Are you talking about the entire area between the house and driveway? Are you planning to amend the sandy soil? Cute house! Are you by any chance in the Northshore? Reminds me of that area.

YES! We are in Folsom. Good to see another local person here.

I'm going to make the entire area between the house and driveway a garden.

The soil is not pure sand, just mostly sand. I transplanted all the plants in the pic last year when we moved in. They are doing great in this soil. I have irrigation tubing running through the area because the plants tend to dry out fast.

I'm probably going to add topsoil to this area. We have a dump truck, I'm just waiting for DH to get a load of topsoil.

I've decided to add a wide, arched gateway just past the stone walkway. The top of the arch and the top of the gate will form a large circle. I'm going to put a bench at the rear side next to the driveway. There will be a narrow walkway from the gateway, winding to the bench in the back.

I really need suggestions on "fill in" plants that will add color all year long.

Thanks, we love the house. We moved it from Covington 3 years ago. I demolished the inside and renovated it to keep with the antique style of the house. It was supposedly built pre-Civil War. I moved all my plants and trees from our Covington house.

{{gwi:656455}}

I love that area! We looked at houses in Covington & Mandeville off & on for about a year. Then decided to stay put and add on.

I love the exterior! (I think we have the same door or at least very similar.) Some time you'll have to share a few interior shots. ;) We had a friend who moved an old sharecropper's cabin from Plaquemine to St. Francisville and then restored it. Required a lot of love and hard work.

What kind of sun exposure does the planting area get? Is that a crape myrtle by the a/c?

...you did say full sun. ;)

Just tossing out a few suggestions from my own yard ...

Spring:
Sweetspire (Itea virginica) also has fall color
Mexican bush sage (will also bloom in the fall)

Summer - fall:
Butterfly bush
Cuphea ignea (hummers love it)
Agastache (ditto)
Pentas
Rudbeckia
Coneflowers

For winter color in sunny areas I plant pansies & violas. Bright Lights swiss chard also looks great in winter/spring beds.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to look into those plants.

I'll try to find the thread in the Kitchen section with all the pics of the renovations on the house. If not, I'll send you a link.