DESIGNER'S CHALLENGE!

Not a magician, Lynnie....just a low level garden deity......Every one spit coffee on the monitor.....grin

I just think you guys R wonderful!

Hello! I am a frequent visitor and have learned so much from reading the discussion threads.

Just noticed something that made me want to throw in my two cents- the purple shrubs may be chinese fringeflower (loropetalum chinese). There are dwarf varieties of these, otherwise they will need to be moved as they may reach 6-10 ft. The one on the corner might be able to stay.. hmmm. Anyway, just my two cents.

Hi Nia. I think they are loropetalum also, and hopefully the dwarf variety. More than likely most of the plant material will be reshuffled. We want to create a unique look that still blends with the architecture of the home and the tone of the neighborhood.

Another question, Linda. Does Lolita's subdivision have restrictions on plantings? Is there a Homeowner's Association to consider?

Now that I am not on the laptop, and looking at larger pics, I think the two really upright shrubs may be some type of Juniper or other slender growing conifer....Linda...humor a blind old bat and take a close up of those please....grin

Ok Moon! I might venture out there sometime tomorrow if she can't get out today and send more pics of the front. We're having terrible rainstorms in Houston today, so pic taking conditions are not optimum.

Hi Nia3! Welcome aboard. Throwing your two cents in with everyone else's ensures that well make it to a DOLLAR at some point! Then she can frame it when we're done!
So keep all that change coming, ya'll!

Linda

Hey Linda...no way you can tease that rain into going south or back to the west instead of east is there? It is supposed to visit us tomorrow and my son's GF has a surprise B'day BBQ planned for him....ah well, who cares if the ribs and brisket are a bit damp....grin

There is no rush, just when she takes the other pics, get her to do close ups of the plants that are already growing there. Rome wasn't built in a day, so guess we have a little time to work on this...grin

Ok. Evidently, "Lolita got what Lolita wanted!"

Here's the house!

Wow! can I hire her to get me what I want. LOL

Really nice house!!

Hi GymGirl! Nice to meet ya, I happen to be the leader of the Gypsi's and any Gardening question you have feel free to direct them to me. I have the most knowledge and experience and the rest of them are full of grass seed lol

and we sprout up everywhere....lol

excuse me, pardon me....ahem...elbowing my way in....
ok let's not scare Linda off before we even get started, let's pretend we're not crazy till we lull her into a feeling of security....then we show up at her house for dinner!
Kidding! I'm full right now.

Ok, serious question, that tan line going across the front, is that trim? That yard looks huge. Makes me want to hide my head under a pillow...looks like mine when we got our house.

Ok, ya'll play nice! I'm gonna like working with you gypsies!

Ok. I spoke with Princess Lolita (she's not old enough to be a queen yet. Just turned 30 -- PhD Pharmacist at 24 -- only filled prescriptions for about 6 months in her entire career), who answered some of our questions:

The house only sits on 1 acre -- not 1-1/2 acres...
The front door faces NORTH and the back door faces, guess what? (Oh the places those veggies will grow!)
The tan line looks like it is brick
In the backyard, there is a mountain of the same type stone as below that tan line -- but it's all stuck together. Evidently a stone-worker type owned this house...
There's a construction crew about to put stucco?? over the front door and the windows, so they'll be all over that flowerbed.
Do we need to do something with the existing flora BEFORE the crew tramples all over it? Like dig them up and put em in buckets for safekeeping?

Hope this provides some insight to where we're heading!

Linda

More pics tomorrow. Closeups of the flora for identification. I like the sound of Japanese Maple....oooooooooooooooooooh how about a willow tree? With all that front, I'm seeing more than one Japanese Maple, yah think?

Gmygirl, Japanese Maples are really nice and don't get as tall as most trees. I personally like Crepe Mrytles. They don't get too tall but can get them in different colors and they really dress up a place in late summer. I was teasing about being the leader and knew the girls would pick up on that one. Good luck on your project and I will throw my two cents in when I find em lol. PS Be careful with weeping willows as they break eaisly in ice storms and follow water sources for miles such as septic tanks. They do better on creek banks. But thats my opinion.

Hey, Flowers!
Great to know who's the leader of the pack! I was just namedropping on the trees. Remember -- I know NOTHING about flowers and landscaping. I do know crepe myrtles, and I love the ones at my house. The do add color at just the right time too!

Don't go too far away either! We need your leadership AND your two cents!

They're gonna need a riding mower....

Lolita needs (god I love that name) some big trees out front, like crimson king maples, at least 30 feet from the house. I suggest crimson kings because they have a beautiful burgundy color all summer. Closer to the house use the smaller trees, crape myrtles (I can't grow them here so I like to pretend they don't exist) Japanese maples, crabtrees, etc. I'd get the big trees in first.
Flowers is right about the weeping willows, not good around septic or close to pipes...my grandfather had a big beautiful weeping willow in his tiny back yard, it had to be cut down. Heartbreaking for the kid who liked to swing on the branches. I digress.

Also let's not forget some evergreens. Ask Lolita what colors she likes, too.
Also, if those stones out back are bothering her she can send them to me :)

Hey, Linda...YES before the stucco guys get in there, everything needs to come out. We want to try to salvage and re-use as much plant material as possible. The rains should make removal a bit easier. Stick the stuff in pots and put it where it is protected from the hottest sun so we don't shock them further. That will also make cleaning and prepping the bed areas easier. We can get positive IDs on it all also...grin

SO, STEP ONE: Remove existing plantings.♠♠♠♠ (wow. don't know where the little spades came from, I dropped the mouse and there they are...coincidence that you need spades to complete step one...LOL)

Moon's magic flies again! hey Moon you got 4 of a kind.
*grin*
Moon is very practical, me rush rush get the big trees in, they need time to grow hurry! If they don't grow fast enough stand & glare at them with your hands on your hips, that's very effective, makes you forget about housework.

I stare at my plants too. Glad to hear it's not just me ^_^

Moon ~ your mouse must have hit the alt key and the 6 key (on the number pad) at the same time. That's how you get little thingies. ☺ ♥

LOL Lynn. If I wanted or needed those little icons I would have NO way of finding them....grin

I am with you, but I stomp my foot and threaten with "I put you there and if you don't grow I can take you out!" Of course the plants just laugh at me cuz they know how much they cost....lol

Too cool Smiley.. There is a number key pad right next to the mouse pad, but the alt key must be magically linked...grin♠♠

Wow, that worked but I guess all I can do is spades....LOL

♠B♠♠♠♠♠♠ To heck with the trees I'm shootin for a straight Lynnie lol

Go Flowers! Just remember there is no such thing as a straight in plant placement....grin

no worries about that here Moon, I couldn't plant a straight line with a 10 ft ruler lol See how easily we get sidetracked GymGirl lol

How many Gypsies do you know that travel the straight and narrow? GRIN

need some height to break up that tan line.....it's stern looking.
that alt key trick ain't working for me..........

ladies! try to stay on topic! do you want to get kicked out of the beginner's (scroll up to see where I am) landscaping forum?? you KNOW people hate gypsy camps popping up in respectable threads! And take off those bangles and scarves!

This message was edited Nov 21, 2009 10:42 AM

Hide the wagons and the tarot cards....we are on a respectable thread here....grin


Yeah, that "tan line' bugs me too....grin

Gymgirl, here's a link to evergreens for zone 9

http://www.naturehills.com/catalog/Trees/Evergreen_Trees.aspx?zone=9

and a nice pic of a crimson king maple, mine is this color all summer but mine is still kind of small.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dcrimson%2Bking%2Bmaple%2Btree%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Die8%26fr2%3Dtab-web&w=220&h=220&imgurl=www.fast-growing-trees.com%2Fimages%2FCrimsonKing220-DARK.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fast-growing-trees.com%2FCrimsonKing.htm&size=17k&name=CrimsonKing220+D...&p=crimson+king+maple+tree&oid=3d76f6472b2b8fcc&fr2=tab-web&no=1&tt=100&sigr=11h4k259u&sigi=11phc2qjm&sigb=132mr9rm4

This message was edited Nov 21, 2009 6:27 PM

I was thinking maybe something like these to break up the height...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.greenset.com/incEngine/sites/greenset/products/GS_New2_06/spiralJuniperTwist.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.greenset.com/incEngine/%3Fproduct%3D1030190453&usg=__gYh1crI61O1UcjgvGMIA04TZ_ME=&h=600&w=600&sz=59&hl=en&start=8&um=1&tbnid=MCv21bC2IF1XFM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dspiral%2Bjuniper%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1

those are nice Moon! I am still on the "big tree further from the house" kick *grin*

I do like that weeping cypress, though, I love weeping forms.

This message was edited Nov 21, 2009 6:29 PM

I am thinking tree/shrub wise that the reds and blues would look great in contrast to the brick/stone work.

yes, me too! I was thinking boy wouldn't a colorado blue spruce look NICE with a JM or a crimson king...then saw they aren't hardy to zone 9. Oh well. I'll put one in my yard to make me feel better *grin*

LOL...yeah, we are way too warm here for a lot of the conifers. This is one I was thinking about.

http://www.floridata.com/ref/M/meta_gly.cfm

nice! I think there's a weeping form, too, isn't there?

oh the weeping and the yellow forms are both dwarf.....

This message was edited Nov 21, 2009 7:25 PM

Of the Sequoia, but not the metasequoia. Unfortunately, the giant weeping Sequoia doesn't like our heat either.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/82320/

there's one down the road from me, I'm thinking if it can live down the road.......what a cool tree.

Oh, yeah, it could live at your house for sure....grin Lynnie's forest. weekly tours available...grin

That Metasequoia is awesome! And that Crimson King Maple is to die for!

I email the pics to Lo. Her husband is concerned about such a large tree on the front sending out roots that will "bust up everything." What do we tell him? I like that giant Metasequoia!