What to do with front yard pine beds. Simple and affordable
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Adrianne C on Mar 27, 2014Pine needles are a big fire hazard, don't recommend placing them close to the house. Plant evergreen shrubs like gardenia, red top, etc that can be pruned back and shaped. Also, you shouldn't plant thorny shrubs and plants under windows. Problem in emergency exit. The shrubs will drink up water, you don't want water going under the house or eroding the foundation.Helpful Reply
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Douglas Hunt on Mar 27, 2014The University of Georgia has good suggestions for landscape plants here: http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/pubDetail.cfm?pk_ID=5966 It sounds like what you need is a good planting plan. I know you want this to be DIY, but I think it might be well worth the time to talk with a good local nursery. They may be willing to come out for a fee and draw up a plan that you could execute, or to do so for free if they do the planting. It is an added expense, yes, but may well be less of an expense than buying a lot of the wrong plants.Helpful Reply
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Jeanette S on Mar 27, 2014Beautiful home and great setting. First thing you have to do is fix the water problem. Your house is encircled by concrete...is this trapping water too close to house? Do the downspouts pour water into a trapped area? You may need the advice of a professional. If that soggy spot is the brown area in front of the sidewalk, you can fix this yourself. I had a low area where the water meter repair work left a mess. It took me a year to work to fix it slowly. Mix sand and top soil and sprinkle it pretty heavy over the entire spot, filling it in a little at a time over the summer so the grass can survive. Do not mound the dirt unless you intend to re-seed or re-sod. Minor leveling can be handled this way. If it is a sink hole, you have to get more data. Use border grasses such as variegated and green planted in clumps (stays pretty all year...using weed eater, cut it down in the late winter just pre spring) and set various size pots in between clusters. Don't line up pots, put them in clusters, sitting some on top of flat rocks to elevate them. Go by a place that sifts and sells dirt and they have large rocks cheap...pick up a couple. If you can find one that has a flat side, it is good for sitting a pot/planter on top. Hanging planter boxes on the railings would be stunning and easy to keep watered. Or you can accent with just 1 large pot at each side of the foot of the steps.Helpful Reply
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Karen R on Mar 27, 2014Pine needles also attract bugs. You will need a bug resistant mulch.Helpful Reply
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The Garden Frog with C Renee on Mar 27, 2014You need to extend your downspouts especially on the corner of the house to be farther away from the house. You also need to make sure the slope goes away from the house and not towards! Is this a morning pic? or afternoon? does this area get morning or afternoon sun? This will make a huge difference in what you plant. You have many choices and I would definitely look into some height on the ends of the home as well as on each side of the step and something evergreen for the front mixed in with some perennials for summer blooms. since you are a beginner, picking plants like Black eyed Susans, coneflowers, asters, and daylilies for color. You should stick with evergreen along the foundation to keep winter interest and also helps with heating/cooling. do not plant too close to the house and the tags do not always tell the truth about how big a plant gets. You never want plants touching your home. You have many options but looks like 4-5' is the maximum height for bushes under the window. Also look on the site Douglas sent and google native plants for GA and you will find that many native plants are sold at your local home stores without the tag saying native. You have a great palette to work with! Happy Gardening.Helpful Reply
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Rebecca McLaren on Mar 27, 2014Wow, thank you so much for all the great response! We just got rid of all the plants/shrubs last week and will dig up the stumps this were b/c I was just tired of the shrubs. They didn't look interesting or pretty so we are just ready to do something new. We definitely want to do mulch and not pine straw for sure. Will read the posts more carefully later today and will check on the site you posted, Douglas. :)Helpful Reply
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Elizabeth P on Mar 28, 2014Knock-out roses are super for looking great, ease of care, stays colorful from early spring until first frost. The red or pink are the best ones in my opinion. We have them on the east side (front yard) and the west side (back yard) of our home and we have been so pleased with them. No heavy spraying, fertilizing, pruning like other roses. These are more of a shrub rose. Other than that, Encore azaleas would be my next choice for acidic soil. They bloom twice a year. Then you can have seasonal annuals in front of shrubs for year round color.Helpful Reply
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Carole Alden on Mar 28, 2014Pine needles are free when you have a nice row of trees behind your house. I use mine for pathways, cuts down on mud.Helpful Reply
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Theresa Hughes on Mar 28, 2014I would turn it into a woodland garden gnome haven complete with waterfall and logs and plantsHelpful Reply
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Theresa Hughes on Mar 28, 2014And throw some woodland animals in for good measure deer rabbits squirrels skunks even some birds and butterfliesHelpful Reply
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Theresa Hughes on Mar 28, 2014I would also get rid of the pine needles altogether and put down some cedar chips or mulchHelpful Reply
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D Meconi on Mar 28, 2014I would suggest to splurge on one focal piece to the left of your stairs. Weeping Cherry, Japanese Maple or a Sculptured Pine. Then in that area you could place a couple boulders and a ground cover.It is best to talk to a local nursery to find what works best in your area. Talk is freeHelpful Reply
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Rebecca McLaren on Mar 29, 2014I was thinking Japanese Maple in front of the porch as well!Helpful Reply
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Rebecca McLaren on Mar 29, 2014Great advice thank you!! Yes, we are just going to tai sit slow. My husband is pulling up the stumps as we speak and we're just going to take our time to figure out what to do Great advice, Renee!!Helpful Reply
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Concrete Creations on Mar 29, 2014I am a sucker for flowers, different combination of flowers, different colors, and height that will add a lot of curb appeal to the house. I went to the local nursery and got several flats for $10 each, some bulbs variety from Costco for $20 each. Done!Helpful Reply
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Linda Wilson on Mar 30, 2014If there is a master gardeners program in your county (call county extension agent) there will be several people wanting to help you (no charge). They won't do the work but would be glad to help you design it.Helpful Reply
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Deborah G. on Mar 30, 2014To me, the area to the right (facing) the stairs is just begging for a water feature. It would be uber easy build something with height to help balance/anchor that side of the house, and to draw people that way. There are so many options out on the web. Maybe something with some seating too? Looking forward to seeing what you do.Helpful Reply
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Donna Byram on Mar 30, 2014dwarf nandina's would look great in front of the porch They like sun. Plus if you have a shady spot a camellia is pretty. Both of these stay green all year.Helpful Reply
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