Over the winter, I was actually thinking about working on the front lawn. It was going to be a huge landscaping project on this spacious, asymmetrical house, but we were somewhere during the renovation of our house in 1970 that we could get started as soon as spring arrived. We painted the siding and trim, removed overgrown trees and landscaping, replaced missing shutters, and installed new windows along the front of the house, and a new roof. All the trampling around the bush is behind us, and we can start re-establishing beds and farming. But I felt so overwhelmed by the thought of planning it all by myself.
I reached out to a few landscape designers about quotes and the process of getting a virtual plan. For a virtual consultation, I would have to have the property professionally surveyed and most quotes were in the $1,000 neighborhood. Although I felt this investment was worth it, I was a bit skeptical about my ability (or perhaps desire) to follow a detailed plan. I will read instructions, but rarely follow them to the letter. My creativity, individuality, and problem solving kick in and I can’t help but march to the beat of my own drum. So, I put it on my to-do list and there it stayed.
When March rolled around, I finally made a trip to a local daycare, which I pass by often while running errands. I can’t believe I’ve never been there before, but I stopped by, bought some early-planting perennials, and inquired about help with a gardening plan. It would be $20 for the daycare owner, who has been doing this business for decades, to come to my house and come up with a plan. Not following a $1,000 gardening plan is a stupid waste of money. Not following the $20 gardening plan is very low risk. I wouldn’t feel pressured to follow it exactly or even at all. At the very least, it gives me a chance to chat with someone very knowledgeable about gardening in this immediate area and see which shrubs will grow well in my specific beds. He can see the lighting conditions, see what is regularly ordered and in stock, and can consult some of our classification issues. So, I made an appointment.
Jack of Lovell Nursery came out one afternoon and had a look at the house and the front garden area. We talked a little about what type of plants I liked and what look I would choose. I told him I very much like a green and white garden, but would like to add some small touches of soft blue and purple. I don’t want pink, red, yellow, orange, rust, burgundy, deep blue, vibrant purple, or anything that falls outside the muted green, white, and blue palette.
Some of the plants I’ve expressed interest in growing are Annabelle hydrangea, boxwood, liriope, spirea, viburnum, and evergreens that I can keep neat and tidy to add structure. I told him I loved the layers, texture and ambiance of an English/European garden and that I was planning to do the work myself and add to the garden over a few years. We talked about a large trellis on the side wall (which I later decided two would be better) as well as other interesting points. I could tell the lack of color was hard for him. “How about yellow? Can we do some yellow? How about pink? No pink?”
“No, just green, white, and faint purple/blue.”
I know I’m in the minority when it comes to colorful gardens. I love and appreciate them when I walk through a neighborhood, but I like what I like, and if you’ve followed me for a while, you know I love blue, green, and white.
Here’s what worked for him. (This photo was obviously taken in the fall. It’s a pretty clean slate…
With my limitations and preferences identified, Jack stood off the sidewalk with a pen, ruler, and pad of paper and began to draw.
When he finished, we then reviewed the plan.
Did you follow the plan? No, and yes. I knew myself well and was glad I had chosen the more economical route. The idea of a plan was what I was going for, but I deviated from the details and rearranged some things as I did more research. I read about each plant he suggested, tried to scout them out on my walks around the neighborhood, and printed out pictures and information about the plants I liked. There were a few, like the Sky Pencil Holly, that I didn’t like, so I felt free to lose them. Changing the plan from one trellis to two also necessitated rethinking the plants in front of the side wall.
So, I dug, weeded, smothered, mulched, mulched, and planted to get these garden beds going. As I shared, the garden bed in the middle, in front of the porch, will be covered until next spring (hopefully) to kill the roof weeds that have taken over the entire area. There’s a lot to pull out by hand and I want to be able to fill that area with boxwood hedges and perennials and create a feature around the antique concrete birdbath. If I want to do this, I need to eliminate bishopweed, or at least prevent it significantly.
As I knew I would, I actually moved things around as the family developed. As with decorating a room, sometimes I need to see things in place to make final decisions. I like to keep my options open until I’m sure. The “I’ll know when I know” approach means delaying some decisions, but it also means I can take my time and make much better decisions in the long run.
I’ve been stopping by the Lovell store regularly to check out new stock and the plants I’m still waiting for to arrive. They were very helpful and discouraged me from purchasing plants that were not suitable for a particular location or condition or if it was too early to plant the annuals I had chosen. Jack can also identify plants at a glance. I took a photo of the evergreen hedgerow next to our pool (which I couldn’t identify from photos online because it looked like several species) and he immediately knew what it was. He even had a few leftovers from last season and sold them at a bargain as he had a few burnt leaves from being in pots over the winter.
Even though I don’t specifically follow his plan, I have made more than the $20 I spent on consulting and graphics. He gave me a solid point in the right direction and was able to answer specific questions like where the Annabelle hydrangeas would do best and how much topsoil and compost I would need to properly grade the garden in front of the porch and fill the hole left near the light shaft from a removed tree or shrub. I’ve learned a lot and now have a nursery where I’m known (probably as “Mrs. Annabelle”) when I have questions or are looking for something specific. I ended up purchasing Annabelle hydrangeas from a different nursery because they didn’t have them, but I appreciated that they suggested I buy them elsewhere because they didn’t know when or if the shipment would arrive.
I wanted to share this experience in case you are thinking about something similar. I didn’t shop around to compare consultation prices from other nurseries, but $20 was much less than I expected and I have a feeling it was a bargain. I would highly suggest checking out your local nurseries and garden centers. The affordability may surprise you!
We’ve put in a lot of work and there’s still a lot to do, but the front garden is on its way to becoming a welcoming introduction to our home.
You can read more of my recent gardening/outdoor posts here…
Antique style garden trellis tutorial and plans
Updated roof weeds and trellis design
Why Annabelle Hydrangea is my favorite
My gardening notebook
What’s in my pile of gardening books
Pool and Patio Updates | Summer 2023
