My front yard is boring, and I'm hoping you guys can offer suggestions for dressing it up. I've really worked on the rest of the yard and have turned it all into a botanical garden, all the way around the house. The 3rd and 4th pictures give you a little preview of it. The first two pics show the front yard now, after I put up a privacy around my gardens. The last picture shows the front yard before the privacy fence, the day we finished the circle drive. You can see the little 8 x 8 box I set up back then to landscape in. I MUST do something with the front. It seriously lacks curb appeal.
The front yard really consists of a huge driveway and flowerbeds beside it and flowerbeds on either side of the front door. Beside the driveway, I've planted several clumps of tall zebra grass which is beautiful when it's on display. (I've got a picture somewhere, but can't find it.) I get lots of compliments on it. The flowerbeds by the front door contain some lorapetalums and little else. These two small flowerbeds get a little sun but are fairly shady.
The beds by the driveway are long and narrow and get quite a bit of sun. On the right side, a big oak tree shades the bed in from mid afternoon on. The oak also sucks a lot of nutrients and water away from the zebra grass planted there, so the clumps are much smaller than the clumps on the left side of the driveway.
The driveway was originally intended to be a circle drive and I made the 8 x 8 planter in the center to give it a "circle" appearance rather than just a big parking lot. But I took it out since people kept running over it. I would like to have some sort of screening in the front of the house since all the traffic coming down the main highway can see everything I do in the front of the house. I've been considering making a new planter, maybe a smaller one, or perhaps planting a fast-growing tree--something that blooms about this time of year to put on a big show for the travellers. But I don't know.
I'm just not sure how to dress up the front. I have changed it many times and just can't seem to get it right. I'd like something showy and bright and bold. It has to be drought tolerant because I rarely water anything.
Any suggestions? Any pictures or ideas? I'm all ears! Thanks, friends.
NancyAnn
