Front Garden Planting Advice Please!
Shelly L
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I am currently designing my front drive/garden for my Victorian home. I will have a cream coloured picket fence (always wanted a white picket fence!) with gates, and gravel/pea shingle on the drive (on top of what you currently see). There are three boxes for specimen planting. Which do you prefer; three olive trees or three lollipop box shrubs?
(house pic is original - before I took out shrubs and ugly gravel!)
Sorry - don't know why this is rotated! Three places for specimen plants.
Olive Trees?
Box lollipop trees?
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (14)
PROReed Harris Tiles
8 years agoShelly L
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Plant suggestions for my front garden
Comments (7)I would say some of the previous suggestions have been good - we had a similar problem in Oxfordshire. Heucheras are great, especially in a mixture of colors, try at least one red in the mix. A couple of dwarf conifers give good evergreen year round structure, which is so important, you want some some strong lines in a front border or it can look very bitty and insignificant. If things grow a bit above the wall, so much the better, as it will also soften the lines and it looks as if you could do with some height. Add a few fail safe plants clumping plants that will bring some color into the mix at different times of year - Japanese anenomies are great, white ones look modern, or go for pink. Schizostylis are fantastic, would never plan a garden without them. They come from Siberia so will survive come what may! Come in pinks or red and flower from late autumn through to spring, when no other color around, even in snow, you can also put them in pots. Crocosmia are pretty fails safe too and come in lots of colors. Yes, tuck some bulbs inbetween things and see what happens, don't forget these can also go in pots for seasonal color, you can even buy ready planted....See MoreFront garden planters, plants and hedging
Comments (23)I think Photinia would get too large and unruly for planters on top of the walls. They need managing otherwise they get very large and have a very loose form. Personally I'd opt for something that is more consistent in form and shape without too much upkeep and provides an attractive green backdrop to your beautiful house rather than competing with it for attention! Something like Buxus or Japanese box (Euonymus Green Rocket) as alternative to avoid issues with Box blight. Alternatively Privet is a good reliable evergreen hedger particular well suited to urban situations as they tolerate pollution. Either way its worth adding some water retaining granules and slow release fertiliser to the soils to give them a boost. At least you're planting at a good time to avoid stressing them in the dry summer months. Good luck!...See MorePlease advice for my new garden design and why to plant as well !!!!!
Comments (8)Hi again, A few ideas to cover the brick wall between patio doors: The English Ivy I mentioned in a previous post is species of ivy that is green during winter. Ivy in general is fast-growing and requires minimal care, once you plant it and ensure it has gripped to a wall the weather will take care of the rest for you. English Ivy is very fast-growing so needs to be cut back fairly regularly. Boston Ivy is less invasive than English Ivy, though unlike English Ivy it is not evergreen. If you have pets, be careful with ivy - some species are toxic to cats, dogs and other household animals. The Virginia Creeper is climbing plant that is similar in appearance to many ivies, but its leaves redden in autumn (a look I quite like but is not to everyone's taste) and fall altogether winter months, which would leave the wall looking a bit bare again during winter. I love Passiflora, it's an evergreen, climbing plant that produces fruit and beautiful flowers in Spring-Summer. It is also really hardy and low maintenance - once I was able to revitalise a Passiflora plant that appeared to be dead. Wisteria takes slightly longer to grow and therefore to see the results of, but in my opinion is well worth the wait - its blossom is absolutely beautiful. However, it does lose its leaves completely in winter. Additionally, it would be a shame to keep Wisteria confined to the back garden - I think it is at its best on the front/road-facing exterior of a house, so that everyone can enjoy it. Any of these climbers (Wisteria, any subspecies of ivy, Virginia Creeper and Passiflora) would look great. All you need is to fix a trellis to the wall and you're ready to go!...See Morefront garden renovation - need advice
Comments (12)Hi I would look to raise the lawn up level with the path to the front door by building a smart brick retaining wall. You could then plant a low ish hedge along the top to provide further privacy but keep it to no more than 4/5 ft to prevent it overpowering the space and blocking light. For that reason I'd avoid conifers of any sort as they are thugs and take a lot of managing. By raising the lawn from pavement level it will give you some privacy anyway. It'd be nice to loose the concrete kerb along the side of the drive too so it doesn't feel and look like the road! Perhaps continue the brick round till it feathers out to meet the path to the door? A feature tree of small to medium size would also be a nice addition to the lawn. Look for one with dual seasonal interest ie. Spring flower and Autumn colour such as Amelanchier or some of the flowering cherries. Good luck Neil...See More
Jonathan
8 years agogg38
8 years ago
PROSam Butler Garden Design
8 years ago
iolosdad
8 years agoAndrew Millar
8 years ago
iolosdad