Let me try this.

Ha! It worked!

Ok, sorry about the multiple postings on my own thread, but here is the info to go along with the picture: the foundation plantings are mirror images of each other on either side of the porch. The house is symetrical so that makes sense. Since we are looking more at the right side I'll tell you what is already there and it is the same as the left side. Uh, does that make any sense?

Anyway, from left to right is: a hosta, a low growing chartruse arborvitae, Japanese barberry, some sort of shrub I've not identified, mophead hydrangea (pink), and yew.

I'd like to leave the arborvitae and hydrangea as they are thriving and look lovely. The yews have to go; they're scragly and are placed just under the eaves where the ice and snow fall on them. I'd also like to take out the barberries (although I dread it.) And obviously I'm not impressed with the things I've not bothered to identify.

The house faces the north and there are large maples on the west side of the house. It does get a little morning and afternoon sun but I'd categorize the area as mostly shade.

So, what do you think?

Gorgeous house!! Yes, the gardens need work - they don't suit the house. I'm not sure what I can tell a Master Gardener, but here's my 2c:
Use hoses to lay out borders. This will give you an idea of scale. If you are moving the shrubs, you might want to that this Fall. Also, you can begin lasagna flower beds this Fall. If you are not familiar this this technique, you're going to love it!! Lay an overlapping layer of corrugated cardboard, or thick layers of newspaper over the new garden area. The next step depends on how energetic your are, or how healthy your budget is. Budget version, step 2: cover the cardboard/newspaper with shredded leaves. I see evidence of large trees in the borders of your picture, so you should have a supply. You can also appeal to your neighbours for theirs - they may be happy to get rid of them!! If it is dry and windy, hose them down in layers. If you can afford compost/topsoil, cover the cardboard/newspaper with about 8" of soil. If you are inserting shrubs and larger plants into this, cut down into the sod, and carefully put the cardboard and soil around them. The 8" of soil is enough to plant bulbs into - your first hit of colour next Spring. If you're feeling brave, you can 'paint with annuals' at freeze up. You can winter sow lots of annuals right into the soil this Winter. I did drifts of Sweet William, poppies, cosmos, anything that will survive or even enjoy the freeze. You have now accomplished 2 things: you have started your garden, and you will have good idea of whether you like or dislike the shapes, colours, placements. Nothing is carved in stone, and either way, you haven't dropped a bomb of money. The US members can direct you to a seed exchange site here, which will give you lots of cheap (free?) seeds.

Like I said, just my 2c worth. Good luck, welcome, and keep us posted on your progress!!

Nancy.

Oh my- lovely, lovely Victorian Cottage.

I envision old fashioned Bridal Veil spirea on either side of that porch. Of course they get a little tall, wouldn't want to block those wonderful windows; but spirea just seems to lend itself to this type of house.

Oh, I do adore spirea, perhaps to replace the barberry on the corners of the porch? I was also thinking some clethra might do well there with some foxgloves, bleeding hearts and daylilies tucked in as well.

Nancy, yes, I cannot fathom building a garden any other way than through the lasagna method! Thank you for your 2 cents; I agree with you completely that I should start working on it now to get some bulbs in there instead of waiting until spring.

I have a non-garden question about your cottage. Are those half-shutters I see at the bottom of the windows? Are they original to the house? It looks like they could be, but I don't care for the starkness of the black. Maybe a green would be better?

snowgardener, are you interested in having a small vine of some sort on one of those columns out front?

Your house is beautiful. Are the columns out front original? It almost looks like someone modified the house at some point in the 1900's to look more Colonial.

Bleeding Hearts love shady areas and they certainly are appropriate for the era of your house. Ferns would be nice, too. They add a very lush feeling to any shady area. I have had the best luck with Ostrich ferns.

Don't forget foxgloves! They will do OK in part shade, preferably part sun. They may be more of an annual in your area but nonetheless!!!!!!

You should look for a copy of Andrew Jackson Downing's "Victorian Cottage Residences", perhaps your library has it. Throughout the book of cottage plans, there are also garden ideas and lists of suggested plants, trees and shrubs. Your house made me think of it right away,so I dug it out of my bookcase and realized again what a gem it is. Here is a link to the book.

Here is a link that might be useful: Book

Schoolhouse, no the half-shutters are not original to the house. We have photos of it from around the 60s and there were not shutters on it then. However, they're not the cheap plastic kind you see nailed to the sides of modern houses. They're wood and set on actual hinges. I've contemplated removing them but my husband loves them so they'll stay. At some point when we need to repaint I may be interested in changing the color of the shudders and adding some color to the corbels and columns.

Yes, I have had that book out of the library stacks already sometime last year. Maybe I'll check it out again and go through it to see what it can offer for garden plans.

krycek, I do believe the columns and porch are original but I can't be certain. I've never seen a photo of it without the columns. And I like the way you think! Yes, I may try some annual vines on the columns. I don't want to get into anything like clematis because when we have to paint the clematis would be in the way and likely trampled.

Ok,now I can say how I really feel about the shutters. Sorry, but I disagree with your husband; I would remove them. They distract from the windows and the cottage itself, but if he must keep them a lighter color would help. Just my opinion.

As for adding color to columns and corbels, I would be interested to know if there are other houses in the area like yours that have been painted or if you've seen photos of this style with multiple colors. Since here in the countryside where I live white is the favorite, that's what I'm used to and like; but I do know how much the Victorians loved color.

The annual vine suggestion is a good one, that way you would be able to get an idea if that is the look you want. And I think replacing the barberries with the Bridal Veil Spirea would be fine.

Such a unique looking house. I agree with Schoolhouse that the half shutters detract from the overall appearance. And I'm curious ... why only on the bottom half of the window? If you needed actual protection in a storm wouldn't you want to protect the entire window?

Very often, farm house Victorians/cottage Victorians like that one weren't as colorful as a regular Victorian/Queen Anne. Many of the farmhouse/cottage/gothic versions weren't very colorful, although the corbels would normally not have been the same colour as the siding.

The shutters definitely don't fit - they were very, very uncommon on Victorian homes. But it sounds like you already know that, snowgardener! I know how it is when the other half insists on something...sometimes there's just no wiggle room and it is what it is LOL.

Have you considered enlarging the beds as they are too small and make things look out of scale. At first glance to me the house looks very tall and narrow and nothing to balance it. I would bring the beds out so that plants don't sit under the eaves.
In the corner by the window looks very narrow so some sort of vine or a narrow conifer might work, maybe even a grass.
Might not be the look your after though.
Make sure to show a picture of your finished design.
Flora

I just have to say, wow! A real AJ Downing style Gothic cottage!!! We studied them in architecture school, but I've never seen one! They didn't talk about the gardens in any detail, tho, so I don't know what would be authentic.

Love your house. That house could make me forget about my garden for a while.
Renee

Oh yeah, I love Bridal Wreath Spirea too.

Renee, I had to laugh out loud when I read your post; because I don't know how many times I'm corrected I still call it "Bridal VEIL Spirea"! Why do I do that? :) :) :)

Thanks for all the compliments on the house! It is a really lovely home and we just adore it. Actually I believe it was fated for us to own it because prior to living here we owned and lived in an apartment house around the corner and we would walk by this house and admire it and say how much we'd like to own it. Then one day we got really frustrated with being landlords and on a whim put our apt house on the market knowing that they weren't selling and expecting it to take forever to sell. 19 days later we had accepted a purchase offer and then soon after this house came on the market, and the most amazing thing of all, it was priced within our budget. There was a lot of competition for it but our purchase offer was accepted first and in the end we won.

Ok, that was a long "thank you."

Natal, the half shutters are due to the decorative lintels above the windows which preclude a full shutter.

Flora, yes, I will definitely be enlarging the gardens (heck, if I had my way and didn't have a day job, the entire front yard would be garden.) I agree that they are insufficient to the size of the house.

So, does anyone have a leather shirt I can borrow for digging out the barberries?