Will you help me plan this bed?

I am not very good at planning gardens! Any advice you can offer would be very much appreciated.

This is the side of my house, it is east-facing. As you can see, it is sloped with some rocks creating a bit of a terrace. There are a few hostas, which I can easily transplant somewhere else. Near the door is the hose attachment as well as the oil and the electrical meter, so those can't be blocked.

I like cottage-style gardens, with lots of soft color. I would like to use some flowering shrubs, perhaps Bloomerang Lilac. I'd also like to use some annuals so I can have color this year.

Thanks in advance :)
Heather

I am not good with planning but watching what advice you get

:)

Oh boy...I love this part!!!!

Let me think on it and I'll get back to ya

Yay! Thank you :)

Some questions.... you say east facing but how long does the sun actually hit this area? Are the hostas doing good there?

How is drainage, what is your budget , do you want a weekend project or are you looking to fill as you go and lastly, how much help do or will you have for the project.

The spot gets pretty good sun. There is some dappled shade in the afternoon. Beyond that, I have not measured how many hours it gets.

The hostas are still covered in snow, but they were just planted by the real estate agent when we bought the house in the fall.

There is good drainage. I would like to add as I go, hopefully starting with some shrubs and annuals, adding perennials and bulbs as I get a good feel for the land.

I have a very similar area on the opposite side of the house but it gets more shade.

It doesn't need to be a weekend project, I have time during the week to putter around :) My only help is my hubby (evenings & weekends) and my little guy (soon to be 6). Budget is not all that high, I don't think there is any money for hardscaping or trellises, etc. I am limited to the plants, fertilizers, ammendments, etc...

I hope that helps!

If you have the money, I would either put a Japanse Red Maple tree, or a Rose Tree, or maybe a Red Bud Tree, some creeping Pholx,(white and pink). one or two Daylilies, maybe some Holly Hocks, some Daisies. Pampass Grass. I'm lost now. I'm sure someone else would have a better plan.

Yes, let's hear about the conditions. South slope gets warm and erodes fast. Keep the stones for terracing, add spreading annuals. Shrubs are permanent, consider their mature size. Look for a few tough perennials that help control erosion. (Want some Day lilies?)
Andy P

Trellises can be made cheap. All it takes is a sturdy 3 foot stick attached to the house, hang jute string down to the ground for fast growing vines like Morning Glory and Black Eye Susan vine. Small footprint for big display.
Andy P

Here's a collage I did for you of plants I thought would look great in cottagey garden...you can add in bulbs for early color and annuals to fill in till the perennials do, mums or asters for some fall color.
I tried to get every season
I used a dwarf redbud for the center
there are(from top left floxglove, redbud, campanula, middle right-delphinium, bottom row right to left aquillegia, shasta daisy, creeping phlox, anemone, geranium)

Hi, here's some ideas. (I don't know how to collage) Ballerina rose, For focal point, use Coral Bark Maple, then on the slope down stagger 3 Hydrangea either Vienna or Rio . My Monet Weigela's, Veronica Giles Van Hees, Butterfly Blue scabiosa, Liriope grass to round out. Boxwood for winter interest, annuals for color. All of these you can find at your local nursery.

Not good here - I would not do any Biannuals, the ones that come up every other year

Great plans....it's very hard for me to do it from a photo....I would want to be there to see the conditions......but I have an area of my house on the north side where the foundation is high, & I planted rhodos to screen it.....I think a medium-sized rhodo would give you the green against the house all year, & provide a screen for the foundation, and a backdrop for say a small weeping Japanese maple, then you could add the smaller plants....

Thanks for all the ideas. I am researching the diffferent plants you suggested and I am sure I will have questions. Does anyone have any thoughts on edible landscaping? The door on this side enters into my kitchen.

I had never heard of a rose tree before - beautiful. I was exploring a different part of the land yesterday and found that I have an area overgrown with roses. They look like climbers, as there are very long canes. I can't wait to see what they are!

One condition point - the terracing of the rocks is much better than they appear in the picture - I tried to take a better picture, but failed.

Andy - my mother and sister live in Brockton, I am up that way all the time. :)

Can you possibly step back and take a photo straight-on of the whole side of the house? The photo you posted appears to be a view from the left corner of the east wall of your house. I think that the heights of various plants you place in the back of the bed next to the house would be planned carefully. For example a tall shrub or small tree at the bottom of the slope near the corner of the house. A tall shrub is needed under the left window but a shorter one is needed for the window on the right, due to the slope. An even shorter shrub is needed for the space between the porch and the ground. A medium size shrub to go under the meters revealing only the part that needs to be accessible. Between the two windows, you could go with something tall again. This would complete your "back of the border" so to speak. Then place your middle of the border plants taking into consideration the mature size of each plant. Each of these should be shorter than the back row and taller than the front row which could be mounding annuals at least the first time around. Stagger the placement of the plants so they dont end up looking like soldiers lined up. If I saw the whole picture, this might not work so if you can post another photo, I could make adjustments if you are interested.

Thanks, I will take some more pictures ASAP!

That is exactly the kind of advice I need :) I will also post some dimensions soon.

Other, very important consideration is how much work/maintenance you want to do. Shrubs and trees are virtually maintenance-free. Perennials require cutting back, dividing and sometimes deadheading.

Whatever primary plants you choose, I would suggest some sort of groundcover to fill in. MUCH easier than mulch at suppressing weeds, controlling erosion and conserving moisture.