Whatever happens dont EVER paint that lovely brick you have. Is the door wood, i would love alovely warm wood colour perhaps a bit less dark than your garagedoor but definitely wood colour. If the door is actually wood try and get it stripped of the pain so the wood veins come out again.

I actually would have liked the ivy look, but since its causing you much problem i understand your wish to remove it.

Hmm am not familiar with rhododendron and your climate, but personally i might have gone with some bougaivillea and prunes them to keep them short about 3/4 the height up to the window.

Hello Alant1000,

A lovely house and one thing I would do is get an old door that compliments the beams.. Dark brown wood.. I like the garage doors and glad to see they aren't white. What you can do is have a look at the window frames... These look like PVCU but they too can be painted if you don't replace. There are several companies selling paint for plastics and so a dark brown black would be the colour to do the windows... I too like the ivy but Wisteria would be lovely.. : ))

The best investment would be to replace the 'storm' PVC-u windows with flush timber windows. Factory-finished double-glazed windows will look immeasurably better, last twice as long as PVC-u, and add value to your property.

Alant1000, can I take it by "north facing" you mean the door and window in your pix are facing north? In which case lavender may survive but it is hardly likely to thrive. A rhododendron would hate it there. Even if it didn't it would soon block out what little light does enter the house from that angle.

@shadowfreelancing bougainvillea would stand even less of a chance, needing both warmth and shelter in most parts of the UK. You don't happen to live on a southern shore of the West Country do you alant1000?

You need to be considering at least shade-tolerant if not shade-loving plants. Hostas and many hebes would fit, as would fuchsias, Pieris "Little Heath", Heuchera "Palace Purple" to name a few. Or you could try a hardy climber. One of my favourites is the winter flowering jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum. When I've mentioned this on other threads people have chipped in with several other very acceptable shade tolerant climber ideas. You could train any of them around the window or door.

I don't mind the white windows and feel that dark brown windows on this house could look a bit 90's.
Assuming this is not a forever home and you are not spending a fortune then I would take up the slabs in front of the window to make the front area look bigger and choose two evergreen plants and repeat them again and again.
I think the front door should be a bright colour (red?) with chrome accessories. Personally I would rather see the garage door the same colour as the front door but I assuming the second garage door in the photo is a neighbours you may want to match.

Thanks all for your amazing ideas so far...lots of tremendous tips...

@shadowfreelancing / AJ interior: - yes I totally agree about the door color. In fact when I moved in the first job I did was buy new windows all round and a new front door. Whilst I am OK with the white windows (I'm in a row of 3 identical houses all still with white - I wanted to go black but got scared), I don't like my door color at all. The door is a composite PVC and the color was described as 'willow'. It looked nice on the website!! I now want to change the color, so am hoping I can use the UPVC paint you describe to at the very least do a primer coat, and then get them painted. I think a black or dark color is needed.
@minnie - superb ideas all round - I never considered flag stone stepping stone type pathway and am now going to seriously consider doing this. I think it would look lovely! I'm going to refresh the shingle too and order some more. The bins can live down the side of the house behind a solid side gate so they are hidden. I also thought about a potted tree, perhaps an olive or bux but need to make sure the north facing won't be too restrictive. The porch has a light bulb but not a shade, so I was thinking of maybe a lantern style enclosure? As long as it doesn't blow around in the wind and smash.
@freshscaped - this is really helpful, you've saved me wasting a couple of rhododendrons I was about to buy this weekend! The height of the bottom of the. Window is only 75cm so I wanted to create a lowest bush, perhaps window height or 50cm. Ideally I wanted to buy something mature so I don't have to wait years for it to grow to fill the area (hence I considered a mature rhododendron). My main requirement is a bushy flowering plant. I'll check your recommendations out!!

I also have a nice flower bed build into the side walls of the porch and my neighbors pansies seem to work fine in there!

Any tips on whether I could paint this horrid front door - or whether I cut my losses and bin it - are much appreciated.

Hi Jonathan, yes spot on its a neighboring garage. The garage isn't wood its some kind of fiberglass type thing.

I'm sold on changing the front door color, I hate mine!! Does anyone know of any apps where I can upload a photo of my house and play around with door colors?

Hello Alant1000,

Indeed yes you can paint UPVC and there are companies out there but here's one for you... At the very least you can try it and it will inform you better, should you want to invest in a better door.. For a primer use Zinsser 123.

http://www.kolorbond.co.uk/kolorbond-paint-plastic-pvc-upvc

On to plants..Buxus are a particular favourite and would indeed look fantastic.. Even if that is all you had to start with..

: ))

For trying out colours on the door.. Photoshop or Pages..

AJ - you've just opened my eyes to another world, I didn't even know you could have doors spray painted :) I've just found a company in surrey near me!! Amazing!! You've made my day! There I was thinking I'd be covered in gloss with the front door left open in the summer with dust blowing on it.

Hello Alan,

Thank you so much..... That is lovely! In turn you have made mine! Indeed a spray paint would be a really nice way to deal with the door for a professional finish.. : ) )

I've played around with some door colors, can anyone steer me either way?! I quite like the red!

I like the red- whoever recommended that must be wise beyond their years.

Hi Alan - I agree with you and the other posters- red would be lovely. However I wouldn't go as bright as the colour on your image above, a deeper, more berry red would be nice (but not going into the realms of pink tones). The best idea on here in my opinion is the flagstone path - what a simple idea that will be so effective!

Re plants - I don't have a clue really but recently purchased a house with a garden full of plants from someone who did know what they are doing. In the shady parts at the front (north-east facing) are two Camilias. They are budding now- I believe they flower in February time? And possibly again later in the year if my memory serves me right (I bought the house last May and think they flowered then). Anyway they are beautiful and seem very hardy- when not flowering the leaves are a deep green and shiny. The only thing is they can grow tall so you would need to prune them. But I'm sure some of the more green fingered on here could agree or completely dash this suggestion!

I'd also consider a pot plant in the gap between your porch and the drain pipe before your garage - again I'm not sure what given the location but maybe a pruned conifer of some description? Would a bay tree survive?

Hello Alan,

I must say I like the dark green. Ivy colour if not a stained wooden door. If you like the red then a dark red would suit. :))

Sorry guys, I must admit I'm not that keen on the bright red... Perhaps put it to a poll though!

I would go for a dark red similar to pictured before or if you want a country look try different shades of green. I always like F&B french grey with red brick but I'm not sure it's strong enough to hold up to the garage so would look at darker shades, lichen may work but perhaps something a little darker. Or if you wanted something a bit bolder this new shade from F&B pictured may work although it wouldn't be such a good foil for plants if you do add a climber

I would have a look at more subtle 'heritage' style colours for the front door personally, like a navy blue or soft teal green. Both look great with red brick.

As soon as you have some plants in to soften the front of the house I think it will look swell. No idea about what types of plants like north-facing but I think that two neat little potted trees either side of the front door, eg box or bay, always look upmarket and attractive. You could put them just in front of your porch pillars.

Hi alant1000, don't be put off by your shady border. The front of our house faces due north and we have a number of plants which thrive there at the foot of the house. Beware though that the soil will be very, very dry and very probably lacking in any sort of nutrients for the plants. Unfortunately the only photo I could post of our border isn't clear enough to be useful.

The plants are mainly evergreen e.g. euonymous, pieris, with splashes of colour from shade-tolerant heucheras and pinky-red spring foliage of the pieris. And don't forget you can add seasonal interest with hanging baskets. We also have lovely lacecap hydrangeas.

I'd advise you to find a good local plant nursery with knowledgable staff who could advise you on what suits your local soil and weather conditions. I use a number of books but a particularly good one is "Best Shade Plants" by Stefan Buczacki.

Many thank for the addition tips, here are some more colors you've all suggested. As the front of house is shady in the summer (a large oak tree over the front with not too much sunlight) I want to ensure the house stays quite bright and cheerful. Anything too dark might darken it, unless I embraced it properly and went for black.

I have dine some more research on plants today, first check will be the soil type. But I am now much more hopefully of being able to have some nice floral foliage.

Hello Alan,

I think it's perfectly possible to strike the right balance the darker red is the better one of the two but if you choose a green make it a dark green. Period colours are going to work well. Perhaps a tester pot of something on paper stuck to the door as usually things dry lighter. So you want to get an idea of colour in situ to then really decide. :))

I prefer the darker red too

Personally I find the reds a bit garish but the second one is better. How about going a bit deeper again such as a maroon.

The way your experimenting is ideal to see which colours work but ultimately it's what pleases you not anyone else.

The path is a great idea, that gravel area definitely needs something to break it up. I'm guessing the previous occupants either needed the extra parking or didn't like mowing the lawn.

If the budget allows I would re-instate a lawn to the left side of the path with maybe a border running along it for some annuals, which would look stunning in the summer. At the very least lay a different colour gravel to the left of the path just to break the flatness up.

Cheers

Mark

We have a north facing front area. It was sparse when we moved in, we put in raised beds and cottage flowers (it is a cottage garden...so may not be right for you). We also curved the path to the front door. Don't known if this helps?

Alant1000 - what software did you use to change the door colour?

I would paint both the windows and the front door a lovely shade of dark grey so they match and it would tone down that bright white of the window frames. Grey also works really well against red brick. Good luck Alan. I too have a red brick 1980s link detached house that has to match the neighbours!

Lovely house. I would paint th door navy and plant white, lavender and blue plants.

Hi. I prefer a darker red to the bright one in your photo or sage green works well if you are going for a country style. If you go with a red door you could plant a bush to the right of the door with red berries to tie in the colour. I would also put two pots in front of the porch columns with a tall matching plants such as a bay trees trimmed in a standard shape. They are pretty hardy so would work in a north facing garden. Camellias would grow too high to be planted in front of your window. Box hedging is hardy as well if you want an evergreen frame around your bedding. Dark window frames would have looked really good but it's always hard to break from the norm! Good luck with your planning!

Hello, with a north facing flowebed in a front garden it would be best to use some evergreen plants with structural shapes and interesting textures.
Some light and colour could be added with variegated leaves and pale flowers.
Look up the following plants:
Buxus sempervirens
Euonymus fortuneii Emerald Gaiety
Dryopteris filix-mas
Geranium maccrorrhizum White Ness
Brunnera macrophylla Mr Morse
Astrantia major Shaggy
Digitalis purpurea Alba
A few of each of these would give you the cottagey lok you are after, will do well with little or no sun and require little in the way of maintenance.

How about a burgundy colour for the front door - the other reds do seem to stand out a bit too much, Would also suggest two tallish pot plants each side of the door in front of the brick pillars - say laurel or bay trees in pots. I also think that when you plant some bushes and colourful flowers in the bed under the window, it will change the dynamics.

It's a house with lovely proportions, but I agree with you that it looks very 'towny'. Most country cottages tend to have a softer look with lighter, more muted colours, rather than dark exterior wood and bright reds and blues, and also flowers surrounding the house. That's not the case in very barren, windswept areas though where often the exterior of the houses is the only local colour, so it depends on where you live! I'd first go for a careful look around the countryside in your area looking at the old buildings there and the exterior colours people use on them. Each area has it's own style - where I live in Cumbria there is a lot of use of sage grey-green colours that seem to tone well with the surroundings and the local slate and age of the buildings. I think you could make a major country style impact by just changing the front door to a wooden stable-style one painted in a light, welcoming colour like pale blue or pale green.(I find Farrow and Ball paints have the right type of 'painterly' colours). You could also try a deliberate paint effect where the door looks like layers of paint have been worn off. Growing a vigorous climbing plant over the porch. will replace the look of the ivy and soften the sharp lines of the house and not damage it. As your garden is north facing you don't have a lot of choice, but hydrangea petiolaris is a climber with big leaves and sprays of white or pink flowers, and it dies back in Autumn / Winter but the flower heads still look interesting. Plant it in a big pot that makes a nice statement that complements the colour of your door. Good luck.

Tanks all so much for these amazing ideas!! I think once I have implemented these the overall look will work - I just need to picture the final result as I do each bit separately.

@south Wales - I had considered grass but the front of the house is covered by a huge oak tree canopy in the summer, the tree would probably dry everything out. It blocks most of the direct sunlight out completely. Do you think grass is still achievable?
@suesykes - yours looks amazing, is that a rhododendron I can spot?
@michaeldbutler - I used an iPad app called color effects
@sorayasohal - thanks for your great ideas, I am very keen to use a couple of potted plants in front of the pillars. I just need to make sure they don't get stolen!
@arthur road - many thanks for this excellent list, I hadn't really considered using a variety of different plants as the bed is small, but it's a great idea!
@ensign - I wanted to use a taller tree each side of the pillars but the drive is on a slope and it might look a bit lopsided. I wonder if there is a way I could correct this by digging out and leveling under each pot or would this look weird?
@amanda hunter - it's a great tip looking at local house styles! Mine is quite modern (1996) and is situation in a lovely village with quite a lot of older style houses with authentic wood doors etc. sadly this is a composite door and I added this as the wood door which was on the house was in a terrible state, so my options are limited to having it sprayed a suitable color.

So far I think I will:
1) add flagstone path
2) lower globe buxus type pots in front of each pillar
3) paint door (still wanted red)
4) use some of the plants recommended here and go to my local garden centre.

The porch also has built in flower beds flanking the steps so once flowers are in there it will look good.

The darkness of the north facing house sheltered by a large oak tree is an issue for me, the house looks great but looks dark and gloomy, hence I don't want to have a door that looks too dark and dull, unless it was black. The company who will be spraying the door can do all farrow and ball colors, so I am going to check out some more heritage colors as per Laura and other suggestions. I'm going to get some blue and red samples this week!!

add pot plant, even plastic ones either side of door for instant fix.lovely home, congrats on purchase.

I totally agree with Minnie a deep berry tone like her posted image or the beautiful teal blue on the double doors she posted stunning

Does this look like a better darker shade of red perhaps?

Yes but I would still like to see you try a maroon or as someone suggested maybe burgundy.

The oak tree could be an issue if it prevents the lawn from getting any light. You could go for an artificial lawn: Expensive. But I would still try to break up that left hand area to separate it from the drive even if it's a different colour gravel. There's a huge selection ranging from polished black through to Spanish white.

Use your app to try them out. Decorative aggregates

Roses are brilliant and a good burglar deterrent! Underplant with silver leaved dwarf shrubs.

I totally agree with 'winterfloods'. I had lacecap hydrangeas in a north facing garden under a window. They loved it. They were beautiful and smelt like sherbet. I would constantly go out and smell them! The one I had was white and it look classically beautiful. Try it. I've since moved, but might see if I can find you a photo. I will be buying one for my new north facing garden.

Hi

This is actually not so bad, plenty of potential. I would suggest enhancing the porch, but keep the timbers dark wood to match, you could enclose and glaze perhaps what you have existing already. Like this porch we designed/built here:

Certainly landscape the front as others have described, the house has a tall feel to its design. So i would use two large toppary's each side of the porch or main window with some introduction of coloured plants elsewhere.

Good luck

the result of my sketch. hope you like it. thanks