goes well with navy ,kelly green ,lime green ...yellow ,orange,hot pink
...See More
Suggestions please for L shaped room.
Q
Comments (8)
Hi there, It's always difficult working out the best place for a fireplace and indeed a tv but what I would ask is why have you opted for an L-Shaped extension? Have you got lots of constraints on the land or the garden? Long and thin extensions can always be a problem as they lack the width to create nice spaces without bottle necks or furniture blocking circulation and people movement. One of the things you will have to think about is the venting or flue / chimney and then there's the regulations about the stove being a minimum distance away from combustible materials. It would be nice to be able to look at the burner while you're facing into the garden so maybe a wall on the patio side to break up the glass doors and then add more light in from above to make it a little cosier. Sometimes too much glass can feel / look cold. The TV is always a problem but I suggest again to possible mount it on a wall but remember if you have the screen facing all that glass you will get reflection problems. Maybe you need to make a feature wall out of slate or stone that would have the wood burning stove against it and the TV offset a little on the same wall. Then have your glass doors either side so when you're sat on your sofa you can see the garden / patio all while sat in front of your stove and viewing the tv. Its a difficult one all in all but if you have the opportunity to alter the L shape and make at least one leg of it slightly wider it may give you a better option for the burner, sofa and the cosiness without the feel of a long thin room with not many passing places. Just a couple of suggestions but as I can see the design brief or land size / constraints etc I might be a little off the mark. Cheers. Simon www.scdc.biz
...See More
Elderly folks require carpet and paint colour advice.
Q
Comments (25)
That is true alright, though even with a patterned carpet they usually keep a mat for people to wipe their feet on by the door, or if people like to remove boots or shoes when entering ( not that common here) but great idea. The trouble with the patterned carpet was if anything fell on the floor you could hardly find it !!
...See More
emmarene9
8 years ago
In the two porch beds I would plant a well behaved groundcover perennial. I would leave room in front of it for annuals. I think the pretty pink shrubs are Loropetalum and I would find a new location for them. I don't know what the front plants are but I would move them too. I am not a fan of plants randomly placed in the lawn so I would move those too. I do like your little tree. If I could see the rest of your yard I could maybe tell you where to move your plants.
agmayes thanked emmarene9
PRO
ILT Vignocchi
8 years ago
I would remove all the plants. The evergreen tree specifically will outgrow the space as it will get up to 20' wide at the bottom. I would recommend a hedge of boxwoods 15-18" along the porch foundation and then complete the bed with hosta, pachysandra or some other groundcover.
agmayes thanked ILT Vignocchi
User
8 years ago
agmayes thanked User
User
8 years ago
agmayes thanked User
User
8 years ago
agmayes thanked User
agmayes
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you all very much for your input. I am not surprised to hear that all the plants need to be changed. I just wasn't really sure what to replace them with. This forum is a great place to get get much needed advice!!
User
8 years ago
You can replace all bushes farther from the house , behind the row of evergreens.
amelietremblay6
8 years ago
Hi! You can really benefit from some seasonal plantings, they can turn the place into a wonderful “green” expression of your home's beauty. I recently did some landscaping at my home and am highly satisfied with the service I received. Their experts prepared the landscape design that best suited my home. For reference, see the below picture from Landscape Structures & Designs Inc. which is the company I hired.
l pinkmountain
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
You don't need to remove all the plants, but perhaps now is the time to move them before they get big. I don't know for sure what those red and green shrubs are along the porch, but I'll guess they are barberry and spirea or maybe forsythia or something like that. Both can be kept small with pruning but you may not want to do that. That area seems to be quite shady and when the tree grows up it will compound the problem, so I don't see those shrubs looking all that great over the long haul up against the house. Personally I would burn the barberry because where I live it is destroying the woods and creating tick infested wastelands, but that's another story . . . Small globe arborvitae or boxwoods as is pictured in Vstavay's pictures will perhaps tolerate the shade more, require less pruning but I don't know if you have a deer problem and if that will be an issue. If so, then the barberry and spirea are deer resistant, which is a plus I guess. Spirea can be hard pruned regularly to keep it small if it is already somewhat dwarfish. That juniperish thing on the corner will soon overwhelm the space so it is a good candidate for moving. Those four little soldier bushes on the left look like they could be boxwood or something else designed to grow into a low hedge, which again is a look you could maintain by pruning if you want. All of that stuff will obscure the porch somewhat, but perhaps "frame" it is just another way of putting it, so only time will tell how much you like or dislike that effect.

Edited to add that one of the classic ways to "fill in" while a plant grouping is growing is to add colorful annuals, which might help with the "welcoming" effect. You can get vines that would twine around your posts, porch boxes or planters, and things for between the shrubs to act as a border to the walk. Not sure about the light conditions there, that would play a large role in determining what will work. Even though your front entrance appears skimpy now, knowing what we know about eventual size of those shrubs, it looks overplanted in the shrub department to me, particularly along the porch to my right.

Please give advice on front landscape

Yardvaark

Comments (11)

laceyvail 6A, WV

Related Discussions

emmarene9

ILT Vignocchi

User

User

User

agmayes
Original Author

User

amelietremblay6

l pinkmountain

COMPANY

EXPLORE HOUZZ

CONNECT WITH US

Please give advice on front landscape

Comments (11)

Related Discussions

agmayesOriginal Author

COMPANY

EXPLORE HOUZZ

CONNECT WITH US

agmayes
Original Author