scope of project:
I was introduced to Michele in the fall of 2021 by another neighbor whom I had helped a few years back. Michele desperately wanted to improve the curb appeal of her property, and was hoping ‘Barb the plant lady’ (as I’m known in the neighborhood) could help. When she and Carmen purchased the house in 2020, there were zero foundation plants, so they set to work to create some evergreen structure. Their selections of holly, boxwood, euonymus and azalea were a good first step, but we determined that more could be done to create layers of color and texture.
Their house faces north (as does mine), so we knew we would have to choose carefully to find specimens that could handle quite a bit of shade. The property slopes steeply to the driveway below, creating a planting and erosion control challenge. Plantings along the driveway were sparse and uninteresting. We also identified some overgrown spirea and other plants in poor health that would need to be removed as seen below.
October, 2021:
Site prep, spring, 2022:
The overgrown spirea and other scraggly shrubs were removed, allowing us to see what we had to work with. It quickly became clear that we needed to 1: remove the strip of lawn between the front bed and the stairs and walkway; 2: install two more large boulders for visual interest; 3: plant low, creeping sedum and other perennials to control erosion and minimize the need to access this awkward area for plant care.
Once the strip of lawn was removed and the left side bed expanded (thanks Carmen!), we enlisted the aid of some more muscle to dig up existing trees and shrubs, haul 6 cubic yards of loam up the front lawn to raise the height and width of the planting beds, and replant the original specimens along with new trees and shrubs.
Plant selections & installation, june, 2022
During our first shopping outing, Michele and Carmen quickly discovered the joy of funky conifers (much to my delight!), selecting a weeping Norway spruce and a beautiful silver fir at Country Brook Farms in Hudson, NH. I followed up with a carload of perennials, shrubs and a petite dawn redwood ‘Gold Rush’ from Lake Street Garden Center in Salem, NH.
Once the crew reinstalled the original specimens and planted the new trees and shrubs, I set to work adding dozens of perennials and groundcovers for 4 season interest. The end result is a deeply layered mixed border of trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses and bulbs designed to provide 12 months of texture, color and interest.
Phase 2, August/Sept, 2022
A few short weeks after the completion of the front gardens, a large tree was toppled during a heavy storm. It was removed, along with two other large trees close by, resulting in a much sunnier environment. The additional morning light has been beneficial to the front plantings, but the loss of shade further back in the property called for quick action. An amur maackia tree, a multi-stemmed birch, a sourwood, two conifers, lilacs and other shrubs and perennials were added along the left side fence. They not only will provide screening and eventually shade, but they continue the visual interest to the back of the property.
