Brightening up a dull looking house

Hi, I was wondering if I could be bold and ask for some advice as to how I could brighten up the front of my new house? I bought a couple of tall blue pots and buxus balls on a whim but it still looks bland. Perhaps I should have opted for flowers or diff coloured pots. Any views are greatly appreciated

 

You could dig a narrow bed along the front edge by the footpath and fill it with colourful bedding plants or small flowering shrubs.

 

Dont tinker around the edges.


Paint the house blue.

Or cover it in smart looking Boston Ivy - Parthenocissus tricuspidata.




It will turn a glamorous fiery red in the autumn.

 

is there a climber that won't damage the brickwork??

I have a similar problem in that my house is DULL from the outside, and north facing....

 

Hi Tilia,

If you are concerned about brickwork, then you could try a non clinging climber that you tie into a wire/ vine eye framework would work fine.

 

Thank you so much everyone.

 

Your render looks good quality, and when it's done right, it looks great (which yours does) so I wouldn't try and cover it up. I'd just get some hanging baskets with brightly coloured flowers, maybe a few bright flower beds, too?

 

What about building a quarter circle pergola to the right with climbers on it.

 

Aren't they expensive? I want one but they all seem to be about £400!

 

Wow, that looks really amazing! Thank you for taking the time to help me everyone, very much appreciated.

The blue pots annoy me to look at now (I don't think they suit the house/black door colour) so I'm going to put them at the back of the house and buy new ones for the front to fill - perhaps with some bright red flowers.

Any ideas on what colour/style of pots would look best with the house?

 

I'd go for terracotta.

 

What about some bigger cast iron urns, those would look nice.
Most garden centers have them, and i know over here they run about 85.00 each.

Or even adding some taller shrubs near the door, to add demension, such as cedars.

I like the pots that you have there now, but i do think they need to be bigger...you've got a good space to work with.

Is painting the front door an option? It would look nice a brighter color, if you could paint it.

 

lovely house!

I'd steer clear of boston ivy or anything that grows on the actual walls of the house (that is so 'yesterday'), and couple it to the fact that for 3 months of the year, you are left with a bunch of dry sticks with no leaves ... looks good on a huge 12th century castle though



I would look at something more 'modern' ....

on the front grass, make 2 beds and plant a palm in the centre of each bed .... do your research, and prepare the holes properly (deep holes, with a good mix of John innes no3 and plenty perlite etc for good drainage)

these palms are very slow growing and are hardy, so buy the biggest that you can afford ... they only grow approx 6 feet high ... not sure of the sun aspect of the front of your home, but these do well in sun/part shade .... they are evergreen, so look good every day of the year

Google Images

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if you want a larger hardy palm, look at Trachycarpus fortunei .... does not like very strong winds, so if your area is protected, may be a good choice
http://dominicanexclusiva.com/trachycarpus-fortunei-gc-7.jpg
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around the palms, plant a mixture of evergreen huecheras ... these come in all different colours, but choose 2 colours that go well together ... I like the combination of berry smoothie (bright red) and electric lime ('bright' lime green) ... they will be 'evergreen' for every day of the year, are hardy and always look good

Buy Heucheras from Heucheraholics

there are some that prefer shade, and some prefer sun, so do your research, but choose 2 colours that match well
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there are even a few yellow leaved (large) hostas that enjoy lots of sun, but they die down in winter and regrow in spring

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a large potplant on either side of the door, and plant something that is hardy and evergreen (and exotic).... you will be spoilt for choice
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add a couple of hanging baskets on either side of the main door, and job done ...

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if you want to use a climber, and there is decent light/sun, plant star jasmine, (Trachelospermum Jasminoides ) but you may need to add a trellis or wires on the walls .... it's evergreen, smells really good in summer, and leaves sometimes turn red in cold winters ... takes 2 seasons to really get going ... or you could use a large garden arch by the stairs and plant it to cover (thats what I would do... not a fan of anything growing on the walls)
http://www.eastofedenplants.co.uk/images/db/agriframes/arches/Arch-Trachelospernum-jasmin.jpg

 

It all sounds fab and I'm very excited about all these wonderful ideas!

I absolutely adore urns but have only seen antique iron/stone ones locally and they are terribly expensive :( I might have to go for the cheaper option of a very large terracotta pot with a tall plant in the centre to give that much needed height.

I have always loved Palms and Cordylines especially (I think that's what they're called, apologies if not) however the area we have moved to is extremely cold in Winter (-18* recorded last January) so I'm not sure how they'd cope. Are they very hardy?