Front garden plans & small plants

Hi

I am seeking some advice on a simple front garden redesign.

Key reason for change is easy maintenance. The garden looks nice in spring/summer and awful outside of that.


Option 1: Take out ALL greenery apart from the tall tree and replace with slate. Maybe add a small tree in a planter.

Option 2: Take out ALL greenery apart from the tall tree and replace with slate and have a low maintenance small hedge all the way round the boundary. Maybe add a small tree in a planter.

The idea is to also try and keep *cats out and from people letting their dogs in our garden to do their business (unbelievable!). *Yes I know cats can easily avoid the hedge, but maybe it will help! However, I appreciate even WITH a hedge people will still let their dogs pee up against it!

So, maybe I’ll drop this idea. Plus, there is a level of maintenance of the hedge.


I would appreciate any comments!

But my main ask here is; we would like to add a few simple (small or medium) low maintenance plants dotted around (maybe half a dozen, maybe some with colour) and I have no idea what would be suitable, or would look good - so really looking for guidance on this… maybe some name, or some links to images!

I can't seem to embed images, so i've uploaded a document with images.


Thanks!

 

Hi @collinsc

Those grasses (?) you already have (can't tell exactly what they are, sorry) look fantastic and I can't imagine they would be high maintenance, could you not reuse them?

Regarding the two plans, I definitely prefer the second option as it's more interesting and has more defined boundaries. If you don't want a hedge however, you can either considering fencing or border edging.

Just a few thoughts:

• There are plants that you can use for a low hedge that are more interesting than that in my opinion. Do keep in mind disease resistance as well, especially considering you want low maintenance - boxwood for instance is notorious for suffering from boxwood blight.
• If you do decide to add a smaller tree, why put it in a planter? I think it would look more consistent to have it in the ground and would also mean less maintenance.
• Again, it all boils down to maintenance, but I would consider having some low maintenance plants scattered in the slate chippings area. Like those grasses perhaps?
• In December, I replaced half the lawn in the back garden with blue slate. Even though I love slate, before I started adding plants, it looked so incredibly cold. It was a bit of a shock, despite thinking I was prepared for it. I do like it now that I have added plants, with much more to follow in Spring.
• A low maintenance evergreen shrub that I am using that area with blue slate is lonicera nitida baggesen's gold. I know I can always rely on it, and it has good contrast against the blue slate.

 

Thanks.

I hadn't thought of re-use - that's a good idea. I have no idea what they are either. If you mean the ones next to the path way and the pavement, then these are the ones that look great in spring/summer but terrible other seasons - they just appear to die away and go brown and then slushy with the weather.

The idea of the planter is because a) we may want to change the look and try a different tree some time and b) i thought it might look quite nice - but i'll definitely consider that suggestion.

Thanks - have had a look at 'lonicera nitida baggesen's gold' and my first thought is it is larger than i had in mind. However, actually I think that would be quite good, to have larger plants and make the garden look greener around the slate chippings whilst still having it low maintenance.

 

What is your approximate location @collinsc (county will help), what direction does your front garden face, what's your soil like (eg loamy, sandy, clay etc) and roughly how deep is it? These details will help with suitable recommendations.

 

We're in Wiltshire.
Front garden faces South.
Soil - im afraid i have no idea. This is a new build (about 7yrs old, we have been here 2.5) - built on farm fields. I'm not sure if they just use the farm ground or put new soil in ? Back garden is very much like a farm field - tough in summer, and has cracks.
Depth - im afraid i have no idea.

Thanks

 

Lonicera "Baggesen's Gold" can be kept very small if you're prepared to trim it quite frequently (mine is about 8" as an edging to a section of border and it's been in over 20 years). If you want to only do it once a year, then maybe choose something slower-growing.

 

That helps, thank you @collinsc. A hedge of a medium sized grass would suit that space, if you like grasses! I've used Calamagrostis Karl Foerster in my front garden. It's self-levelling, grows to about 1.5m, all you have to do is cut it to the ground once a year in late February. The movement and reflection of light, particularly in winter, is a big feature. My neighbours like it and their cats and dogs show no interest .

 

Nice! I was thinking big grasses too, maybe in gravel. I'm planning to add some to my own front garden.

 

This is another one that I like @Escarpment which is tall and columnar, Panicum Northwind (with a dwarf Pampas behind).

 

Thanks @Plantminded - I hadnt even considered grasses - will think on that.

 

Definitely don't want to be trimming quite frequently, much keener on low maintenance.

 

Thanks for this @Plantminded I had been drooling over this grass already, and your comment has made me want it even more. The only concern I have whether they can take some wind, as the two spots I have are rather exposed.

 

Thinking about boundaries, I walk past a garden where they have a really low metal fence, the sort made of a series of arches so there is no flat top to it. That would keep dogs off (presuming they are on the lead), and probably make the cats think twice too because they like to climb onto a fence and then off the other side, rather than just leap over.

 

That's a good idea - thanks

 

My hedge is on a very exposed corner @CostasK and the grasses frequently get battered with no problem. The secret is not to feed them, like most grasses, which can cause them to get floppy. Once established after the first season's growth they are also drought tolerant - I never water mine. Get your order in now .