Start all over again or plant around
+30
I so much need to do something with my front flower bed. When we laid sod we bumped the mini flower bed out about 6 feet. The photina has to go as it is growing under the edge of the house, the Honeysuckle may or may not go...The old roses are pretty prolific but I'm kind of tired of them. But would like this to look more "cottage-y" so looking for ideas. I wanted to plant an evergreen but changed my mind...I live in pacific northwest....we spend a lot of time below freezing but dont' remember ever getting below zero but have been in the teens, and this gets full head on summer heat of up to 100 several times in summer...
Petunia's were temporary and came out of hanging baskets used for a short time but they need to be pruned terribly!
Oh and I want a white picket fence but husband doesnt' want to hide the sod...see the yellow spot? seems doggies like the lawn way too much
20 answers
-
To get a more cottage look, add some mid-height plants. Yours are lovely, but are either tall or short. Plant them in a staggered pattern rather than in a straight line. If you remove everything and start over, don't plant so close to the house (unless you do espalier). You might also try a curve rather than a straight line border as cottage gardens are less formal.
Beth Cole Byrne
on Aug 19, 2013
-
Excellent advice from Beth. To achieve a cottage garden look, you definitely need more plants, especially those with a loose habit, so that things can weave together.
Douglas Hunt
on Aug 19, 2013
-
Need a white picket fence trim the taller bushes down. Bring it out from the house in a wandering pattern. Maybe some large boulders here and there.
Jackie
on Aug 19, 2013
-
thank you @Beth Cole Byrne and @Douglas Hunt and @Jack. Guess didn't make it plain what I was asking. I really don't like what Is there. I want to either take all of it out and plant as you said from small to tall this year I was too busy with my mom to make any permanent decisions. To achieve a nice cottagey look, Would you leave the roses, and if so what specifically would you plant in front of them? I cut them to about 18 inches in February or they'd get as tall as my house and be long and leggy! Looking for some ideas of what to actually plant....and are the roses move to another area or can they fit in?
Tanya Peterson Felsheim
on Aug 19, 2013
-
I am going to probably do some Barberry, we have some that is evergreen (red really) and some that isn't--I like the one that isn't better but having a pretty red in winter if it ever snows would be great..these I have in my cottage garden on the side...
Tanya Peterson Felsheim
on Aug 19, 2013
- See 2 previous
-
To give your bed more curb appeal round out the corner by the sidewald or driveway. Curves are always more attractive than straight lines.
Sensible Gardening and Living
on Aug 19, 2013
-
I think phlox and black-eyed Susan's give a cottage look. I am not a professional just my opinion
Bonnie Bassett
on Aug 19, 2013
-
They are curved possibly doesn't show in the photos I do like Phlox but I'd prefer Echinacia to Black Eyed susan or daisies but they grow so late in the season...but those are good ideas thank you @Bonnie Bassett on my walk this morning I took these two pictures for ideas...
Tanya Peterson Felsheim
on Aug 19, 2013
-
@Myrna I kind of agree about the "flow thing" what you're calling pycantha is probably my forsythia and it has to go as it is rooting under the foundation of the home, the Honeysuckle has not gone the way I expected, and the roses were here when I arrived. I like soft and simple so sounds like you agree with me to start all over again, will be salvaging them to some other place in the yard though they don't always replant well. The front of the house is also "off balance" with the single picture window on the left I had wanted to the honeysuckle to kind off offset the balance of the missing window but doesn't do it for me. I will keep working on it until it seems right.
Tanya Peterson Felsheim
on Aug 19, 2013
-
You could also add shutters on either side of your window for a cottage-y look!
Paula Gutierrez
on Aug 19, 2013
-
Because of the huge piece of white around the window we looked into shutters and they looked even worse and more uneven, almost coming to the side of the house. BUT probably next year I am going to completely replace the front window into something I can open and shut and then have something to balance on the other side like a trellis that won't get swallowed up! thank you @Paula Gutierrez
Tanya Peterson Felsheim
on Aug 19, 2013
-
Your roses are a great backdrop but don't provide much winter interest. I would suggest planting something in front of them that will do just that -perhaps some boxwood or yews and then adding some cottagy perennials like phlox or daisies. Make sure you share with us the results.
Heather (New House New Home)
on Aug 20, 2013
-
You could curve the bed a bit instead of a straight line...bringing it out maybe two feet more...add an arched metal ornamental pc on the wall to the rt of the window...a large one if money is not an issue. You could add some red garden phlox, some white or deep pink coneflowers, black-eyed susan, pink or purple liatris and keep the roses...add some of the smaller spirea bushes mid way out and maybe the smaller hosta's in front along with other lower growing perennials and annuals for later color...a few fall mums between the spirea for fall interest and some fall sedum...take out the honeysuckle, not very colorful and replace it with mandevilla letting it wind its way upward on the metal arch if you add one. A clematis or two in pots against the back wall, the shorter bush type in a decorative pot would be nice and on one end, maybe a tall thin evergreen...another idea-add a little bit of elevation so the water, when it rains, will not pool against your house or mid bed area... : )
Anna Marie Gustafson
on Aug 20, 2013
-
I love the roses and you can't get more cottage than roses. I would move the one under the window for the honeysuckle and maybe a white arch over the window with a flowering vine. I love morning glory's and sweet peas! I agree with more plants to fill in and items of interest maybe a few sizes of white pots that can be moved and changed seasonally when it is too hot or too cold. I love to have things flowing out of pots with assorted sizes and colors in them. Love the white picket fence :)
Lisa C
on Aug 20, 2013
- See 1 previous
-
Since your Hubby doesn't want a picket fence around the yard, you could always put a picket fence around your flower bed. Make it around 2' tall. you can also curve it slightly to make it more appealing. Put it between your roses and Petunias. that way you can still have a burst of color in front of your fence. It would be very cute.
Joanna Carrisal
on Aug 20, 2013
-
My first thought was to trim and definately add something to the right of window ...Anna Marie's idea of an arch or one of those flat trellises against the wall in a fan shape or even square so your roses and clematis will train on this. Arbors, trellises and picket fences with daisy like flowers and phlox spilling over will give you that country garden look.
Patty A
on Aug 20, 2013
-
What I meant was a deep curve. An example would be the right side of our garden space, and mostly the entire garden--deep curves. You lose some yard space but that is less to mow in my beloved's view giggles... Your area is lovely regardless!
Anna Marie Gustafson
on Aug 20, 2013
-
I dig trenches around the bricks--next spring I will use preen in the trenches...easier to keep weed free, we hate to weed-wack! Lots of stuff in this area-to name some--one Japanese Maple in a pot-new this year, the larger one is in two years-acer pal., by the statue (a free gift from a neighbor with weather damage but we like it that way), blue balloon flowers, three knockout rose bushes (we keep ours on the smaller side on the ends and let the middle one go a bit larger--pink and red ones, in the back, anise hyssop-tall and purple tips (agastache), three mums not in the pic-we just planted, a fern and nasturtium and and two hosta under the larger Japanese Maple, some hybridized daylilies from a friend of a friend who does the hybridizing, here and there groups of liatris (pinks), a little henry bush on the far end, may not see it in this pic-iris around a small birdbath also may not see but on that end bed. We have two sprays of guara, some type of red robin (I forget giggles), pink flowers and delicate looking on the far end, maybe not seen, the white flowered bushes name escapes me lol I will post my facebook page link--if you want to friend me and look at my albums you may--we are gardeners for 3.5 years now in earnest...friends who are master gardeners and some not quite but very generous in sharing so our garden has grown the last year especially...here it my link..we started by viewing others gardens--so it is good to do for sure, creating from what others bring to their garden... https://www.facebook.com/AnnaRaven
Anna Marie Gustafson
on Aug 20, 2013
-
Mine had curled and was crunchy last year with high 90's and I stripped all leaves, within 3 weeks I had nice little baby leaves all over...some say this does not always work but I figured I would try rather than ditch the tree...
Anna Marie Gustafson
on Aug 20, 2013
-
@ Anna Marie Gustafson. A number of years ago I planted a Japanese Maple n my front yard that was shaded by a huge, hundred plus yr old, four trunk River Birch... unfortunately, I had to have the Birch taken down year before last due to disease. This left my poor, now 15' Maple exposed to the 100+ temps in the full sun of Oklahoma summers ... the leaves do get crunchy by late July, but so far it's made it through two summers and comes out beautifully the following spring ... in other words, don't get rid of it😎
Donna
on Sep 29, 2016
Sign Up to Answer
