What to do with front yard pine beds. Simple and affordable

Rebecca McLaren
by Rebecca McLaren
My husband and I have NO idea what we are doing as far as the yard goes and we don't have a lot of money to spend. Want something simple, low maintenance, but classy. Sun rises on the front of the house and gets lots of sun. We don't want plants that come back yearly and want it to look good all year round not just in spring. If I do flowers I would rather do them in a pot and change them out when I want. We live in Georgia. This is definitely a do-it-yourself project.:) Thank you @karenestrada for mentioning this forum! Any ideas or resources will help!
So much space and not sure how to fill it.
Side of house. Would like to expand on the pine bed and make it bigger.
Rain collects here and gets mushy. Thinking river rock? But not sure how to design it.:(
  18 answers
  • Adrianne C Adrianne C on Mar 27, 2014
    Pine 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.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Mar 27, 2014
    The 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.
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Mar 27, 2014
    Beautiful 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.
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    • D Meconi D Meconi on Mar 28, 2014
      Your downspouts may be routed underground.
  • Karen R Karen R on Mar 27, 2014
    Pine needles also attract bugs. You will need a bug resistant mulch.
    • @Karen R you are right but I remember looking at houses when we were going to move to the Atlanta area that almost everywhere you look Pine mulch was down. Ugh I did not like the look because I like mulch! True Cypress and Cedar are bug resistant but Cedar is expensive and now cypress is a blend.
  • You 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.
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    • @Rebecca McLaren I just had to add: For green all year and to border the walkway I would think about Liriope (or Monkey Grass). It is so indestructible and grows in any condition. Once a year in early spring you mow it high and it comes back within 6 weeks! It does spread but can be contained. Absorbs a lot of water too. Look into building up against the foundation too with dirt to get it to slope away some more and add extensions on the downspouts that do not have them. Many people also put rock/gravel along the house about a foot out too for drainage. In the heat, Black eyed susans will give you summer blooms, Autumn Joy Sedum will take the heat for fall color. Look into Happy returns daylily for bright yellow blooms that rebloom 2-3 a year. Planters are a great idea but in the heat of the sun you will be watering them a couple times a day so choose plants that can tolerate extreme heat and sun. I am not a fan of holly but there are varieties that can tolerate the sun and heat and require little maintenance-one to check out is Carissa Holly which needs no pruning and is attractive for foundation plantings and can adapt to any soil conditions. For beginners I do not recommend Alberta Spruces which are in many topiary forms and are readily available at garden centers. they do not like to dry out and many die because someone at the store did not water them correctly and they dried out. I would think about Knock out Roses and now that they have more colors they are so easy to grow and maintain! these would do well along the right of the house going along that retaining wall. Just remember to have the dirt run away from the wall and the house! Good luck again LOL
  • Rebecca McLaren Rebecca McLaren on Mar 27, 2014
    Wow, 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. :)
  • Elizabeth P Elizabeth P on Mar 28, 2014
    Knock-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.
  • Carole Alden Carole Alden on Mar 28, 2014
    Pine needles are free when you have a nice row of trees behind your house. I use mine for pathways, cuts down on mud.
  • Theresa Hughes Theresa Hughes on Mar 28, 2014
    I would turn it into a woodland garden gnome haven complete with waterfall and logs and plants
  • Theresa Hughes Theresa Hughes on Mar 28, 2014
    And throw some woodland animals in for good measure deer rabbits squirrels skunks even some birds and butterflies
  • Theresa Hughes Theresa Hughes on Mar 28, 2014
    I would also get rid of the pine needles altogether and put down some cedar chips or mulch
  • D Meconi D Meconi on Mar 28, 2014
    I 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 free
  • Rebecca McLaren Rebecca McLaren on Mar 29, 2014
    I was thinking Japanese Maple in front of the porch as well!
    • @Rebecca McLaren Unfortunately many Japanese Maples do not like the intense sun so make sure it is a variety that says "full sun" on the tag. if it says part sun, then the plant will tolerate late afternoon sun or morning sun until about noon. morning sun means just that. Many topiaries and standards require regular maintenance and attention and Alberta Spruces are very hard to grow for beginners and they do not like being dried out at all. I also want you to know the tags are not always right about height and width either! The average is set on the tag and I have found that if the plant likes where it is then you can count on it getting bigger since we have longer seasons than those up north. A Weeping cherry can be about 10' wide or more after about 10 years in zone 7 or 8 so keep this in mind. I have seen them as wide as 15'. In GA (like here in VA) you have so many options! But make sure you choose plants that you can take care of. I help many of my neighbors choose plants suited to their abilities and time. I also have rain barrels attached to my down spouts and I save about $60 or more a year on my water bill. I soon will have them on the front of the house camouflaged because I live by HOA rules. native plants are another option for you especially going down the retaining wall. Take your time and do not jump into it.
  • Rebecca McLaren Rebecca McLaren on Mar 29, 2014
    Great 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!!
  • Concrete Creations Concrete Creations on Mar 29, 2014
    I 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!
  • Linda Wilson Linda Wilson on Mar 30, 2014
    If 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.
  • Deborah G. Deborah G. on Mar 30, 2014
    To 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.
  • Donna Byram Donna Byram on Mar 30, 2014
    dwarf 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.