Hi! New to this corner of the boards...

[pattyT]

But obviously not to the disboards!
Previouses houses have had excellent mature lanscaping thanks to the previous owners! Just needed a little trimming and cleaning up!
NOW however I have to start from scratch!
or should I say from dirt! (pictures in my blog - link at the botom of this post!)
I am in MA so I know that alone will pose challanges as well as the clay base in some parts, and the wetlands in others!
I look forward to reading all your posts!

 

[DebºoºS]

Hey pattyT Welcome to the F&G Lots of nice buds here live up your way so I'm sure they'll have great advice for your zone. Starting from scratch is a real challenge but so rewarding. So nice to look back (there will come a time) and see the fruits of your labor. Maybe even get to pick some.
I started in this house 6 years ago with nothing but a plan...sort of. I used a landscape plan to dream about the landscape all winter. When spring came I was ready. Still planting and moving things around but I guess that's the fun of it for me.
Good luck and keep us posted with your progress. Any questions we'd love to help if we can. Oh and we love pics of your work in progress, flowers, bushes ponds whatever! We love garden pics

 

[amid chaos]

Welcome.

The most important thing you will do is amend your soil. Get a truckload or two of loam and compost. Mix the compost in where you want beds.
Next..spend the year looking around your area and note things that you like...bushes, trees, perennials and annuals. Buy them as they become available..usually when they look their best in your area is when the local garden centers stock them. Ideally you want something blooming during each part of the growing season.
You could also go to some garden sites (HGTV, better homes and gardens) and find one of those virtual planners. They can be tricky to figure out but fun once you do.

Good luck and keep us updated with pictures.

 

[pattyT]

Thanks everyone - i do look forward to Spring now- Deb did you use an online site or software to make your 'plan'?

The most important thing you will do is amend your soil. Get a truckload or two of loam and compost. Mix the compost in where you want beds.

We have a significant pile of original loam from when th eceller hole was dug - DH was going to dump it in the yard area - pick out the rocks and rotatil it for the grass - do you think that will be sufficient?? Thank HEAVENS we own a few dump trucks and a tractor so it should make some of this work a little easier!

Next..spend the year looking around your area and note things that you like...bushes, trees, perennials and annuals.

I really love this look http://www.dreamhomesource.com/Plan.asp?PlanID=19486&Flip=1 and can't even begin to know where to start picking plants - (Our house design is based on this picture - the outise should look jus tlike it!)

You could also go to some garden sites (HGTV, better homes and gardens) and find one of those virtual planners. They can be tricky to figure out but fun once you do.

Well that answers my other question!
Thanks!

 

[amid chaos]

it looks like the color boardering the walks are probably annuals...impatiens or something of that sort.


the "snowball" type things lining the house look like a bush of some kind.

Since most of what they have is lining walks, you could very easily get that look with lots of plants of one variety.

Great looking house.

 

[pattyT]

Thanks Amid Chaos -
neighbor I'm in Central MA
I never thought to just post a picture here - lol - I forget I can do that!
I have a snoball ty[e bush where we live now - do you know the best way to rootit - or move it?
Heres a picture with the bush -

I can not believe how well this plant grows back every year no matter how much I cut it back! I would love to take a lot of it with us!

 

[Tulirose]

Hi! New to this corner of the boards...

Hi PattyT! I'm old to this corner of the boards but haven't visited in quite a while. I just popped by and your post caught my eye and I checked out your blog and I AM SO JEALOUS!!!!

We are considering moving off this island in a few short years and I have been looking into floor plans and you have picked out something very similar to what I like. I want a master suite on the main floor just like that. I love your Jack and Jill bathroom on the other side of the house. I'm not big on fireplaces and I want a formal dining room but what a great website that floorplan is from.

I read a little of your blog and I can see that building from scratch is not an easy process. And I know from postings from Amid when she was getting her extension built that things don't alwys go in a timely manner either!

But, if we do this, move off Long Island and have a home built, I want new. I know what I want and hopefully we can get it at not too bad a price! Ha!

Obviously, you know what you want too and much of that landscaping in the picture looks like, as Amid said, annuals and bushes, maybe evergreen bushes, perhaps boxwoods?

Your snowball bush looks beautiful (as does your daughter). If you are not moving far from where you are now, it shouldn't be a big deal taking them with you. Deb is the one who knows about moving plants from one home to another.

I wish you much success on this large project and many years of love and happiness in your new home. What's the projected move-in date?

 

[DebºoºS]

Deb did you use an online site or software to make your 'plan'?

We have a significant pile of original loam from when th eceller hole was dug - DH was going to dump it in the yard area - pick out the rocks and rotatil it for the grass - do you think that will be sufficient??

Our house design is based on this picture - the outise should look jus tlike it!)

I use a landscape program called Pro landscaper 3-D. It's a few years old. there are probably better versions out now. It gives you a 3-D view of your plantings with the house driveway walks even a gazebo or pergola and a growth database to see what it'll look like in the future. Helped me out a lot when I had to do this place. Which is a workl in progress after 6 years you would think I'd be done, nope still planting and moving things around.
Sounds like you're all set with the grass. I love the look of the house!Congratulations!
Your daughter is soooooo cute!

 

[pattyT]

WEll we made a LOT of changes to the original inside layout! LOL
The outside looks the same -
The total size is larger...
that that Jack and Jill Bath became a common bath with a door in the hall there only - (we have a boy in one room and a girl in the other and I have watched WAY to many episodes of Brady Bunch to know that one will lock th eother door leaving the other one yelling and cutting through the others room - lol)

The ceilings over the living room and kitchen are cathedral with a Bridge (aka catwalk) attaching a bed and bath above the 2 kids rooms and a libraby/office above the master bedroom.
We also made the garage 3 car, and added an in-law house off that!

We are two years into the project now!
(from when we found the 7 1/2 acres! - we had to go through concervation commity stuff which took 7 months til we could close on it!)
then it took a good year + just to dig and haul for the driveway! (700ft+-)
We should be moving in come July if all goes well (and I believe that this is a VERY realistict deadline!)
We could never in a million years afford this whole thing but-
A - we got a screaming deal on the land - noone thought is was buildable because there are wetlands in the entire front of it - at the street -
B - My husband in a general contractor
C - all of the vendors he works with are being very nice to us when giving us prices for our personal house
and D - DH wants to build houses so this is a spec house!

I am sooo annoyed with people instead of saying something nice like - "this is going to be beautiful' or "you deserve this (we have been living in multifamily houses for the last 7 years to save money - can't wait NOT to have someone else live in our house - lol) so instead they say "Well I wouldn't want to clean this"
I have now thought up a good response just to annoy people - "oh we have already interviewed a few cleaning ladies..."

So does anyone know any websites that are specific to North East Lanscaping?

New Jersey must be a CRAZY Real Estate Market!
Where would you be looking to move too?
I can't believe how cheap real estate in Upstate NY is still!

 

[Tulirose]

Well, it is just going to be beautiful and you certainly DO deserve something special of your very own finally!

We are looking in PA. However, when I sent away for info by this one builder, it turns out the property taxes will be more than what we pay now and the rooms are not as large as what we have now! So, who knows.

But, I think I got the bug. I went to an open house in my own neighborhood of a custom built home only 6 years old. It was beautiful. And then, when we were out on the island visiting niece, went to an OH two doors away for a new home. Not quite finished but had many nice nice features and a master bath to die and go to heaven in!! Umm, however, price tag was a bit out of our league - 1.9 million!!!

Can't help with landscaping companies. Did you check your yellow pages? I'm sure they will have websites listed with their ads.