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New job, need ideas

3K views 27 replies 11 participants last post by  kemmer 
#1 ·
A new customer want her yard redone. This topic is about the front, the lawn is another story. she would like small boxwoods lining the front walk. and doesnt really have any other preferences. She wants the beds raised, but most of the stuff looks terrible so she said that it will probably be replaced to. The trees(green) in the corners will stay, i have to work around those. The other stuff(red) will be removed. I was thinking about putting a evergreen on the left corner to soften that edge. and she wants a nice focal point on a side of the steps(not sure which one), mabye a maple, gotta make it look nice. I htink i have enough room on either side if i did want one. im also going to have to extend the window well on the right side. Let me know if you have any other ideas, especially some plant selection. I have to call her tomorrow to see how much light the area gets and if there are any dear in that area (dear ar pretty bad around here.)

Thanks

In the photos below:
1. original
2. cleared out(most of it)
3. Design so far
4. RED= Remove GREEN=Stay

Plant Building Window Property Tire


Plant Building Window Property Tire


Plant Window Property Building Wheel


Plant Window Building Tree House
 
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#2 ·
Hey bud I didnt look at your pictures because I Have dial up, but I dont think that a evergreen will soften any thing. I am assuming that you are thinking about some type of upright evergreen. Try using some type of ordamental grass or something to "soften" the edge Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Forester' Is A Farily upright grass and it is Hardy to zone 4. Good luck
 
#4 ·
I would at a Mt. fire underneaththe window on the left side of the house along with some berberis on both sides of the Mt. fire, then a arbovite at the corner of the house, some goldthread cypress and azela on both sides of the weeping cherry, with some hosta(3) drapped along the front of the weeping cherry. The right side of the steps Id try a pjm rhode. and either an arb next to the steps or a alberta spruce(maybe a spiral one), some nice edging and black mulch. Try to convince her to throw somthing inbetween the boxwoods like after every 2 or 3 throw an ornamental grass or small sized perennial. Good luck.

Jeff
 
#7 ·
Those plants need proper spaceing

The trees will take over the house in less than 10 years.

None of those trees should be in that foundation bed

You need some shrubs--like

Prunus laurocerasus-Schiphaensis
Ilex crenata --Steeds-Helleri--Skypencil
Nandina domestica
Taxus x media--Hicksii
Viburnum carlesii
Pennisetum Rubrum--Ornamental Grass

Good Luck
:)
 
#8 ·
Coffeecraver, are you talking about the spruce and the cedar? the beds are pretty large, they are 8 ft wide in almost everyplace and the right side of the steps they are over 11ft wide so the maple has room to grow. they wouldnt be placed right on the corner.
 
#9 ·
I agree with coffee craver, Id be careful with those trees, maybe go with something slower growing and smaller like an alberta spruce or something, even that weeping cherry eventually will get above that window, jus make sure you have enough room off the house. Looks good i like it, especially that sand cherry, really brings out the color.

Jeff
 
#15 ·
$600- 700 for what? the design is for myself really, it helps me plan stuff, i dont want to go out and spend 1000s of dollars on programs when i dont do much landscaping. This job is going to be atleast $2000 i havent done the estimate yet, still working out prices.
 
#17 ·
Coffeecraver said:
Another Grass-cutter giving landscapers a bad name
Not caring about the mature size of the plantings just the check.

:nono:
Dude, give the guy a break. I'm not in love with the design or anything but the plant choices arnt that horrible (as far as spacing goes). The Blue Spruce will get a little big but the Maple should be fine. A cupressa or something like that will stay compact if you have to go with a Blue Spruce.

The Boxwoods lining the sidewalk are nice but the rest of the design doesnt match it. I would keep the Boxwoods, remove the Blue Spruce and Hemlock (at least thats what it look like to me), and replace with sets of the kind of plants that CoffeCraver mentioned. Especially, Hollies, Some type of Blue Juniper, and/or False Cypress.
 
#18 ·
agreed.......................Listen...you asked diden't you?
You should take the advice freely given to you here..It is sound advice.Of course your customer liked it..I don't think you can show a customer and idea they don't like..they are uninformed people..we are the ones who have to think 5 or ten years down the road not the client.
 
#19 ·
i know that and now i am questioning the placement of the sand cherry. i dont think they want that window to be blocked and i may replace it with a holly or something. and going to have a 5' Dwarf Alberta Spruce in the far left corner and the 5'-6' Fat Albert Blue Spruce in the inner left corner. the bid so far is about $4,000 which includes a spring clean up and adding topsoil to a low spot in the lawn and seeding. I havent looked at prices of nice sized rocks yet. i figured 38 man hours in labor.

im not trying to give landscapers a bad rap, but its my last summer in business before i got to umass to study landscape architecture. ill learn and hopefully ill come out of it alot smarter
 
#21 ·
ya i bid a little higher incase she wanted us to transplate the existing plants to the back to see how theyll do and if i would run into any unforseen problems. so i figure day and a half with a 3 man crew. we also have to level part of the back yard and seed.
 
#22 ·
Well heres the final design, inkberry hollys, boxwoods, cypress, maple, fat Albert spruce, Japanese maple, junipers, 8yrds of hemlock mulch, and moss rocks. were adding 9yds Humus and 8yrds in the back yard for topdressing some bad areas. also were removing some dead things and transplanting others.

Plant Window Wheel Building Tire
 
#23 ·
snowyleaflandscaping said:
ya i bid a little higher incase she wanted us to transplate the existing plants to the back to see how theyll do and if i would run into any unforseen problems. so i figure day and a half with a 3 man crew. we also have to level part of the back yard and seed.
The fat albert will be on the house and in the gutter in 10 years if not sooner, boxwoods to close together....
 
#25 ·
renting this bad boy to


its got everything i need, bucket, pallet forks, tiller, leveler, auger, and trencher. using everything but the trencher. tiller will work great for removing ivy in the beds in the rear of the property and forks will be helpful for the pallets and plants
 
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