Im at a complete loss... Pls help!

9 years ago

Hi. Im a newbie to the site and to landscaping. Ive spent the last 3 months getting my bfs bachelor pad... "refined" by adding low maintenance landscaping. I removed all the old overgrown shubs & took out @ riverburchs (shew! what a chore!) I had a designer from a local nursery come out but that didnt go well, as she placed rose creek abelias as a foundation shrub. Im looking for low maintenance and suggestions to help off set the God awful blue siding as well as that empty space between the porch & carport (27 ft)... Our 3 yr goal is to sell so we dont want to customize too much but still have wonderful curb appeal. Im in zone 8 & full sun... I would love to incorporate as many fragrant plants/shrubs as possible. Im thinking a whimsical or cottage garden would probably work better. I recently planted the double knot roses & the crape myrtle. My thoughts were tea olives, dwarf yaupon holly, abelias, purple pixie, double mint gardenias,spring sonata hawthorne, and the purple diamond Im open to suggestions and help! Thanks in advance! oh... and yes Ive accumulated A LOT of plants!

This post was edited by June73 on Sun, Aug 10, 14 at 10:22

Comments (6)

June73
Original Author
9 years ago
side of house that is seen as approaching.
June73
Original Author
9 years ago
3 months ago this was desert... should i plant something under the tree? what about the slope near the sewage pipe?
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June73
Original Author
9 years ago
my roses... are they in the wrong place?
June73
Original Author
9 years ago
need a plant to mark property line
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
9 years ago
Do you have a budget? Is hardscape in it?

If you want curb appeal you need to tackle that lawn first. It needs help.

Everything in your photos looks straight. Curved paths or hedges would help break things up.

Here is a link that might be useful: Is this what you are thinking?
PRO
Yardvaark
9 years ago
Here is a basic approach you could take: a multi-trunk small tree (to create a fan-shape branch pattern against the blank space) in a semicircular bed of groundcover that extends to the house, with a single dome-shaped shrub below each window, and a bed of daylilies around the porch. (A mixed color bed of them could bloom for a few weeks. Stella d'Oro along the leading edge could extend the bloom for a long time. You could decide how to detail it and what plants could make it happen. Obviously, the tree is the most significant element so should be high up in the budget since your time frame is only three years. Improving the complexion of the lawn will definitely make the whole picture look better. (It's a key element.)

Added in edit: Oh yeah ... you think a "cottage" garden" is not overly customized? I view that style as many times being in direct opposition to the basic goals of landscaping. I'm not saying it can't be made compatible to some degree, but doing so is not exactly a simple, cut & dried exercise. It's much more complex. A cottage garden is usually the result of a plant lover's (& hoarder's) passion for plants, not their desire enhance the home in the most effective way possible. And what percentage of house buyers are looking to buy and take care of such a garden? It would be only a very few out of 100 people. For the purpose of resale, stick with the basic uncluttered, problem-solving approach.

This post was edited by Yardvaark on Sun, Aug 10, 14 at 12:52