As far as the backyard goes, I am not too concerned with right now because we just removed a 32 foot kayak pool and are about to yank out the deck and install a 3 seasons room across the back wall of the house. Therefore, I will worry about that landscaping later.

I've been worn out as far as design goes as we are just about finished with renovating the inside of the house. Now I want my pretty farmhouse garden, and I have no more ideas. Any input is welcome!

Last Year

Last Year Right Side of the House

What I've done so far

A current view of the right side of the house

Help! I just think everything looks messy and uneven. Granted I think it looks a lot better than it did last year... I just want it to look "put together" yet still have a somewhat "country" and "farmhouse" feel to it.

Emerald Euonymous
Impatiens
Hosta
Azalea
Alyssum

and then the same on the other side of course.

But I also think you need to find your way between the formal foundation planting the house has and what you envision for the house and yard as a whole, which might be more along the lines of what Woody describes, which I like. Those shrubs would not be at the foundation but out in the yard as free standing specimens, perhaps with garden beds connecting. Certainly not at the foundation.

Finally, it may not be symmetry you're after but balance. That can consist of equivalent plant forms, or groupings of plants of equal visual weight on either side.

KarinL

How much ground is this house situated on?

First recommendation: Break yourself of the habit of thinking that your primary role as your own designer is to plant plants.

Your thinking "family home" and "farmhouse", "country" and "pulled together".

Great goal. Keep it as a constant touchstone. Let it help you move away from thinking that a few perennials and annuals are going to resolve your design objectives.

Farmhouse, country, honoring a tradition?, pulled together.

What needs to be kept, or stripped away, added or subtracted or re-oriented in order to better accomplish your vision?

A friend of mine has the loveliest farmhouse porch I’ve ever visited. It’s pretty simple. She has the space for two large rockers and an old carved church pew. I hear her talk about different ways she marks the seasons with her door wreaths, something she enjoys creating. She also gets tons of mileage for the re-use of an old water trough complete with pump handle. She’s turned it into a planter and it’s where she tries different annual displays each year. But that’s it as far as foundation planting. The trough is a few feet in front of one side of the porch. Other shrubs, as described above, are located away from the foundation. I think she told me she is considering a climbing rose on a trellis at one corner of her porch, but that’s because it’s one of the few places where she feels a rose might do well.

I say it’s lovely, because of the number of times a group of us have gathered there. There’s a feel to it. Nothing fussy. Yet I constantly hear others oooh and ahhh over the setting. So I guess I’m assuming it works somehow.

My point is that symmetry isn’t the issue. Someone above suggested balance. I think that’s right, but even before that I think you need to give yourself permission to do something different from what you’ve been persuaded is "right". Why did you plant these symmetrical beds?

What if your house, and the porch, and the approach to your porch is better served by thinking differently about what, where, and whether to plant anything?

BTW, for whoever asked, we are on 20 acres. The house itself is on about an acre, fenced in

Second, Photoshop mock-ups are deceptive about bed depth. That doesn't mean mock-ups are a waste of time, just that we need to be aware how much space is actually required. A graph paper diagram is necessary as a reality check.

For instance -- I'm going into picky detail here -- at the right corner you've got the tall triangular conifer. Judging by the width of the front door and the windows, that conifer is probably about 3 1/2 - 4' in diameter at the ground, and should have been planted so the back edge is at least a foot from the house (to minimize moss on the clapboards and allow for maintenance to the house). So the front of the triangular conifer is 4 1/2 - 5' from the house.

In front of that is the round green shrub. It looks about 5' wide. So the front of this shrub is about 9 1/2 - 10' from the house.

In front of that is the white-flowered hydrangea (peony?). It looks about 6' wide. Let's assume it's two plants next to each other (rather than one of 6' diameter), and is only 3 - 4' deep. So the front of these plants is about 12 1/2' - 14' from the house.

And in front of the white-flowered plants is a low, moundy green thing about 5 1/2' wide. Let's assume it's two plants also, about 3' deep. At this point, the depth of the flowerbed is 15 1/2 - 17' deep.

How far is it from the house to the lowest step? I'm guessing it's about 9 - 10'?

By the way, did anyone ever ask what direction the house faces?

Besides yanking out those big shrubs will be a chore and you'll probably regret it. If after a season of the colorful seasonal parade in front of the steady as she goes evergreen foundation plantings you don't like it, then rip them out.

Go back to some posts on thinking about how you want to use and experience your property.

At some point I think the actual plantings will need small trees, farther away from the house. The current approach of having everything tight up against the siding looks wrong, to me. This is not a general anti-foundation planting concern--it has to do with the fact that your property is more expansive, and so it doesn't help to look as though you are limited to 6-8 feet out from the foundation, as though the house is girding itself from the surrounding acre. That also addresses the height of the house--you can't get tall enough item planted that closely--the tight columnar forms look wrong--compared to small ornamental trees softening the corners.

Try more of an aerial or overhead drawing of the house and property and not the frontal or elevation views, for now. Use more space.

Or something like that.