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mossyard

Landscaping entry with boulders?

mossyard
13 years ago

Would love to get some opinions from your more experienced folks (since I am landscaping our newly built house and have never done this before :). Been looking for the perfect low evergreen flowering plants to line concrete entryway. Options like Ice Dance and Liriope seem to blend in too much with lawn on other side.

Would it be goofy to put boulders along either side of our sidewalk entry - runs from the street sidewalk to our front porch stairs? We are building a stacking block raised planting area on either side of the stairway in front of the porch above it, and I already put a single rock "garden spot" at the corner where you turn off the public sidewalk onto our entry way leading to the house. I was thinking to dig down and bury part of the boulders and plant things like sebum, heuchera, penstemon, liriope and spring blooming bulbs around them. We're Zone 8, the area is east facing, slightly sloped and along a 5 or 6 feet long concrete walkway. Soil has lots of clay...thinking to ammend with compost 1/2 and 1/2 wherever I plant things. Supposed to dig and plant the front yard this weekend! A bit nervous to actually do it for fear I'll kill these beautiful plant I've researched for hours about and dug up the yard for. :) Not to mention the boulders are so heavy I don't want to haul them all over the yard and not be able to walk tomorrow! ;) What do you think?

Comments (3)

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    13 years ago

    Without boulders elswhere, having them line the walkway may look out of place. A picture would help. Being a fan of conifers, I'd look into the smaller versions of them. How far are you from Sandy, OR? Porterhowse Farms would be a great place to see some distinct conifers and get ideas.

    tj

  • botann
    13 years ago

    A rock garden should be informal. No matched pairs of rocks or lined out in a straight line. That also goes with the plants. If you are planting a corner where two sidewalks meet, the shape of the back should be curved. The rock garden should also not be level.
    Those are the basics as I see them.
    Here's part of my rock garden.
    Mike
    {{gwi:372422}}

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    13 years ago

    Love those pix, Mike.

    tj

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