Hi all,
I'm still relatively new here and have been learning much in the forums and in PF. Thanks again for all the advice I have already received in my newbie posts.
After over 5 years of living here, I finally believe that I can begin to tackle my yard (I have only in the past year begun to take a real interest in gardening). I have seen plenty of great flower beds posted here; hopefully I will be able to apply some of this knowledge in my own attempt at creating new beds.
To that end, I have employed a relatively new (to me) tool called Sketchup to model my house and yard. This allows me to experiment with possible bed layouts and easily make changes or additions. The tool is free and is available from Google (there is a bit of a learning curve, but I believe it's worth it).
Now on to the pics...for the first few, I have combined the Sketchup model with an actual photograph for comparison.
Attached to this post is a front view of the house. This is basically how the flower beds have been since we moved in. There are two large oak trees in the middle of the front yard. These trees are surrounded by a few daylilies (which have seen better days and have not been divided since we moved in). One idea I had for these trees is to surround them with cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior), but that part of the yard receives a fair bit of sun (but not full sun).
The beds surrounding the house are full of azaleas. I have given them good haircuts every year or so and they always come back with plenty of new growth every year. I would like to get rid of most of these. The small bed immediately in front of the front porch has some small evergreen shrubs (I have not identified them).
All beds (except those around the oak trees) and the front walk are bordered by monkey grass. I would like to get rid of most/all of this as well. I have a place in my backyard where I have been putting any that I pull up. It just grows right there on the ground; I don't even have to plant it. Monkey grass is apparently very hardy here.
The rest of the images will be in subsequent posts. To see the full versions of these pictures, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/speckledpig/FlowerBedDesign (this is a PicasaWeb album).
This thread will concern the actual design and layout (including which plants!) of the beds. I will create a spinoff (but not cross-post!) thread in the Soil and Composting forum where I will be asking specific questions about my crummy soil.
I'm basically asking for advice regarding layout tips, plants to use, etc. As usual, thanks very much for any advice/comments.
Regards,
David
This message was edited Oct 16, 2006 1:21 AM
