Our new foundation plantings

Last week we braved the pollen and invested in a little DIY yardwork. After roto-tilling the front beds and purchasing new foundation shrubs, our front yard has a more inviting look. Here's the reveal:

 Everything is on the small side right now; our budget allowed for three-gallon size material. Hopefully everything will grow at a fast rate and we'll see a size improvement in about one to two years. We also plan to add decorative planters on the stoop and a trellis panel in the niche on the left side. So, what did we plant?

On either side of the front stoop are Yellow Knockout Roses 'Radsunny'. Sometimes I feel that the pink knockout roses get too much attention, making them a little too commercial for my liking. I found these yellow ones; they are fragrant, slightly compact with an upright growth habit. The bright yellow flowers fade to a pastel cream color, as displayed in the photo. This rose should produce flowers from mid-spring until first frost. 

To create a continuous hedge across the front, we've planted these Wintergreen Boxwoods, Buxus microphylla var. koreana 'Wintergreen'. I love boxwoods as foundation plantings; they are evergreen, have good texture and color and are very reliable. We planted ours about 2.5' on center. They should grow together nicely in a few years.





To add a little height on the right side corner of our home, we went with this Japanese Privet, Ligustrum japonicum. This one is probably a little overused in the industry too, but I wanted something fast-growing and evergreen, that can be easily pruned into a small tree. This was the best solution. It has glossy bright green foliage year-round and white flowers in the spring.

Our next project is to incorporate a bed along the right side of our yard. We've already purchased a few azaleas, but I need to get more native plants in our yard. I saw some beautiful Virginia sweetspire, Itea virginica, the other day at a local native plants nursery. Some native perennials would be nice too. Maybe Stokes aster, Stokesia laevis, and Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia. We would also like to add a small flowering tree, a Dogwood or Eastern Redbud, to replace a dead Pecan tree.



Itea, Photo credit: NC State Cooperative Extension Service

Stokes aster, Photo credit: Floridata

Rudbeckia, Photo credit: Floridata




Hopefully the weather will remain as cool as it has been so we can get a jump start on our second phase landscape improvements! Let us know what you think about our landscape so far. As always, if you have questions about your landscape, post a question.