Need help to fix my front garden - it's a mess :( Do I have too many bushes??

Sini N
by Sini N
My burning bush died off, we trimmed it right down, but doesn't seem to be coming back, have butterfly bush, a lilac bush, several rose of sharon.....a some mix matched plants/flowers - could it be all the roots are killing other plants off? too much root??
This is the view from the road - ran out of parking space so we had to cover up the front portion of the garden with the patio stones for my son's car :(
View from my front door - tried to reroot some rose of sharon - garbage :( my burning bush we cut back because half looked dead this spring - still not sprouting :(
view from side *sigh* :(
Coming up my driveway - not TOO bad, but needs serious work :(
Can't remove this sunflower - I didn't plant it, they randomly sprout every year - my recently deceased friend LOVED sunflowers, so we take it as her planting them lol
  17 answers
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Jun 25, 2012
    not so much too many but too big...Unfortunately you have that big dopy electrical thing, which needs a certain amount of "access". Perhaps some smaller ornamental flowering bushes.
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Jun 25, 2012
    With that big electrical "thing", I would clean out all plants and start over. Since you have to have access, place a couple of suitable height bushes in front and keep it trimmed. Add mulch from the 2 bushes to the concrete squares. In the summer you can add color with a couple of cute planted pots. On the sides that do not require access, put in lattice work and plant in front of it. Just adding more and more makes it clumsy and hard to keep attractive. If you have mature bushes, trim them back and keep.
  • Sini N Sini N on Jun 25, 2012
    Yes, I guess in the fall I will start over for next year. I did plant some annuals in front of the box today - hate that thing, but that's a good idea about the lattice, and definitely will be putting in flowering bushes :) I do have a butterfly bush, but with the rose of sharon x 4 and 2 butterfly bushes...as well as the lilac...there are too many big ones :( Thanks for the help :)
    • Margie*Lee Margie*Lee on Jan 24, 2014
      @Sini N I love our butterfly bushes but keep in mind they will get huge! Since that is an electrical box, you will need some help with removing the larger plants and bushes to do it safely. Whatever you end up doing, be sure to mulch the entire space. It will look neater and keep the weeds down.
  • Nancy H Nancy H on Jun 25, 2012
    I agree with starting over, but you can't dig around that big electrical "thing". That's risky! I would get rid of the stuff thats there, then get some inexpensive old looking pots and fill them with annuals you love. Then start making a list of things you might like to plant in the fall. In the meantime, call the utility company that owns that "thing" and ask what the digging restrictions are. Go from there! Good luck!
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jun 27, 2012
    Sini, you definitely have too many plants for a space of that size. No doubt you wanted things to look full when you planted them, but you failed to take into account how big things would get. This happens all the time. I'm not sure that space is big enough for one rose of sharon, let alone four. Because you somewhat want to disguise that electric box, I would suggest you pick a small-scale evergreen for the front and put a taller one at the back (making sure it has a fairly upright form). Along the sides you can then plant a selection of perennials to give you seasonal color. Do you get enough cold weather in Beverly Hills for a lilac?
  • Laura K Laura K on Jun 27, 2012
    I'd do some ornamental grasses, grow fast, can be trimmed to size and adds some nice interest.
  • Jan C Jan C on Jun 28, 2012
    I'd put shrubs behind, maybe two Rose of Sharon's centered behind since you must like them, and put 4 big pots, at least 2'x2', - one to each side and 2 in front filled with Annuals. That will keep beautiful color and the utility men can just roll them out of the way when they need to get to the box, and it won't be dangerous digging that close to the box. If the pots are ornamental, that will give you even more design, or buy big plastic cheap clay ones at Walmart/HomeDepot/Lowes and paint colors that you like.
  • Carol S Carol S on Jun 28, 2012
    You will have to call dig safe in -- before you start - out here it is free. It is hard for me to understand how they allowed you small trees and bushes. Daisy and hosta plant down in front , 1 rose o sharron in the front on each side of the g-box. You might want to move the Clementis up front on a trellis. Down size the Lilac bush and give an oriental look. Any low to medium height flowering plants you have, in my opinion, should be used to line the driveway.
  • Marie S Marie S on Sep 12, 2013
    lattice built around it to hide the box. Cut back the bushes,take out the suckers, top some them. Yes be sure to call about the digging there. Was the box there when you moved in?
    • Sally Sally on Jul 09, 2014
      @Marie S The appearance of a small fence or surround could become a decorative feature to your front door
  • Marie S Marie S on Sep 12, 2013
    also call around for a garden / yard person to come in to look at it and how much to have then do the pruning of the tree / bushes.
  • Mikell Paulson Mikell Paulson on Nov 06, 2013
    I have one of those ugly boxes in my yard too! I built a small cedar fence around it leaving room for the meter reader. I planted Clematis to grow around the fence put some red and green bushes in front of the fence. annuals and bulbs to add more color! I wish I had a picture to send to you! I live in WA. Just across the water from Victoria .
  • Margie*Lee Margie*Lee on Jan 24, 2014
    YES! There is too much going on in that space. Rose of Sharon will take over that space if you let it and if you want to keep a lilac there, I would suggest you get a bush called Miss Kim. It's a smaller bush and would look perfect in front of the square box. Cut back the rest and see what you would like to keep and what you can dig out and get rid of or transplant someplace else. I would also consider taking a picture of that space to your nursery and asking them for advice. I did that with our last house and was amazed at how much help that was and it wasn't at all expensive.
  • Terri Coffman Terri Coffman on Jan 24, 2014
    When you pick things to plant you need to pay attention to the size it will become... not the size it is. a lilac and rose of Sharon will both get tall and wide! you will waste a lot of money planting inappropriate plants if you aren't careful. also pay attention to if they like Shade or sun. some things you plant may not work even if you think they should depending on soil etc
  • Irish53 Irish53 on Jan 24, 2014
    yes it is your friend and maybe a squirrel planting the sunflower. I would never remove it. The dimes on my floors from nowhere are my Mom visiting. Take measurements of what the plants are full grown. Make a layout on graph paper. Write a list of what plants you have and pair them with the plants they will tolerate. Use groups of any three plants when deciding locations to keep spacing at maximum for healthy plants.
  • PAMELA PAMELA on Nov 03, 2016
    EXCUSE CAPS, HELP ME SEE CLEARLY! DID YOU DO ALL THE PLANTINGS? YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS THE ELECTRIAL BOX. IF YOU HAVE OR CAN GET PLASTIC PLANT POTS, REMOVE THE PLANTS THAT ARE STILL ALIVE. I WISH YOU HAD A PHOTO FROM A DISTANCE TO SEE MORE OF WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON AT THE FRONT OF YOUR HOME. YOU NEED TO START LOOKING FOR SIMPLE DESIGNS AND PERHAPS, DECORATIVE SMALL GRASSES AROUND THE ELECTRICAL BOX...SOME RIVER ROCK, PUT DOWN PLASTIC AND REMOVE THE EDGING..SO FOR A NATURAL THEME..
  • Tigy Tigy on Nov 04, 2016
    In case of a power failure, the power company will need access to the inside so keep this in mind. They will remove whatever plants are blocking.
  • KKhomebody KKhomebody on Nov 08, 2016
    If possible, I would remove everything and start anew, with neat and tidy new growth plants and transplant the large growers in the backyard. Dwarf Nandina, Dwarf Boxwood, a topiary or Juniper trained to grow up in a cone shape would be nice. Read the plant tags and pick plantings that are slow growing so it is not so much work to keep them trimmed and compact. Put down weed block cloth and mulch too ,if your budget allows. You can also add plants to your Xmas list and maybe Santa will bring a few pots. Pansy flowers ,in cool weather, and Vicca flowers, in hot weather ,scattered about would bring some color seasonally. White vinegar makes an excellent weed killer for the seam around your stones. Shipping crate wood ,stained walnut colored,with metal address numbers makes a pretty screen ,if you are allowed, to conceal the utility box and it will still be accessible from sides and back. Let this space make "you" happy and welcome you home everyday. Have fun!🌷🌼🌻🌺🌹🌸💮🐞🐝🌞🌱😁