wilkes

Remember to use the background/ foreground approach too. Smaller, shorter shrubs and plants in the foreground. Taller, larger ones in the background. Curb appeal is what you want to achieve. Lowe's has some great books on landscaping for do-it-yourselfers.

I'd draw out a diagram using graph paper of your front yard along with the outlines of windows & doors of your house.

Then you can play with it for a few days. Figure out what kind of plants you like....roses, azaleas, hostas. etc.

Decide if you want plants lining your sidewalk first & make sure you don't put plants that will grow really big near your windows. Allow plenty of room for bushes to grow & like the other person said, don't plant bushes too close to your house.

I drew out a plan several years ago like this & changed it several times before I came up with the perfect design. I made a curving walkway from the porch to the driveway & mulched a flower bed around it also in a curved shape. Added a lamp post with hostas around it. Lined the walkway with monkey grass & accented the bed with hostas, azaleas & rose bushes. You can also arrange your colors this way to make sure you have the right amount of colors in the right places. If you don't want to plant a lot of plants in the ground you can place potted plants around instead & that works great too. Have fun & good luck!!

Wonder if the horticulture classes at WCC could help.

There are good computer programs out there. Scan in a pic of your house and they do a great job

My experience says do not plant ANYTHING with deep roots close to the foundation of the house. Bushes, trees etc. Anything that needs pruning. They just turn into a PIA (pain in arse )

I am thinking about digging up every thing in front of my house and starting over. I would like to get someone to tell me how to plant things that don't spread everywhere and don't get to big. Like tell me how to lay it out. Any one have any ideas. I thought about making a picture and taking it to Lowes. Any ideas?