Asked on May 14, 2015

Help with low maintenance landscaping ideas!!!

Snezhana
by Snezhana
Is there anything I can do to make this front door look more pleasant? Any ideas are welcome! Being able to repurpose things would be amazing! I'm willing to put time into this project but the budget isn't too high.
Any ideas to boost the liveliness of this house? Also, if you could include approximate price of your idea, that would be lovely!
The trees in the front will most likely get cut down (unless we decide otherwise). There will be another rock path leading from the existing one to the mail box (perpendicular to the road).
  14 answers
    • Snezhana Snezhana on May 18, 2015
      Thanks for your input! We are really considering changing something about the door; not sure yet if we want to change the whole door or just paint it
  • Colette Colette on May 14, 2015
    Paint your front door an appealing color. A green or barn red. I would not use soft colors or very bright. Large pots on either side or front door, 3, with large growing shrubs. Smaller pots with plants around large pots. Put plants in ground or in pots along the rock path. If you can, stone or wood patio with some outdoor furniture under window on the right or far to the left. Home depot has good terracotta pots for a good price. They have good prices for plants also. If you don't know what to plant, look in your neighborhood to see what others are growing. Adding herbs in a garden is nice looking, they grow well in pots, and you can use to flavor your cooking. Good luck from a gardener in CA
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    • Snezhana Snezhana on May 18, 2015
      Barn red would be nice i think! We just put a little bench up front which is barn red :) so it'll look nice.. Thanks!
  • Lee Cunningham Green Lee Cunningham Green on May 14, 2015
    I agree with Colette, paint that front door, put a brass knocker on it or a wreath for each season. some shrubs on either side of the front door to create a better threshhold. a path that goes right between those trees to the mail box would be cute. Potted plants are great because you seldom have to weed them and you can get a punch of color right away. I myself would probably want to add some country charm, a Big old Milk Jug with my family name on it or a Whiskey Barrel with a basket sitting on it with a potted plant inside for some height and color. Also a seating area, even if you never use it is appealing, two simple chairs and a little table off to one side. But more than anything I would deifinatly add color , this could be made a very cozy front yard, and flowering shrubs are wonderful Up north you can enjoy flowers like Peonies, Lilacs, and Rhodies, Azelia's and Lilies that will bloom year after year and bring aroma and beauty. I love apple trees as well and in the north Apple Trees, Peach Trees and Pear Trees. are wonderful.
  • Liliana Wells Liliana Wells on May 15, 2015
    The house definitely needs color. Start with the door. The are lots of tutorials on HomeTalk for front door redos. The other ideas by Colette and Lee Cunningham Green are great. Good luck.
  • Lindy Lindy on May 15, 2015
    That house is like a bowl of oatmeal right now Plan A: Perfect idea would be to add a farmers porch. Plan B: Shutters-check antique stores or shops that have items for sale from homes that were demolished. You may be able to find some inexpensive ones at home stores as well. Agree with painting the door a barn or deep red with black shutters. You can get large plastic pots that look like decorative terracotta. I'd fill them with red and white geraniums with a blue trailing plant or a blue lobelia. A path to the mailbox is awesome idea. You can buy cement 12 x 12 blocks or make your own in a form- Bushes in front, trim trees, add a white rock garden under them (looks like you could use some good black dirt), and trim existing shrubs (or remove). Lovely farm house you have.
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    • Lindy Lindy on May 18, 2015
      @Snezhana If you get the porch then that's a whole new planting scenario, but as it is now this is my thought: Window boxes on the two front windows, bright colors to wake up the white, black shutters, green boxwood or something that stays green all year on each side of the door, smallish round garden around mailbox with big, red geraniums. Oh how I wish I lived closer! A blank canvas!
  • Linda Linda on May 15, 2015
    Yes, paint the door and what would really make this house pretty would be shutters on the windows. You can order the plastic ones [get the narrow width] at Lowe's or Home Depot. I would even put them on each side of the front door. If you can afford the top capes they would look awesome. When you can afford it, a porch would make this a stunning home.
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    • Linda Linda on May 18, 2015
      @Snezhana They are inexpensive and the color is in them. They are not painted. We put these on a home we built and they looked great.
  • Linda Linda on May 15, 2015
    Trim trees a bit higher up so the front can be seen and move the mailbox off to the side.
  • Moxie Moxie on May 15, 2015
    It looks shaded; so I would go for hosta groupings like the big elephant ear ones to the rear and some planted bed area with annual inpatients, maybe an ivy to group up an inexpensive vertical "something" (like a ladder or whatever you have),, maybe a few potted arrangements for depth and interest and perhaps an old chair with little table to sit and chat for a while. I love the shutter idea above and painting the door would help but whatever you do, do what what makes you smile every time you see it : )
    • Snezhana Snezhana on May 19, 2015
      Thanks for your input! We have a couple hostas in the backyard, hidden behind bushes do we might replant them in the front. What do you think about forming little "hills" on both sides of the door and plant the hostas there along with some carpet flowers?
  • Pat Pat on May 15, 2015
    I like Linda's idea of shutters and a nice piece of moulding over the door. Even without the shutters, some substantial trin around the door and a nice color on the door would do a lot!
    • Snezhana Snezhana on May 19, 2015
      The trim around the door is a good idea- do you think we'd need to change something with the windows on the house to match?
  • Beverly P Beverly P on May 15, 2015
    I would first off build a nice porch of some sort, like a small deck. Then, I would do all shade loving perennials on the sides of the deck, and then create a nice walkway using cement and the mods you can get at home depot or lowes. Bring some color with shutters and paint your door to either contrast or match the shutters. If you do all of this yourself, you can keep it under $500.00 easily, probably much less.
    • Snezhana Snezhana on May 19, 2015
      Shutters is something I really think would make this house look better; when we just moved here this house did have them but I guess they were in bad shape? My parents got rid of them
  • Lynda Dexter Lynda Dexter on May 16, 2015
    there is also two blank "walls" on either side of the door. some wrought iron decore that is painted would be beautiful hanging there. You can usually find some really cool items for cheap at a thrift store.
    • Snezhana Snezhana on May 19, 2015
      Thanks for your advice! I do really like antiquey stuff; If we find something cool, we'll do it :)
  • Dobi Dobi on May 16, 2015
    Is this your front door? I would definitely paint the door a vibrant color and second the idea of putting large pots or urns on either side of the stoop. You have wonderful corners that you can fill in with bushes! Do you have a college in your town? They usually have a garden center where they are starting plants, they usually sell them around this time of year for a pretty decent price. definitely alot of shade around the trees, so you would need something that is shade loving. good luck!
    • Snezhana Snezhana on May 19, 2015
      Are there any bushes that you know of that don't need too much experience to be trimmed? Some that don't need to be "perfectly trimmed" lol
  • Pat Pat on May 19, 2015
    You could paint all the trim around windows in a nice color and then,beef up the door with mooulding and a nice decorative moulding on top of the door.
  • Dobi Dobi on May 19, 2015
    What color were you wanting? We have some spirea that is yellow, and it doesn't require any trimming. Well, very minor trimming! Depending on your exposure, roses especially the knock out grow fast. They do requite some trimming to keep them under control, but its very basic. they come in several different colors. hope this helps!