Pergola in front garden
kazymich
11 months ago
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The Rooted Concept Garden Designs
11 months agoRelated Discussions
front garden landscaping
Comments (13)I would look into a honeycomb base for the parking area to retain gravel. Planning often don't allow gravel in front driveways as loose stones can be a nuisance. At the same time councils are trying to dissuade people from putting a hard surface down that doesn't allow the water to soak away. A casual, no names given, enquiry at your council may enlighten you! I'd render and paint the walls around the parking area and encourage plants to cascade over the walls to soften them. If you have room you can maybe put a few pot plants around but may not be advised if you live in an area where people help themselves! At least with pots you can change/move them around with the seasons. The lawn area I would personally get rid of. If you're keen on gardening you could plant up with a variety of plants. Is it a sunny area? Could it be used as a herb garden, although best near the kitchen, as long as it is a sunny spot? But you might want to consider if the local dog and cat neighbourhood would use it as a toilet! If they might, gravel covering might not be a good idea. Having said that I created a herb garden at the front of a previous home but the cats didn't use the gravel as a litter tray. Grasses are good but there are also plenty of low 'prostrate' type plants that make good ground cover so will reduce the need for weeding. I have a similar size front garden and I'm going to look into getting a small specimen tree. Something that won't block out the light but is a decent size (10ft?) but something that has a nice shape so I can adorn it with lights at Christmas. If it has nice blossom and/or beautiful fruits (edible or not) then that would be a bonus. I will get rid of my grasses and under plant with something suitable. Good luck....See MoreWhat to do with front garden?
Comments (10)You can train Garrya elliptica as a wall shrub, ditto Rhamnus alaternus variegatus - they both perform really well in the shade and make a great backdrop for other plants. Osmanthus heterophyllus is one of my favourite shrubs for shade, as is Daphne odora variegata. For some early scent try Sarcococca and Viburnum bodnantense 'Charles Lamont'. For softening the edges there is nothing better in dry shade than Epimedium (loads of different varieties, but my favourite is Frohnleiten). Tellima grandiflora is another fantastic plant for dry shade. If it's not too shady you'll also get some of the herbaceous geraniums (Rozanne is a good long-flowering one) to survive. Other people have mentioned ferns, but they really like moisture, however, Dryopteris erythrosora and Polystichum setiferum will both take a bit of dry shade. Pulmonaria, Tiarella and Brunnera 'Jack Frost' also like to be in the shade and work very well as part of a naturalistic scheme. One of my favourite climbers for shade is Vitis coignetaie, it will grow in deep shade and gives fantastic autumn colour. You can also use Clematis armandii, but it can get a bit too vigorous....See MoreWhat can I do with my front garden that won't cost the earth?
Comments (17)How about keeping the gravel as it is - it keeps the weeds down after all and is low maintenance but planting something like lavender through it - nice smelling, will soften the edges and required very little looking after except for a cutdown once a year - can't tell exact scale but 7-10 3l lavender plants planted through could make a big difference pretty quickly and inexpensively...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 Moretamp75
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