Before and After #8: Front Landscaping

The front of the house continues to improve! First we added the front gate, then we improved the porch, then we added some new trees, and now we're working on the landscaping.

BEFORE

THEN

NOW

It doesn't look like much yet, but give it a year or two...

I don't really like roses, period, for lots of reasons, and I especially didn't like the roses we had - huge and overgrown, but also spindly, climbing up the walls of the house while also leaving big gaps of stucco between them, and tangled at their feet with a lot of mismatched flowers and weeds.  What I want most for my landscaping is that it feel cohesive, not random and thoughtless.  As we will see, my redesign may well have plenty of flaws, but it was definitely not thoughtless.

I spent weeks trying to decide what to plant.  How should I create a pleasing variety of textures, forms, sizes, and colors? How to achieve motion and balance, how to complement the house's architecture, how to blend well with the neighbors' houses?  How many plants should I buy, how big would each eventually grow, what was each plant's specific light, water, and soil needs?  I drove myself crazy with plans and notes and sketches until I just couldn't think about it anymore. 

Thank goodness Suzan came to help! She and Naresh visited us in October (more on their trip soon) and in addition to all the help they gave us on the guest bathroom and many other things, Suzan spent hours and hours with me trekking to nurseries all over the area, asking questions, and listening patiently while I worried over what to do. 

Finally, with her invaluable assistance, I picked three plants I love - Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica), Red Barberry (Berberis thunbergii), and Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella tenuissima). I love the textures and shapes and especially the colors - lots of warm reds and golds contrasting with a range of strong, fresh greens. 

 

Heavenly Bamboo - it will grow to be about 8-10 feet tall

 

Red Barberry - it will grow to be about 4 feet wide

 Mexican feather grass, filling in the low front of the bed

I know this all sounds like major overkill and in a way it is, but the front of the house is important to me.  Our house faces east, meaning that the front yard is shady and cool in the early afternoon when the back is still burning up.  Almost every day I sit on the front porch reading or using my laptop, and in the summer the kids play in the front until the back yard cools off around 5pm.  Plus I have no cell phone reception in the house, so whenever I have to make a call I go sit outside on the front porch, enjoying the shade and the absence of roses.