I re-landscaped our front yard earlier this year but am just now getting around to blogging about it. I am sure some of you, and definitely some of my neighbors, are wondering why we dug up all our perfectly good flowers this spring. Don't worry, I found new homes for all of them. Most went into our backyard and the rest went to friends and neighbors. This front yard landscaping project has been on my mind for years. Even though my flower beds were filled with some of my favorite perennials, I never liked the looked of it and here is why...
Why I Re-landscaped the Front Yard
Our house is orange. There, I said it. Terracotta if you want to get fancy. Having such colorful flowers against the orangey brick only accentuated it. I tried to like it. Heck, I kept it that way for 12 years! I wanted so badly for it to look like a wildflower cottage. But when I knew that I was going to be changing things up in my secret garden and that those flowers would need to be re-homed, it kind of spurred this project along too.
A More Neutral Palette
I decided that having greenery and white flowers was the best move. My secret garden was all white flowers and I loved the look. I hoped that by having a more neutral color palette that it would downplay the orange tone of the brick.
I kept it simple. I planted some white peonies, boxwoods, and snowdrop anemone. The peonies and boxwoods will get taller than they are now. The snowdrops are as big as they will get and form the perfect border. They, like the peonies, will bloom in the spring and will even give a bonus bloom in the Fall.
I transplanted my white bleeding hearts (that were in my old secret garden) to the north side of the house. You can't see them all, but they line the whole side of the house.
I also wanted some more dramatic height and more texture. I planted two junipers. One on either side of the porch. They will get quite a bit taller and I am really excited!
Mulch and Edging
I decided to use mulch for the first time. Before, the flower spread and were so close that using mulch didn't make as much sense, but since these plants won't spread and are spaced out, I wanted to do something to help with weeds. I added a layer of Preen before putting it down.
I followed my friend Donna's tutorial for edging. It turned out so well! I used a half moon shovel to get nice clean lines and then made a trench all around the border.
Sorry for the poor quality cell phone pic.
Then the trench got filled in with much but not as much as the flowerbeds. It creates a bit of a mound effect and is suppose to help the grass from growing into the flowerbed.
This is the shovel I ordered. I love it! (affiliate link)
The Finishing Touches
I also added little boxwoods along the path to our door. They are the variety that stay small. I am going to try and clip them to be more round once they get a bit bigger.
The ivy I planted 3 years ago is finally getting tall enough to cover most of the mailbox. I have always hated out mailbox so I am so excited to have the swirly metal things covered. Next year it should be completely covered!
The window boxes that I painted blue last year, are filled with annuals like petunias, lobelia, and asparagus ferns.
Last year when we got our new roof, Shane painted the eaves of the house tan to match the tan brick and the foundation. It also helped tone down the orange. In fact, since then, I have had a few people come up and ask me what we did to our brick. They wanted to know if we sandblasted or put some kind of a wash on it because it looked lighter. They may not have realized it, but that was a huge compliment (for lack of a better word).
Once I have our garage made over (coming soon!) I will finally have the front of our house exactly how I want it. It only took me 12 years :)
Do you like the curb appeal of your home ? Do you have any projects that you want to do to improve it? I'd love to hear about your front yard and exterior projects!
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Very pretty. No I don’t like the curb appeal if my house. It is all garage and little house...And it is peach! But I love our house and the three car garage, so I live with the color! Thanks for blogging.
Like my mom always says, "Everything comes back in style eventually" So when peach hits all the runways and home decor stores you will be all the rage! Plus, peach it pretty :)
Your changes look great . Love boxwood they are so French and Cottage garden to me.
Thought, you don't sound like you love the brick color. Ever think of German smear or white washing. Just a thought .
Cindy
I do like the brick. I don't love it, but I like it. I love it a whole lot more now that the color is downplayed. It seems more tan and less orange. I hesitate to do something permanent to it in case I don't like it or in case the German smear and painted brick phase goes out of style. I am not a risk taker when it come to that I guess!
It looks so pretty! I need to edge all of our flower beds this way.
Thank you! I love that it was so easy to do!
I am so impressed by your new front yard! All that work is so worth it! It looks clean, organized, and balanced. I don't know else how to say it, but I am so happy for YOU!!!! 12 years is a long time to wait to have this done, but you DID IT!!! <3
I do wish I wouldn't have waited so long. A good lesson to learn though. If you want to change something, just do it!
Looks fabulous. You always have a good eye for these things.
Thanks! Your comments always make me feel so good :)
Really looks beautiful, you did a great job. Your house looks super.
Thank you!
I love your landscaping! Your house totally looks adorable. Very clean and balanced. We had 2 very large unattractive trees in our front yard. Just had one cut down this last month and hopefully the 2nd by October (expensive) I'm excited to transform our front yard too. I hope to do something similar to yours.
Congratulations ?. Your is beautiful.
Thank you! You are so sweet. I wish I would have done this sooner. We have a large tree in our backyard that is too close to the fence and is becoming a problem with the power lines. It needs to come down and I have been putting it off because I have heard it is costly.
We are expanding our very narrow front porch with a Trex deck, new stairs and handrail. Let me know if you want the pictures.
My great-grandma always said that more people will see your front yard than your living room, so make it nice to look at. You did just that! It's all tidy and neat. I love it.
I don't hate our curb appeal. There is always a project that we'd like to do out there, and posts like this help us dream about the next item on the list.
That is so true!
We keep no stones unturned and ensure that each and every corner of your house is inspected properly and faults are detected in a timely manner so that it can be rectified before any escalation.