Creative minds... I need your help.

9 years ago

I've been trying to establish a foundation planting that I'm happy with, for some time now. The front of the house gets FULL sun all day long. The areas right up against the house get some shade around 4pm. The area when facing the house just to the right of the front porch, in that corner area gets some shade around 2 or 3. Looking at the house, does anyone have some creative ideas as to what to plant? I was thinking a pencil holly all the way to the right near the corner of the house, and in the corner just to the right of the front porch that I mentioned earlier, I've planted a crape myrtle that will reach about 10ft tall (purple.) And it is far enough from the house, so don't worry. Other than that I've got no clue. I have some 'autumn lilac' azaleas (3) spaced out, centered in front of the right section of the house, which i read will only reach 3 or 4 feet, so I'm thinking about moving them up and placing something that will get a little bigger behind them? HELP!

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dottie_in_charlotte
9 years ago
First question is, what kind of siding is that and does it need regular painting?
I see gutters and so are they fully covered with leaf guards?

I'd hate to see you blocking the second story interest of the windows . These are important to the appeal of the mult-level roofline.
The single window nook between the main house and the garage is begging for not a crape myrtle but perhaps a nice vitex that isn't insulted by harsh pruning should you need to get behind it to paint.
It's airy looking in form and wonderful for lighting of the small white holiday type or simple uplighting. The breadth of it's branches provide dappled shade to annuals and it doesn't mind underplantings.
Garage wall is begging for some dark lump medium height evergreens (holly rather than boxwood which are suffering from leaf miners/virals).
I think it's important to not cover the break between the two grey tones of the garage. It is visually interesting with the stark white break.

Is that shredded hay or dormant Bermuda grass lawn out front?
Do you have a edging planting bed on the lawn side of the sidewalk?

The chairs on the front porch and pairs of windows behind them say you don't want anything even mid tall fronting porch in the beds. But, you might want to extend and curve the left porch bed around the side of the house.