Just finished 2nd landscape job

[grasswhacker]

Opinions please. I did not do the wall since I was not that experienced in hardscaping.

[grasswhacker]

A few more:

[sheshovel]

Looks like you did a real nice job there. Looks very good for only your second time.
I will mention several common mistakes.
You planter the shrubs a little too close to the house.
The mulch is up against the bases of the plants. and the small area along side the garage will get rain water coming off the porch and your bar;k will wash away..that should have been dig out a little more.
Good job.

[grasswhacker]

Looks like you did a real nice job there. Looks very good for only your second time.
I will mention several common mistakes.
You planter the shrubs a little too close to the house.
The mulch is up against the bases of the plants. and the small area along side the garage will get rain water coming off the porch and your bar;k will wash away..that should have been dig out a little more.
Good job.

All good points. The mulch is real light around bases, may get some wash off of porch and the hollies should be able to be trimmed away from house as needed, but i will look to bring out a bit more.
Thank you sheshovel for your comments.

[Dirty Water]

The house is very square, and the arrangements of your planting (all in a row etc) do not soften it at all.

Pick up a book on plant arrangement and your benefit a lot.

That said, I like your choice of plants, the color of the mulch, and the design done by the hardscaper.

[dcondon]

Nice Job for your second time. Keep working on it and you will do just fine!!! YES, get a book and look at all the different designs for a close match to the house that you will be doing. Good Luck!!

[cwlawley]

I agree, the planting doesn't really soften the shape of the house yet. But, you picked some very nice plants and it will eventually soften the shape as it grows out. Nice job.

[grasswhacker]

If you could pick the best landscape design book what would it be?

[drmiller100]

you guys don't get much snow back there, do you.
Grin!

some homeowners like stuff all in rows, some like more scattered. Based on overall layout, what you did looks great to me.
Why is there a hose in the middle of the entry way?

From looking at last picture, it mght have been cool to make a "V" out of the retaining wall to match the roof line.

[jameson]

Quick comment:

The cedrus atlantica/weeping blue atlas cedar is not a good choice in that small bed by the house. It looks cute and cuddly now but will demand more room in very short order. It is just the wrong plant altogether for that small area.

A better choice in that bed would have been something espaliered against the brick to soften the house with a foundation planting around its base or annuals as you have now.

[timmac]

Looks great. Keep up the good work. Just bring the shrubs out away from the house a bit.

[gqnine44]

If you could pick the best landscape design book what would it be?


Any answers to this question?

[sheshovel]

Nope ..there are none. You have to study the basics from different sources and get to know plant material.
Well there are none that I have found cover both plants and landscape design the way I think the different aspects should be presented.

[martinfan06]

All good points. The mulch is real light around bases, may get some wash off of porch and the hollies should be able to be trimmed away from house as needed, but i will look to bring out a bit more.
Thank you she shovel for your comments.

Not trying to argue w/sheshovle but the pic of the shrub its hard to tell how close it is to the house ive always heard 24" is plenty(just hard to tell) I think it looks pretty close. On the mulch I was always taught thats the way to mulch shrubs and plants. Now in regards to flowers and annuals no you dont mulch up to the base,just what Iwas taught. I do agree w/dirty water on the symmetrical planting usually youd want to go more random so it looks more natural. ALL IN ALL I THINK IT LOOKS GREAT. If your proud of it and homeowner likes it thats really all that matters,what makes this industry great diff ideas diff ways to do things. Not just black and white. CONGRATS ON THE JOB!!!:cool2: :cool2:

[prostriper]

Very nice choice of color. I would have staggered it a little instead of having the crop rows. But none theless very impressive. Don't let anyones comments get you down, practice makes perfect.

[gqnine44]

Nope ..there are none. You have to study the basics from different sources and get to know plant material.
Well there are none that I have found cover both plants and landscape design the way I think the different aspects should be presented.

Then I think you should write one. Just think, you do the work once and it pays you for the rest of your life.

[prostriper]

Then I think you should write one. Just think, you do the work once and it pays you for the rest of your life.

I'll buy a copy

[Ramairfreak98ss]

looks good, how much did the company charge for that wall? everyone has them now days in NJ, im sure it was 6x whatever they spent on the gardening, hence why i like to do it all at one time. do it on a small scale and learn the construction and process, youll have larger $$ jobs too :)

[sheshovel]

Then I think you should write one. Just think, you do the work once and it pays you for the rest of your life.

What and give out all my secrets?
Well it would take a long time to write..maybe when I retire.

[YardPro]

Not trying to argue w/sheshovle but the pic of the shrub its hard to tell how close it is to the house ive always heard 24" is plenty(just hard to tell) I think it looks pretty close. On the mulch I was always taught thats the way to mulch shrubs and plants. Now in regards to flowers and annuals no you dont mulch up to the base,just what Iwas taught. I do agree w/dirty water on the symmetrical planting usually youd want to go more random so it looks more natural. ALL IN ALL I THINK IT LOOKS GREAT. If your proud of it and homeowner likes it thats really all that matters,what makes this industry great diff ideas diff ways to do things. Not just black and white. CONGRATS ON THE JOB!!!:cool2: :cool2:

24" is too close for a lot of plants.

if a plant has a 6' spread it sould be 3' from the house...etc...

[elmo1537]

why cant you put mulch right up against plants? i know i should probably know this put for some reason my memory doesnt recall about it. I have heard that you shouldnt put them too close to the plants if the mulch is hot (from being piled up) but that is all.

[Dreams To Designs]

Mulch right up against plants can cause rot by keeping to much moisture against stems or bark. It can also act as a hidden path for rodents looking to snack on the plants or trees. Also, too much mulch piled up against trees or shrubs will lead the roots to search for gas exchange in the mulch zone which can lead to burnt roots when the mulch dries out.

Kirk

[GardnerLandscaping]

Nice info sheshovel and dreams to design. is pine straw ok near the base of liriope? juniper?

i had a problem with the same type of space with a home i owned with the shredded mulch wanting to float out on the sidewalk. i should have stuck with pine straw. i tried to solve the problem by mounding the area. i should have dug out the area. i can be such a nitwit. i thought digging it out would just make it float in a puddle of water.

i put monrovia little gem gardenias, annuals, and a couple of minature soft touch hollies in the area like that. the previous owner had a yellow bell bush and mexican heather as border. the yellow bell would have overgrown the area--i moved it out on the side back yard near a birch tree. the single-row mexican heather border looked too old-fashioned and attracted too many bees for the doorway. i doubled them up and moved them out to a landscape bed with i/h and ligustrum and on the side of the house at a chimney.

i looked at your portfolio dreams. very creative work.

i do think he did an excellent layout job with the main planter though I think some of it might be hidden by the planter. looks very professional--like a professional architect in the atlanta area did it.

[Dreams To Designs]

Gardner, thank you for the positive comments. If things slow down, I will try to update the website with this seasons work.

Pine straw does allow more air and water in, unless it gets matted down, so leaving an area right around the plants is your safest bet. Many perennials do not like mulch at their feet at all, like coreopsis and monarda. With these, you tend to get rot at the root crown. Lirope, being in the lily family is very durable and should do fine mulched in as well as the juniper. Avoid packing the mulch around the stems or trunks and when it starts to get matted down, fluff it up with a mulch fork. That is another good reason why not to install too much mulch or keep piling the new ,mulch on top of old mulch. The mulch will mat and create an impenetrable barrier for air and water. Of course soil preparation and amendments are the keys to good drainage and plant health.

Kirk

[treedoc1]

The most important aspect of the job is if your client is happy with the outcomme.

Now for the nitpicking so mistakes can be learned from.

1. Weeping jap maple - needs to be planted further from the house and walkway. Easily the minimum should be 4' from these points.
2. Hostas - planted in the full sun equals always scorching and ratty looking.
3. Buddleia - nice plant for full sun, however it is not a front yard next to the walk focal point. It will get tall and woody even with annual cutting back in the winter every year. It would be best planted as a background plant in a bed away from the house.
4. Azaleas - They appear to be the plants along the foundation. If so, they would be happiest on the nort or east side of the house. West or South in the full sun and they will always be under stress...lace bugs and other problems are guaranteed. If they are jap hollies, good spot...plant minimum 4' from house. This means 48" from the edge of the house to the center of the planting hole. Also 4' on center for spacing between the plants, 48" center of hole to center of hole.
5. Weeping blue Atlas cedar - great long living focal point plant, but it needs easily a 10' diameter area to grow. Move it or lose it. A shame if you don't put it in the right spot. Maybe you could make a new bed on the other side of the driveway and provide it with the space it needs.
6. Move the daylilies away from the jap maple base. You will be surprised at how fast they wil grow.
7. Why the line of perennials like soldiers around the backside of the weeping cherry. No one will ever see them. As far as planting perennials you will get a better effect if you plant in clusters of 3 or 5 rather than soldier rows. Because they don't provide season long color like annuals, but only week to month long spalshes, the rest of the year you have spread out the crappy looking perennials everywhere. Use them as attention focal points in more of a mass, the attention over the season will bounce from point to point depending what is blooming, giving you a better overall look.

Keep improving with every job.