Planning the Front Garden

[greenstorm]

Alright. 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.

Comments

[polypagangirl.livejournal.com]

Wow - Soooo ambitious! It sounds great! And it sounds like you've got your work cut out for you.

I am a fan of tall grasses and bamboos myself. I have been thinking of bringing in some grasses here myself. I think that would be kinda cool. They are evergreen, and some have flowers that are so nice.

Don't forget to take before and after pics!

[darthmaus.livejournal.com]

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.

Or we'll add another storey! ;-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_greenwitch_/]

Just a suggestion - when I was thinking about a major re-do at my rental, I called around for information on soil. There are several companies out there who will drop a dumptruck load of topsoil or half of one for between 100-300 bucks. Depending on your budget for the yard makeover, that might be easier and less backbreaking than double-digging the whole darn thing. You could dig out any areas where the growth is poor or the drainage is questionable, and cover the rest. The remaining lawn will compost under the topsoil. I've read varying reports on turning soil versus top or trench composting, and many modern gardeners suggest that double-digging badly disrupt the existing ecosystem (sorry Eliot Coleman!)

Remember that cherries are usually self-sterile, so you'll need two varieties if you want fruit. Honeysuckle and clematis should be just fine on the trees - maybe some ivy? You can grow squash up trees as well - but you might not be able to reach all of the squash :) If you want a quick screen, try growing hops or green beans to block an area - Just don't try wisteria - I've seen it take apart a porch!

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

Mmm. Before pics. Very important!

Maybe we could go in halves on some of the grasses? Split a pot and a number multiply quickly.

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

Disrupt the whole aesthetic of the central feature of the garden and crush my plants in the process. Humph. ;)

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

The soil's up top of a retaining wall, so I can't raise the height, and is actually pretty good soil in the first place. What I want is that deep incorporation of organic matter to start with, and just generally to get my hands in it down that far. We did a bit of a test-run with sunflowers, some of which were planted on double-dug soil and some of which weren't. The double-dug ones were way taller, and there weren't too many other variables across that bed. I don't intend to disturb the front garden soil again after that...

Noo ivy on trees! I want them to live! I worry about my potted honeysuckle being invasive, I'm certainly not takling ivy anywhere. :)

The squash is a *great* idea. I'm also planting clematis armandii, the one that's evergreen and flowering now. Do you know any other evergreen vines?

The wisteria's going to go in a tub in the front pporch, not in the ground. :)

I'm going to do what I can to encourage the ecosystem when the permanent plantings are in, so starting next year. I know that untreated wood is good, so I'm going to incorporate some mossy fern-logs, and definitely do some serious mulching... leave berries and seedheads out overwinter, too. Do you know of anything else that's good? Or wher eto get good mulch, for that matter, not wood chips but something that breaks down a little more easily?

[polypagangirl.livejournal.com]

Good idea. I don't know a lot of grasses, only that i like them. I'm thinking you have a pretty good idea of what some cool ones are, am i right? :)

[darthmaus.livejournal.com]

I had to read that a couple of times before I realised that you were referring to the house as the 'aesthetic central feature of the garden' ;-)

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

No, actually. I know a lot about bamboo, but have yet to research grasses. I'll probably start in the grasses forum at www.gardenweb.com. :)

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That's sort of the one design constant I can't get away from, and makes the yard unsuitable for, say, a formal japanese garden or something like that. :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_greenwitch_/]

I've never heard of ivy being a problem for trees....

Grow luffas! My seeds didn't germinate last year, but it would be sooooo cool!

Many clematis are semi-evergreen, which with our climate might mean most of the year. If you plant several varieties, you could have successive blooms and colour throughout the year (add a couple of plants each year) - just remember that their roots need to be shaded from direct sunlight. I've seen clematis paired with climbing roses - being allowed to climb the rose plant - and the blooms can extend the interest of a rose bush when the roses themselves are not in bloom.

Possibly bougainvillia, if you can keep it protected through the coldest spells?

You can grow wisteria into a standard, providing you give it a strong enough support post (it's naturally a vine and cannot form a successful trunk). The problem with wisteria is that it twines around porch posts and evestroughs, and can actually push and pull the structure apart. A strong metal frame mounted to the building would be a better solution - granted it would take years for a wisteria to get large enough to cause structural problems.

As for the mulch, you might want to invest in a small shredder, or rent one from an equipment co. My intention is to do some landscaping/gardening services as a side business in my (eventual) neighbourhood, so I can collect other people's grass clippings and leaves, as well as divisions of bulbs, hostas etc. Just make sure any yard waste you collect (or steal from the curbside) isn't from a house that gets sprayed (though I see those chemical trucks less and less often these years). Keep in mind that whole leaves and bark mulch take a lot of nitrogen out of the soil as the organisms attempt to break them down - that can be detrimental to your plantings. Oak leaves especially need to be used sparingly. Start a compost pile with your kitchen waste, and encourage friends without a yard to bring theirs over when they visit. I used to take the coffee grinds from the machine at the office home - they work great in a compost pile. I know that some cities in the GVRC subsidize those black recycled plastic bins to make them more affordable.

Having the water feature, and perhaps hanging a bird feeder will help keep the insect population down, and mulch is important to encourage insects to set up shop in your garden. Maybe a couple of toad houses - they'll keep a check on the mosquito population, and make sure that you don't have standing water - use a small submersible pump in your water to discourage larvae.

Man, I could talk about this all day :)

[greenstorm.livejournal.com]

We tried to rent a shredder this spring, and couldn't find one for less than a hundred bucks a day somewhere in langley. :( How much are they to buy?

Got a recycle bin, just last week actually. :) Feels good to have.

I think the water feature's gonna be the biggest half-barrel I can get, and will have goldfish in it to help reduce mosquitoes as well as for coolness factor.

Do read up on ivy before you do much landscaping with it, please! It's English ivy that's the big problem -- a google search on 'invasive ivy vancouver' or whatever will get you some info.