maybe Korean box

how about a pic .. i cant picture your words ...

ken

Photo

You can see the front porch. The door is on the far right side. There isn't steps in this old picture but the will be right next to the top retaining wall

Shadyplace I Will check our Korean box.

I have a retaining wall when you walk out my front door to the left that is about a 6' drop.

What do your local zoning regulations require? You need something that will not just discourage someone from blundering over the edge, but something that will ensure that they can't go over the edge if they are running or if they fall.

@lazyguardens - I live out outside the city and the township I live in is almost non existent, I looked in the MN state rules and couldn't find anything. I know our insurance company was out and they didn't say anything...

Spiraea nipponica 'Snowmound' is a pretty plant and very tough. The white flowers might look nice with your pretty house.

@splitrock - They look pretty cool. Will do some investigating. I am thinking now I may put a physical fence of some kind up, and then try and plant these shrubs next to it or underneath so they eventually will be consumed by the shrub, maybe giving both security and aesthetics.

i would put in a 6 foot wide mulch bed .. and tell the kids that they are NEVER TO WALK IN MY GARDEN BED ...

besides.. use the back door/garage door/lower level door ..... quit tracking dirt in my new front door .... crikey.. how may times do i have to tell you that.. lol ...

once you achieve that ... you can plant anything you want ...

i would not want to put a boxwood.. actually anything.. that would require shearing once or three times a year.. blimey.. you cant work on one side .. there is a hole there ...

as to a fast fix... two or three split rail fence posts ... and rails... 3 holes.. bammo.. done ...

and when they rot off in 5 years or so ... get rid of them.. because by then.. the kids will be well trained... and your drunken friends will know how to get to the front door ...

this is the entrance to your new castle ... dont go all cheapo and plant just anything to solve the problem ... [not that the split rail is a thing of beauty ... but it can be done in hours.. rather than waiting 3 years for shrubbery to accomplish the task ...]

take the time to EVOLVE a landscape plan .. and plant accordingly ... but dont pick some fast growing POCarp ... simply to be done with it ...

thx for the pic... it is nothing like i interpreted your words ....

whats the green stuff.. grass seed mat or something ...

i think you need to define a 5 year landscape plan ... to fully understand your options as to the question asked ..

i hit preview already.. so i cant see your pic anymore .... is the wall concrete or block retaining wall ... consider if a plant will become a problem if block wall ... most wont.. but its an issue ...

ken

I agree...a fence. We have quite a drop off in our front yard with a retaining wall as well. I can't begin to tell you how many times we get to goofing off and am just glad the fence is there for security. Though my boys are somewhat grown... (14-17 yrs old) we still have visitors with little ones. The only heart stoping moment...when one decided to walk on the cap of the retaining wall on the other side of the fence. (Not my child...one visiting) Best investment ever...for peace of mind. Ours is a vinyl picket fence. But any fence would help with your stairs so close to the retaining wall area.

You could still plant something to drape down over the wall...but...not needing a barrier will allow you to do so much more for that area as in landscaping.

That much of a drop deserves a fence. Tall enough you can't sit on it, or fall over it. I have a few friends I would worry about, just walking by as it now appears. Some even bring their kids! ;-)
Nice home in the woods! Don't landscape it as if it were in the suburbs.
Mike

@ken_adrian

Thanks for the info. Green stuff is some matting to hold the soil down while the grass was growing. This was last year when we had some crazy rain going on (and this year). My back yard was slowly washing into my front yard.

The wall is a concrete block retaining wall. about the cheapest option out there... started running out of money after the house was done.

@cadillactaste & @mikebotann - Yeah, I agree and I am going to put a fence up. I am going to put up a guard rail on the porch and on the one side the rail for the steps is going to come down above the retaining wall... I am thinking about trying to extend its look out so it transitions from handrail to fence... maybe some type of cedar, then plant some type of greenery in front of it.

We've got a similar situation at our place, due to a terraced yard. We added a boxwood hedge, running the length of our concrete block retaining wall.

It's worked well as a reminder when the kids are running for a ball or frisbee:

My Landscaping Project blog