Landscaping quotes/ideas?

[StephMK]

I want to re-do the landscaping in the front of our house. There is a row of shrubs in front of our bay window and I know rabbits live under the overhang now. They have actually eaten a little archway at the bottom of a shrub. So welcoming for the neighborhood bunnies!

There is another area in front of the porch, between the garage and front door, probably 8' x 3'. We have an East facing, flat, 1/4 acre lot with a large oak tree in the middle of the yard. I think I'm in zone 5.

I am looking for advice from others who have tackled this type of project.

1) ballpark cost if you've done this kind of work
2) ideas for mapping out how I want it to look if I do the work myself
3) any type of advice at all!
4) websites that would help formulate a plan and tell me what to do

I have pinterest inspiration pictures but really need a plan. The miscellaneous plants were put in by me to replace some old ones that died but the whole front needs help!

Thanks in advance for any help!!

 

[Darcy03231]

I would start by going to a local nursery. They would know what plants will grow best in your area. They may even have an in-house landscape designer or have someone they can refer you to.

I used to work in a small office that used to be a single family home. They had the front yard done because it was really overgrown. They ripped everything out - old hedges and bushes, flower beds, grass, etc. and put in new walkways, flower beds and plantings. It was a pretty small front yard. By the time it was done it looked a bit like an English courtyard. Just the landscaping was over $10,000. It was another $10,000 plus for a black iron fence to go around the whole thing.

 

[IndianaMouse]

I redid my whole yard last year and can't say enough good things about .... http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums . There's even professionals who hang out on the boards who will give you plenty of free advice.

The only draw back is that there are so many sub forums and it's set up completely different than the DIS so it took me a while to learn how to navigate around the site.

 

[amcnj]

Cost is hard to estimate till you know what you are trying to achieve. As you can see from an earlier post you could go into the tens of thousands of dollars if you wanted. I agree it is a good idea to figure out what will grow in your area and also what level of care/maintenance they need so you can figure out what plant material you are really interested in and how much of it. Another general thing to remember is that plants/shrubs/trees grow. I see a lot of instances where things are planted close together when they are small to fill in an area, but in short order they are become too crowded. You can always space them apart accounting for future growth and fill in with annuals till they mature.

 

[klsurfer76]

Check out what is available at your local Home Depot. They're one gallon perennials are about $6 each and sometimes 1 gallon shrubs are on sale for $3.33. That is starting small and it will take a few seasons to get a nice growth but an economical start. Otherwise, you can buy 2, 3 or 5 gallon plants that will get you there faster for more money. Of course, add money for soil, 1.19 for a 40 lb bag of the cheap stuff or more for the better soils and soil amendments like peat moss. See what plants you like at the store or research online and write them all down and see if they will be ideal for your area. Keep in mind if they are for sun, part sun, shade. Also how tall and wide they will grow and when they will flower. It is best to have a mix of shrubs or evergreens, perennials and some annuals. That way you will have something flowering at all times or interesting different foliage and textures. Map your drafts and final plans with your dimensions and see if everything you want would fit according to growth and mark when they will flower and see how your placement will work.