how to handle a long (100') shallow (15') front yard?

18 years ago

Our house is very close to the street -- about 15 feet from the edge of the sidewalk to the outside wall of the house in front. However, the yard is wide: 100 feet from end to end. As you can see from the pictures, there is more yard on the sides, but I've been struggling for years with how to make the front yard look more interesting and how to break it up. The house faces east , so the sun starts at the end of the house by our neighbor (and the paperbark maple) and moves across the front during the morning and early afternoon. Big oaks behind the house and in the yard to the south mean the southern end of the yard doesn't get sun past about 2 pm.

I don't like formal, although I like things a little more tidy than pure cottage garden. The less grass (i.e. turf) the better; my goal is to get rid of it all.

A brief description -- the tree at the farthest north edge of the yard, hardly visible without its leaves, is a paperbark maple. I'm reasonably happy with that end of the yard. It's from about the north (right) edge of the house on that I'm stuck. You can see the star magnolia in bloom, and next to it the silly little mugo pine that I just stuck there, always intending to move it. The front bed behind the magnolia is 4-5' deep and has red roses, alchemilla, heuchera, hostas, helleborus foetidus, and some totally out of control anemonme japonica. To the other side of the front door the bed is a little less deep, and has yellow and white roses, tall daylilies, geraniums, coreopsis zagreb... At the far south end of the front yard is my vegetable garden, which gets closer and closer to the house every year as the neighbors' trees shade it more.

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Comments (9)

gottagarden
18 years ago
What a great house! I suggest posting this on the discssions page, and pointing them to the gallery for your picture, because a lot of people (like me) only look at the gallery unless pointed to by a poster on the discussion page. You'll get a lot more help by posting over there.
GOod luck!
dainaadele
18 years ago
Gorgeous house! Where are you located? With the cobblestone, it must be older city in US or in EU. You might want to post your zone. It may get you a few more nibbles. Have fun!
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mad_nil
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks. We're in Pittsburgh. I know of one other house in the city with the same crazy brick on the front of the house.

I thought the zone would show up because I filled it in in the template for the post, but clearly not.
luckyladyslipper
18 years ago
I used to have such distain for shrubs clipped like chicken croquettes, but I seem to be developing a nostalgia for a time before my time. I would love to see some very Twenties-like clipped evergreens. Your absolutely fabulous house seems to beg for them.

I can't come across any photos on the web with quite the look I had in mind, but a site showing Sissinghurst (England) has something similar. In addition to the url below, check out the 4 vertical evergreens in the courtyard, 3rd photo down
http://www.invectis.co.uk/sissing/sscourtyd.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Check the last 2 photos
lpinkmountain
17 years ago
Evergreen hedge. What the heck, it's cottagey! LOVE the house! Maybe boxwood hedge if you don't mind the cat pee smell when it rains.
jojoco
17 years ago
Your house looks like a "storybook" house. What fun! You may have seen the link, but there are lots of homes that have a similar style to yours.

Here is a link that might be useful: storybook homes
careytearose
17 years ago
You have such a wonderful style of house to have as a backdrop for plants in the front!! What about an english/cottage style with lots of flowers and boxwood edging along the sidewalk edge. You could easily add an arch with roses and honeysuckle and clematis right at the front sidewalk edge and make a little pathway random stone set in sand perhaps)going up to the front door.

careytearose
laurabs
16 years ago
It's such an interesting house! I'd have to play with pictures of plants and bushes to be able to do it, but it would sure be fun.

I'd try (pictures of) very tall, pointy evergreen bushes and gray-foliage plants like licorice plant (I'm in zone 7) and bright dwarf spireas or other dwarf bright green deciduous or everygreen foliage bushes to see about brightening it up. In other words, different feathery textures with architectural textures and dark and brighter colors and then a more subdued scheme to see what looks right. I had a lot of fun with a dark brick-front townhouse that had dark burgundy shutters and wide white trim. I used lava rock under the dwarf holly bushes and it looked great.
mid_tn_mama
16 years ago
That house!!! I'm in love!!

It's so English cottage garden looking: can you purchase any of the English Gardening Magazines. You will get tons of ideas for a garden that works with the architecture.

If it were me, I'd like some deciduous plantings that are dwarfs. They anchor the garden in the winter and early spring. I'd plant an every-blooming garden of perennials around those. Then fill in with annuals. Perhaps a short open wattle fence to keep blooms from falling out.

What exposure to you get and what zone do you live in?