Landscaping for Curb Appeal

52~76°F

Our little front yard was a weed garden.

The appearance of our front yard has been bothering me ever since we moved into the house, so I had to do something about it this spring.

How it looked in early spring.

Not much curb appeal.

How it looked this year at the end of February.

This area gets covered deep in snow!

 

I didn't like the massive, box shaped shrubs.  Aside from their unnatural appearances, they were trimmed improperly for years.  As a result, they were extremely dense on the outside but full of dead branches and snails(!) inside.  They were also planted too close to the foundation, but I doubt we can move them now.  Their root system must be massive.

First, I tried to thin the branches and correct the shape, but the branches were like broccoli, removing one created a gaping hole on the outside.  Very unsightly.  We decided to chop them to the ground.  These are yews and apparently, they can grow back from hard pruning.

Chopped to the ground.

Look how close it is to the foundation!  That is a no-no.

 

The house looks more open and lighter now.

 

 

I will plant some deciduous shrubs in front of the pruned yews, so if they grow back, they can still fill in as evergreens.  If they don't grow back, the other shrubs can fill in.


After several trial and error, I concluded that the best way to deal with weed infested lot is to cover it with garden fabric and mulch.

The easiest and surest way to beat the weed!

I picked cold hardy and drought tolerant perennials in the color of blue, yellow and white.  The only exceptions are hydrangeas.  They're not very drought tolerant, but I just had to try.  It is my dream to have a house surrounded with blue hydrangeas.

Lavenders, Catmints, Salvias, Tickseeds, Alyssums and Marigolds growing happily.

We'll see how Hydrangea 'Cityline Rio' and Spirea 'Magic Carpet' will like this place.

 

Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' and Hydrangea paniculata 'Phantom'

 

 Can't wait to see them grow to full size.