Swimpy's Landscaping Thread

I can just edge to seeing your having a patch of sedum there - if it makes sense with other stuff, which is a little hard for me to envision.

I guess I think it's odd with crabapple.
I know it as going with aloes and native grasses, various succulents.. in, say, san juan capistrano, where I designed a property around all of that. It was ephemeral, the guy who hired me is an architect friend who wanted to try this and this and this and this and then that and that and that and that. (He's ok, architect at play).

I still have an interest in your thinking Prairie Garden, sort of Jens Jensen, as opposed to Japanese, or mixed choices (I don't know if I'm negating past talk, urg, probably am.)

If you look him up, you'll see he was a big promoter of landscape design using natives, and has a subsequent number of detractors and people who revere his work, along with frank lloyd wright, yadda yadda. I couldn't give you a Jensen type palette off the top of my head if I tried, would have to research it, but the idea is not much exotic to your area in planting, or (to me) if it is, that the import makes sense with not only your property but the whole region. Not formal, naturesque. Using local plant material if possible.

This is not a lecture, I've natives in my yard but they lose out in numbers to the non natives that I MUST have, so far, although the natives are gaining.

I can see seeming formal toward the entry - it is a formal entry, aiming at your door.
And then diverging from that.
Which is to say, if you have an entry path, the same thing on both sides of it (not formal, but the same plant), for some good part of the length, if that works re the sun - and then either side does it's own thing. That results in the walkway being a kind of bridge through the verdant garden, a cut through.. to the door.

It doesn't really matter how tall or short the plant that goes on both sides of the walkway is, as the walk still cuts through.

The other way, is to hedge it up... which I don't think is a good idea.. make it more amoeba shaped, however tall or short.

I definitely need to post some pictures. I'm a little ashamed of what the front yard looks like right now. the creeping charlie is taking over. If I get a chance tomorrow I'll get some posted and then we can talk.

OK, here we go. This is the view of the front walk from the front entrance. The roses are on either side of the far steps. The hostas are forming a sort of bed on either side of the walk. You can see one of the crabs on the right.

Looking to the right from the front entrance.

Looking to the left.

Front view from the street.

Steeper side of the yard.



Oy, the weeds!

My plan, if you can call it a plan, is to spend the next few years filling in the gaps between the hostas and planting other things like maybe ground cover to save us from having to mow the slope on the right side (as you look at the house from the street.) I don't have the money nor the strength to tackle this all in one season. So my first thoughts are what to plant between the hostas. I would like there to be symmetry between the two sides of the walk, but not too rigid. I would like the areas where the hostas are to become better defined as perennial beds although some annuals would be considered. I'm interested in adding color and interest. I'm always looking for plants that will attract birds.

Again the roses are crimson. The hostas will have lavender flowers. I also need to replace the boxwoods that were planted around the porch. So any suggestions on a good hedge plant that stays fairly short?

1. Keep in mind that the crabs will grow over time.

2. ground covers for the slope as on another thread..... carex, liriope, Hakonechloa, mondo grass all look like grass plants (they're mostly/all from different families though). They come in various leaf color and size.
Hakonechloas:

Carex:

liriope have flowers (not grassy seed heads like the previous two):

Mondo grass used en-mass:


You might pick one or several types and plant in either rows, or a patchwork. All are more or less evergreen except for the hakonechloa.

Ok, forget the above post, it's probably not what you're looking for. Someday I'll jaust have to make my own grass garden..... And forget the ideas I was throwing in before too. I think I was envisioning Soz's front yard. The pictures were helpful.

Swimpy, you can have balance without having symmetry. Do you want any evergreen plants in the front?

I noticed that you have a path to one side of the steps down from the porch and grass on the other. Have you considered making the grassy side part of the garden so you don't have to mow it? I see that you have a meter there. Maybe throw down a stepping stone or a gravel walkway and surround it with some plants?

I like Osso's idea of cotoneaster for the slope. You could even make a low, organic hedge around the yard with them. They come in varying sizes and leaf shape.

For between the hostas: hydrangea (as mentioned before by several), japanese anemone (blooms pink or white sept-oct, looks good all summer), coneflower also blooms late (many more colors now than just purple), dwarf lilac (on the big side)

anemone:

several coneflower:

Instead of boxwoods, consider holly

Good ideas, K. I'll look for those plants. I like the holly I planted in the back. It might be a good replacement for the boxwoods.

The grassy part opposite the walkway you mentioned is our path to the garage. I have been considering how to "pave" it. gravel probably wouldn't work as the gravel would have a tendency to work its way into the lawn that is further to the right. The yard drops down a bit, which would require steps of some sort. Not a task I'm up to, so I'm letting that go for now. We'll just keep it as grass until the money is available.

Which works out GREAT for me! Thanks for the ideas!

Thanks for the pics, Swimpy, it looks so much more open and airy and pretty now with those big trees (cypress? I forget) gone. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

They were spruce trees, soz. Regarding my yard, I hope I don't disappoint you. My heart and my wallet are not really in it, but I know I have to do something. We just came back from Lowes garden center. I was underwhelmed by what they had in stock and overwhelmed by the prices. I did not see any of the plants LittleK listed. The only hydrangeas they had were full size and would be too big. Same for the hollies, no dwarfs. There is another garden center that has better selection but is even pricier. Will have to try there. Sorry to sound like such a downer, I worked on the veggie garden all afternoon and I'm pooped. Still didn't get one plant in the ground either. I think I'll play hookie from work tomorrow and work on the veggie garden. (Don't tell my boss )

Swimpy - keep an eye out for local garden club events. They usually have great plants at very decent prices. Best of all, you know that the plants have been grown in your climate and can handle it.

I like how you can see the Craftsman-inspired lines of the house now that the large evergreens are gone.

I'm not sure what your summer climate is like, but I can't imagine trying to survive a summer here without some kind of shade tree. Perhaps you could trade for one with a split from one of your hostas.

ahh, went back to the first post
the shade trees are in back

http://www.gardencentral.org/iowa/aboutus/

Some of your area's spring garden club events have already happened. Still worth checking out. The best yard sale (literally) around here is a fund-raiser for the neighbourhood garden club - it is advertised as a yard sale so you have to keep your eyes open for it when zooming around on a weekend (a bit later in the year for us - we had frost last night).

better listing of clubs

http://www.plantsgalore.com/data/groups/02-IA-Groups.aspx

one group is having a hosta sale next weekend

http://www.mvhosta.org/calendar.htm

you've missed the spring lily bulb sale but there will be another in the autumn

http://www.irls.org/id22.html

Given my native plant inclinations, I'd be all over these guys

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~herbarium/inps/index.php

(prairie seminars next weekend)

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/iowa/msg0418360027776.html