DESIGNER'S CHALLENGE!

I think we should have a forum called "Designer's Challenge!" to assist newbie landscapers. It'd work like the "Landscapers Design" program on HGTV. Newbies would submit photos and related specs of their area to be landscaped. Experienced landscapers would submit specific design ideas for that area and the newbie would select their favorite design. The selected designer would agree to work with that newbie to complete the specific area.

The winning design and designer of the Challenge could be spotlighted with a published pic somewhere on the DG site (created for the winning designer) ^^_^^. Maybe a "Designer's Challenge" page in the newsletter?

How about it, Dave?

Do I need to solicit votes from the newbies on the Beginner Landscaping forum?

Linda

Gymgirl, neat idea. If you want to ensure Admin sees it, try posting your suggestion on the Dave's Garden Forum.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/dg/all/

Done! THANKS!

Ok, Since I'm burning daylight on getting this project started for my niece, I'll launch this Designer's Challenge! #1 with a collage of what we're working with.

From the pics she sent me, looks like a landscaping design was in progress, but abandoned when the house was. The home has sat vacant for 1 year.

I don't know the names of these shrubs and bushes (although I can see some type of boxwoods? intermingled with the purple shrubs and the evergreens? that I believe are intended to grow very tall against the front of the house). If this is the case, I can kinda picture what the original owners were going for with setting these bones in place.

Please pick up this Designer's Challenge! #1, and help a newbie along. Her name is Lolita.

Thanks in advance!

Linda

Hi Linda. looks like maybe a sky pencil holly and can't tell on the purple ones. That Cycad is going to get much bigger and interfere with the walkway....they get huge. Make sure your niece knows to plant at least 4 ft from the foundation.

I personally have trouble with small pictures (dyslexic) so, it might be easier all around to post single pics of each area...and give a reference for scale.

Thanks, Moon! Will do!

Here's the first individual pic.

#2

#3

#4

plus the zone, what zone is she in? the purple ones might be barberry but I'm famously inept at plant ID *grin* (lazy)

Thanks Lynnie6868
Houston, Zone 9A. Trying to pinpoint which direction this front faces. She doesn't know offhand, but is researching for US!

P.S. Moon: When you teach her, you're teaching me, too! Remember, I've only grown veggies so far, so this is my classroom too!

Thanks guys! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited and so is she!

oops! Here is #4! It's the view standing at the far right end of the front walkway (where it meets the driveway) looking back up the walkway toward the front door.

Here's #4 to SCALE. (Had to crop it before).

Moon,
You're very right about the Sago. And the first thing I know I CAN do is to at least trim it properly! (Growing and learning all about Sagos is my other hobby!)

This message was edited Nov 19, 2009 12:57 PM

Hey Lynnie! what say we get the Gypsy gardeners together to help Linda and her niece with the landscaping?

Linda and I are in the same zone...and we can all learn a bit together. It looks like the house next door was the pattern for design and plant material. There are a number of questions your niece must answer. In addition to Lynn's question, how much does she want to do? How much can she afford to do , now? What does she like? Here is the Better Homes and Garden Website for landscaping. Have her take a look at the various ideas offered and see what type of landscape appeals to her and suits her home. We will also need some pictures from the street, again with scale in mind.

Moon! Who are the Gypsy gardeners? Thanks eversomuch for picking up this ball! I'll get all the questions above answered.

I believe she is in ZONE 9A, Missouri City, Texas, 77489.

The Gypsy gardeners are a bunch of gabby DGers that get together from all over the US and now internationally (grin) to natter about this and that in our homes, garden, and lives. We all have gardens of varying sizes and talk about them. Lots of good ideas and great silliness abound there. And, since we are Gypsies, our numbers increase and decrease as we go....so does the sanity of the threads we post....grin

You are a subscriber, so you can go to the General Discussion Forum...The current thread is Hey Gypsy it's a wild world.
Probably any you see there that have the word Gypsy or Basil in the title are gypsy threads.

Here is another link for Lolita and you.

http://text.lsuagcenter.com/en/lawn_garden/home_gardening/sustainable_landscapes/Select+landscape+plants+to+fit+environmental+conditions.htm

is her name really Lolita? I LOVE it....I should change my username to that...shoot, off topic ... ahem...
Zone 9 isn't my specialty, but hey that hasn't stopped me before lol. bhg.com is a great site for beginners, too, I used one of their plans for my foundation beds but I tweaked it a little with colors I preferred. I have to tweak it again because I made mistakes, but hey live & learn.

Thanks! Didn't get the 1st link. Please repost.

Yep. Lolita Maria Clare! Thanks for the link Lynnie!

Moon, Bring on those Gypsies!

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping-projects/

registration is free

Lynnie is already here...grin Sorry about the link, ya can't get what wasn't sent....duh

ooh, another party? I'll join in, for what it's worth.

Moon can she grow Japanese Maples there? That would look awesome against that house.

Linda, meet Smiley...she is also a Gypsy....

Smiley, we are gonna try to help Gymgirl (Linda) help her niece, Lolita design her landscape....Nee...we can be Shrubbers...grin

Yes ma'am, Lynn. They grow quite well here....just have to see which direction the house sits as Jap Maples can't handle our zone 9 afternoon sun.

yes shrubberies are my trade
Moon I couldn't help it....


edited to be back on topic...
definitely a red jm in the front, but we need that picture of the whole front from the street.

This message was edited Nov 19, 2009 4:24 PM

Ready to start...oh oh off we go....yea...grin nothing like a Gypsy fire drill...lol "Come back here, coward"....grin

When have we EVER managed to stay on topic...ROTFL

I think this is a lovely I idea and I may submit my "PLEASE HELP ME" PICS SOON.

In the meantime I thought I would share this...

A very good friend of mine chooses something she wants her hubby to buy her, like a piece of jewelry.. She says Oh, Don't you worry, he WILL get it for me... and if you dare to ask how she knows he is definitely going to buy it for her.. She says, "After I bring Lolita out he will do whatever I tell him too" --- I laugh at her every time bc she means it.. and somehow -wink- she always gets what she wanted......

I love the name Lolita.. It is a very beautiful name.

what Lolita wants, Lolita gets! *grin*

Lolita IS a pretty name. This is not my forte, but I'll try. (I don't think I really *have* a forte)

In picture #4, what is that tall thing? Looks kind of out of place, unless it will grow into it's own.

I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!! CAN YA'LL SEE ME JUMPIN' UP AND DOWN DOING THE HAPPY DANCE!????

ooooooooooooooooohhhh, and a JAPANESE MAPLE, WOW!

Moon thinks it's a sky pencil holly, looks to be leaning but it could be the picture angle. They get tall but stay narrow.

I personally don't like it where it is. But like I said, design I'm not too good at. Man, I would LOVE to be weeding that!

I think someone guess it might be a sky pencil holly? Supposed to grow tall as the 2nd story against the front. I think I can see what they were aiming for with a height feature.

(talking about #4 photo - to scale) I don't like that tall one where it is. I think it would have looked better maybe closer to that corner farther back?

Something that got a little fuller might look nice.

Hey Smileymom343,
I'm thinking it's still a baby and will possibly get taller? If not, you're absolutely right! That big ole' house (4,000 sq.ft.?) needs some umph in front of it! I love the stonework, too. Makes me think "rustic" .

Would a short (24"-30") stone border work better on that bed than that dinky little green edging, ya'll think?

Also, this whole thing took off because I intend to wintersow seeds in January for the plants we'll need, so soon as ya'll identify em' LMK so I can race like the wind to order seeds. I'm collecting milk jugs from EVERYWHERE to have enough, because my WS plan was for my spring VEGGIES, not Lolita's flowerbed. However, "what Lolita wants -- Lolita gets!"

Why will that come back to haunt me??? ^^_^^_^^_^^

Linda


This message was edited Nov 19, 2009 5:05 PM

The stonework is beautiful, GymGirl. You can call me smiley for short, or Julie. I occasionally answer to that!

I have to go now, can't work on this computer and dinner is ready! All have a good night, not sure if I can make it back tonight.

I like the idea of something else besides that green border, too.

THe stone work is lovely, but before anything else, We need to see how the house, beds and yard all present themselves both to the sun and to the street....Orientation is important and solid ideas/planning keep you from moving things around over and over. We also need some in put from Lolita, otherwise we are designing for ourselves....grin

Missouri City is south of Houston, so pretty sure zone 9a for hardiness.

winter sow! Gymgirl we're not magicians! LOL well Moon is, but the rest of us are mere mortals.