A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Gardener's Chat Opinions wanted...curb appeal?

No matter how many times I've torn out and replanted, something is just missing. These photos were taken early spring last year so it's not as full colour wise.

I am facing North-east, so it's alot of shade. Any ideas on planting and also on the house front. That's a new step I built also. Any opinion is wanted, thanks.

Sorry, trying to resize. I finally figured out why they post so small, you just click on it to bring it full size, guess that's why it's called a 'clickable thumbnail' :lala:

look good tamara. what about puttin smaller border plants in to border it like forget me nots, coral bells, or smaller hostas?

in your first pic
what are those smaller lookin shrubs in the middle of your bigger shrubs? maybe you could add some taller annuals in their till your shrubs grow in?

oooooooo good idea penny! window boxes would look great!

I should have posted the rest of my info. I can't plant any trees there because of my septic tank and field to the left at the edge of my house. There are alot of new hostas there as well, but they were just planted.

I like the window box idea. what would I plant though, it gets almost full shade against the windows?

We are also planning on replacing windows so there would be no dark grey trim, it would be white like the house. I could paint the shutters and front door maybe?

The small shrubs are newly planted spireas, hoping they fill out soon. I like the pot idea also, it just lacks colour I think. i wish the front of my house faced south.

I has a lovely silverleaf dog wood under the two windows but the snow had crushed it, so that's new plantings in it's place, that's why it looks so small.

I had honestly thought of expanding it out further and placing a small bench in that space to fill it in, I just couldn't find a high back bench i could afford.

Our house is white because DH is a practical person, in his mind who would ever get sick of the colour. Take a good look at my shutters and tell me what you think they really are? :lala:

I could do that Penny, I'll tell DH it was your idea though. He hates me dragging out boulders. It just looks so bare. I should of invested in more mature plants. I am going to look for more of those new yellow hostas that I planted last spring also. They are so bright.

Penny just click on the picture, it should expand larger for you.

The shutters are really pieces of pvc siding, DH just bought 4 grey pieces, cut half the edge off, cut them to size and tucked them behind the trim of the windows. Cost me $10 for shutters for the whole house :wink:

It gets some sun Triss.

O.k. I can't change the grey on the sides of the house so what colour would you suggest for the door, screen door and shutters? no pink please.

I could make something, never thought about it. I also could invest in a few pieces of lawn decor, the only thing I have are a purple gazing ball and two turtles from the dollar store. I'm showing DH this to show him it's all your ideas and you talked me into it, pretty much twisted my arm i'd say. :nenr:

Cranberry would be good, it goes well with grey and white. Maybe some cream colored pots for the front door as well? those two black ones fell apart, $1 store rejects.

I love burnt orange colours, DH doesn't though. I agree with the rich deep colour though. I made the step by myself so it's simple, I also only had $100 to buy the lumber, reason why it's so small.

i agree it needs height. I'd put sunflowers on the front corners so they can get some sun from the south side of the property.
Since you know how to weild a hammer maybe a trellis against the front. My clematis does well without much sun at all on my garage.
Research shade flowers, annuals, that do well in shade and use them to fill in while waiting for the perrenials to fill in.

Newspaper painting sounds great. Easier than repainting the whole door if I don't like it. My step has a greyish brown stain on it now. Do i do the window boxes in the same colour?

Wrennie, the sunflowers end up pointing the wrong way. The south is completely to the back of my house. A trellis or an obelisk would be a great idea also.
Which reminds me I have to build a small one for the new garden I put in the back in the fall.

I've got a million things to do and plan if it can ever warm up. I also have alot of plants to be divided up as well. I am being invaded by pink coneflowers and purple columbines from reseeding.

:lala: need to get rid of some of those purple columbine seed heads this fall?? Ahem I'l ahem take them off your hands.

Rocks galore and I can use a friends front loader when he comes for topsoil. Do you have any pics of your window boxes Penny, I forget?

Triss howd you get a color on your name???

The house I grew up in was white with black shutters and door. Good contrast but BoRing!

Columbine seeds? I could mail you millions, I have so many different columbines but it seems only one variety of the purple one will reseed itself in my zone. Weird huh?

I probably have 100 little columbine plants that reseeded. They were only an inch or two high last fall. I wonder if they'd ship well in the summer packed in wet paper and plastic containers. I also have thousands of seeds from pink Hollyhocks I got from a friend.

I'd love plants but they cant cross the border. :lala: So dont put live plants on the package :lala:

wow! i come back and theirs 5 pages ! :gabb: :gabb: :gabb:! looks like your getting some great ideas tamara! make shure you give us updates this summer!

DH said no holes are going in the siding or into the new pvc windows we will hopefully be buying, so there goes the idea for the window boxes. I did recheck your photos Penny, that's beautiful.

He also said he thinks the front screen door might need replacing because he thinks it has dry rot at the base. Not what I wanted to hear, I'm hoping I can just replace the panel.

DH told me he'd rather buy a mature shrub to fill in the space instead, so no problem (he's paying). Any ideas on a shrub that would be about 5 or 6 ft high and 3-4 feet wide. I was thinking of a weigela of some variety, if I can find one for partial shade.

I'm also thinking of making copper trellis's. I can buy copper pipes and fittings pretty cheap and DH has a friend who can loan me a pipe bender. We already have the welding supplies here. I also seen a copper coated crane(bird) as a lawn ornament in the catalogue for $35 that I'd love to have.

Keep the ideas coming.

No, no willows. I'd love to have a willow tree but have never found one in any nursery around here. I have two hydrangeas here but have no clue how big they get, how big is yours Penny?

Oh, it's on a tree base, they don't do well here. Our zone is between 3 and 4. I've seen that one in your pics, very pretty.

I still have plenty of time to think about it, I only go shopping for more plants and the shrub on Mother's Day.


I also have a 'Spirea Froebelii' that grows 4 ft tall that I have to move, thinking maybe I could use that? I am checking through my list of things to be moved and read up on it, it states for partial shade as well.

I might also move those burning bushes on both ends of the house. They aren't the dwarf variety(my stupid mistake). They will get to large for that space. I buy things in a hurry and regret it later.