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Planning the Front Garden
Mar. 20th, 2004 09:19 amAlright. So I've got this approximate rectangle of space, bisected east to west by a non-negotiable concrete path. It's raised from the street by a two-to-three foot retaining wall, and has neighbors with a flat lawn on the north side and street on the south side (beyond that, an apartment, which is not high enough to shade it during any seasons that I've observed). Some stairs come out to meet the path from the front door, with the balcony biting up some space and casting shade to the north during most of the day.
I'm removing all the current residents except for one (cedar? cypress?) hedging thing leaning out over the retaining wall on the southeast corner.
This spring I'm digging the whole lawn under and adding amendments, so it's all good soil and known to me.
Then I'm putting in some bones. I don't think I'm going to raise or lower any part of the yard appreciably, so it will remain mostly flat.
This year it will be mostly in tomatoes. That's cause, well, I can do that, and it's sunny (there's a street tree out front, too, a beech? but it's not huge yet, and it's to the west-and-slightly-north. Because we're raised behind a retaining wall its roots don't bother me). I do want to get in, if I can, the beginnings of the lawn (mostly on the northern half of the bisected area) and the three high points (I'm thinking a larch, either european or American, or a cherry; a pawpaw; a vine maple; and a wilson's magnolia as the 'highest points' in those vegetation clumps with one of the smaller ones under the big tree) and possibly some beginnings of a screen to the west, which should block traffic on the busy road. I'm undecided as to whether the screen should be a mixed shrubby hedge, informal in style; espaliered fruit trees; mixed tall grasses which sound nice; or something else completely.
The south side's vegetation will slope downwards towards the north, with a couple of tall bits beside the path. There will be a hammock nook, paved or groundcovered, and a very small barrel-type water feature.
To the north side of the stairs there will be a bit of a hidden woodsy dell with ferns, if I can manage it. The ferns will continue around the narrow strip on the north side of the house with a stepping-stone path to the back yard.
I want to make liberal (though not fatal to my trees) use of vines up trees and up the front of the house. I think roses (climbing and austin) will go on the south side of the house, along with some more vines. I like clematis. The back... well, that's another post.
This is a lot of work. I expect it to be in place in four or five years, and it'll take some growing out time from there to look really wonderful. In all likelihood the house will sell and be turned into an apartment before the garden is fully realised, and it'll all be turfed under. I can only try, though.
I'm removing all the current residents except for one (cedar? cypress?) hedging thing leaning out over the retaining wall on the southeast corner.
This spring I'm digging the whole lawn under and adding amendments, so it's all good soil and known to me.
Then I'm putting in some bones. I don't think I'm going to raise or lower any part of the yard appreciably, so it will remain mostly flat.
This year it will be mostly in tomatoes. That's cause, well, I can do that, and it's sunny (there's a street tree out front, too, a beech? but it's not huge yet, and it's to the west-and-slightly-north. Because we're raised behind a retaining wall its roots don't bother me). I do want to get in, if I can, the beginnings of the lawn (mostly on the northern half of the bisected area) and the three high points (I'm thinking a larch, either european or American, or a cherry; a pawpaw; a vine maple; and a wilson's magnolia as the 'highest points' in those vegetation clumps with one of the smaller ones under the big tree) and possibly some beginnings of a screen to the west, which should block traffic on the busy road. I'm undecided as to whether the screen should be a mixed shrubby hedge, informal in style; espaliered fruit trees; mixed tall grasses which sound nice; or something else completely.
The south side's vegetation will slope downwards towards the north, with a couple of tall bits beside the path. There will be a hammock nook, paved or groundcovered, and a very small barrel-type water feature.
To the north side of the stairs there will be a bit of a hidden woodsy dell with ferns, if I can manage it. The ferns will continue around the narrow strip on the north side of the house with a stepping-stone path to the back yard.
I want to make liberal (though not fatal to my trees) use of vines up trees and up the front of the house. I think roses (climbing and austin) will go on the south side of the house, along with some more vines. I like clematis. The back... well, that's another post.
This is a lot of work. I expect it to be in place in four or five years, and it'll take some growing out time from there to look really wonderful. In all likelihood the house will sell and be turned into an apartment before the garden is fully realised, and it'll all be turfed under. I can only try, though.
