Topic: Help / Advice please...

[sunsoaker]

Couldn't really figure out which forum to post this under - hope this is right.

Here's the deal...? I have put my house on the market. In an effort to make a better first impression to potential buyers, I need to do some border landscaping. Problem is, I have a brown thumb and absolutely no creativity for this sort of thing. Below are pics of where I need to put some plants. I am hoping to get some of you folks that obviously know more about this sort of thing to throw out some suggestions as to what to put there.? I do not like azaleas (believe it or not), and would really rather not have any kind of "bush".? ?I will post the pics (hope it works) and the outline what ideas I had...

Well! That didn't work... guess I'll just post the links...

http://picasaweb.google.com/goggins.barbara/Landscaping?authkey=W5s-nHC3UF4

(That link should take you to 4 photos, just click on a photo to make it larger)

This is an area the goes across the front of my house, including the porch.? The small area is the space between the house and the driveway.? I had thought maybe putting something that won't be too tall, but big enough to come above the edge of the porch in there (probably about 2- 3 ft. tall??), and then something taller and maybe slender where the support posts for the porch are at. That may be too much though.? As I said, I have a brown thumb, so whatever I plant will need to be low maintenace / easy care.? I do live in NW Florida, so the plants will need to be able to withstand the heat that will soon be here. These areas would be classed as getting partial to 1/2 day sun, and some spots may not get any direct sun due to the shading from the trees in the yard.? I like to be thrify as well since I am sure whatever I plant there will be removed / replaced by the new owners, assuming this place sells.? Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Patty S]

It sure looks like you're starting with bare bones there!   Your general plan sounds good... (I hope you're ready for a lot of work!) I can't be of much help, cuz #1, I'm over in Oregon & am not familiar with the kinds of things that might be best for your area, & #2, I'm not very good at landscaping! I stick things in the ground & most of it grows, but I'm not much good in the landscaping department.? (Mmy yard is pretty boring & lacks character, when you step back & really look at it!)

I can think of a few annuals that stay in flower all summer long, which might be a nice touch, but I don't know that too many low growing plants would be very appealing. One thing for sure though; if you're wanting to plant things that'll give you quick results, you'd better get started pretty darned quick!

Undoubtedly, you'll need planters for the places by the porch supports, but you're smart to not spend a bunch of money on shrubs, cuz I think that having "clean" garden areas might be a selling point, as many people would rather plan their own landscaping... (& your buyers might just pull them out anyway, if they're not the kinds of bushes they want!)

I'm with you on the Azalea thing...  I never have liked them, & I hate their cousins (Rhododendrons). They're just too high maintenance for my liking,  with the messy junk that falls off of them & then takes years & years to break down!

I hope somebody comes along here who will be able to give you some ideas... sorry I'm not much help! 
Good luck with the sale of your house!

[sunsoaker]

Hi Patty. You're right... I am starting with bare bones.  There use to be azalea all through there... I pulled them out (rather, hubby did..lol) because, as I said, I never liked them. But then I never did anything with that area. Now I need to.

I spent over 15 years in Oregon. Beautiful country, but when you were born and raised in sunshine, you just never get accustomed to the 29 month rainy season. ha ha.. exaggeration I know (only 12 mos. in a yr.), but it sure seems like that!  And I know about the Rhodies... I had a huge one (probably about 15 ft. tall) in my front yard.  Also had a 90 ft Lebanon Cedar tree.  You don't find 90' trees in yards around here..  But the Walnut tree!! Boy would I have loved to cut that thing down. I could never get them all up, and whoever mowed paid for it!  But you know Oregon... can't cut anything down without permission from the Governor (again an exaggeration - but you know what I mean!!)

I appreciate your input and looking forward to more from others too.

[Dianna]

Barb, are the areas that you are planting sandy soil, or something different? We would really need to know so we can tell you what kind of flowers will thrive there...

You could always mulch the areas with pine straw and put some annual flowers here and there to keep it from looking so stark. Like you, I wouldn't want to put a lot of money into it if I were selling.

Don't worry. We will come up with some advice to give you that will help your home sell! We have another member here that lives in Florida, too, and she will be able to tell you what plants have been successful for her. A couple of years ago, G-mom won an award for having such a pretty yard...

BTW, did you ever get through with the remodeling??

[sunsoaker]

Funny, the yard, both front and back, is very sandy. But in this area (where I'm needing to plant things), it isn't. its soil. It had azaleas in there when I bought the house, a lot of them.

As for the house, we got the back room finished, but ran out of $$ before getting a 1/2 bath in. It sure is nice have a bedroom (that's what we ultimately decided to use it for) that holds all my dressers.?

[Patty S]

It sounds like you lived in Western Oregon, Barb. The awesome thing about these 2 Northwestern states is that within their borders there are regions that represent every other state. We have ocean beaches, we have mountains, we have large & small rivers, & we have barren deserts! Eastern Oregon only wishes they could have a piece of our rain festival (September 15 - April 15), & we'd love to send half of it over to them!

 

But you know Oregon... can't cut anything down without permission from the Governor (again an exaggeration - but you know what I mean!!)  

That's pretty close to the truth! It's beyond me, who voted him BACK into office, cuz in my opinion, he has a hard time with reality! (Now he wants to put a tax on our car insurance!) In Montana, they're so protective of their Cedar trees that we needed a permit before we could cut one down... that we'd planted in our own yard!

I hope G-Mom comes by & reads this, cuz Dianna is right... she does have a super green thumb, & might be able to help you make your yard look like a real gardener has been living there the whole time! (Maybe you'll change your mind & decide not to sell!) If you want to really green things up around there, maybe you can talk her into sending you a seed from the single watermelon plant she had last year that took over her entire back yard! (I told her I wanted one of those seeds, but she must have thought I was kidding!)

OK, OK... ... but YOU did it first!

[Dianna]

I know you are happy about finishing up some of the renovations, Barb. Are you moving from the area when you sell your house? I can't imagine you going too far from that area. It is beautiful.

Don't get discouraged over the lack of replies yet. Some of us are researching to get you some answers and some haven't been to SSH in the last couple of days. Hang loose for awhile and I am sure the advice will be coming...

[sunsoaker]

No Dianna, not moving from the area... just to the edge of town. I really want to get about an acre of property, more if I could swing it, but don't think I can.  Where I'm at is not the greatest area of town, and opening windows on a nice day is hit and miss due to the paper mill.  There are a lot of negatives to where I am living, so selling will probably take a while. This is why I am trying to do things to make a better first impression to potential buyers.

From what I"ve learned here reading through a bunch of different posts, I am difinately going to incorporate the Basil in there somewhere, most likely potted so I can take them with me... lol. The skeeters around here are horrendous!  And I never knew that Basil kept them at bay or I would have done it long ago. I also had no idea the plants were so pretty..  I like their foilage.

[MassMama]

You can also use lemon grass and the citron plant to keep the skeeters at bay..

We have a big skeeter problem here too.. We incorperated the pond that drew dragonflys in that eat them as well..

But being your selling I would not go to all the work!

[Dianna]

Barb, you could plant some four o-clocks  (mirabilis jalapa) out there in front of your porch to try to hide the smell of the papermill. If you are going to be there awhile, you will love the smell when they start blooming.

They will get quite big and bushy-like, but they will die back down in the winter. A bonus is that they, also, reseed themselves, so you won't have to be planting them all the time! Just mulch with some pine straw when they start growing and you will be in business!

I think they are beautiful and would look great surrounding the porch area! It would help give you a little privacy, too....

If you google them and like the look, let me know. I could send you some seeds...

[sunsoaker]

I like the looks of the plant Dianna, but I can't tell from any of the pics I googled just how tall they get. I wouldn't want anything that got to tall since I wouldn't want the view of my front door blocked from neighbors and such. As mentioned before, the area I live in isn't the best in this town.  Aside from that, it would need to meet the following:

Withstand high heat/humidity in mid-summer

Grow well with partial sun (no part of the front of my house gets full sun due to trees, and the sun is normally gone to the side/back by early afternoon)

And not be easy to kill (I really don't  have a green thumb...lol)

I like the idea that they bush out and will cover the area pretty well, and it does look like they will be taller than the floor of the porch, which is about 8 - 12 inches up from the ground (it varies).  If they meet all that... then by all means.. send me some seeds!  They are very pretty plants.

By the way, they won't help with the smell of the Mill.... I'm only 4 blocks from it... nothing helps..lol  Nice thing is that I don't smell it as often as you'd think. Only certain times of the year, and then only when the air is heavy/damp. Funny thing being this close to the Mill - The smoke/smell will pass above my house and then drop back down a block down the road. I'll smell it on my home from where ever, and when I get about a block from my house - it's gone. It's like my house is in a protective bubble! But I can't leave the windows open if I'm not home to close them (or I'm in bed) 'cause there is no predicting when that bubble will burst.

[Tina]

 Four o'clocks can get about 3 feet tall but will stay smaller if you want. They are fast from seed and that makes them easy on the budget. Really you need to check out your local freecycle or something. Maybe someone has something you can have just for the digging out. For fill-in i would go with annuals, marigolds and such for as much color as possible while trying to sell . Mulch with something too, like Dianne said. I  live in a zone as hot as yours in S. Cal. With water most things will do well.

[sunsoaker]

OK, not to sound stupid or anything, but just what is a "freecycle"? 


And to answer you Patty; yes, I was in Western Oregon, in the Valley - Willamette Valley that is -- Salem to be exact.  I miss the being so close to the mountains and the coast without having to live on either one, althought the coast there is totally and completely different than it is here.  But I don't miss it more than I missed here when I was there -- Did that make any sense???  My best friend still lives there. Technology makes it possible to have a best friend 3000 miles away (give or take). Ain't it grand!

Do you know that it took me two years to learn to say Willamette correctly without stopping to think about it first???  I am from the South after all... 

[MassMama]

I lived right across the street from a paper Mill in Camas Washington.... PEEEEEWWWWW!!! Nothing will cover the smell!! Smells like dirty diapers

Freecycle is a listing people use to get rid of unwanted things in your area.. You brows the site and if someone has something you want you contact them!! Great for child items!!

[Dianna]

Barb, google freecycle. You will find out that there will be one close to you, if not right in the same city...

[G-Mom]

Tina was right....a good place to find some free plants is freecyccle.  Did you find one in your area?  I belong to 2 of them up here in NE Fla.

A couple of years ago, G-mom won an award for having such a pretty yard...

Every year for the past 3 years!

4 o'clocks would work really good and there are different colors of them.  The ones I have grow from 3-5 ft tall.  Another good plant for down here is the Mexican Petunia.  They have purple ones and pink ones.  I could send you some seeds for the pink,but not the purple(have never gotten seeds from them)  Aloe and Agave work well down here.  I've also had alot of luck with a simple wildflower mix.  Beautyberry bush makes a pretty loose and natural hedge.  Gosh...there are so many plants that work well here in florida.  If you are ever in Jax.,I could dig up and give you some stuff.

Karen

[sunsoaker]

Wow!  This whole thing of trying to get some curb appeal to the house has now become moot.  Believe it or not, after just under 2 weeks, we have a contract on our house -- well, we will have next week.  I am totally and completely stunned.  I expected to have the house on the market for months!  Now I have to get busy getting a new place together where I will hopefully have an acre of property to work with!  Of course, nothing is final until the papers are signed!

[Jim]

Great news on the contract, Barb.  Hope everything goes well with the sale.  Have you already purchased the new place or do you have to find one?  I underestimated how long my last house would take to sell also.  I had bought paint to completely repaint inside but didn't have time to do it so just left the paint for the new owners.  Congrats.

[Dianna]

Wow!



Way to go on getting a contract!

I know you are excited about being able to spend the money for posies on your new home, instead of the old!

Every year for the past 3 years!

Karen, I knew I spotted a topic one time about it, with pics. I wished Jim and I had had the time to visit at your home instead of the gas station when we were in Florida last year. I know you could have given me lots of pointers....

Barb, we can't wait for you to get your new home. Please, be sure to post pictures and if you need advice on the landscaping, just ask. We will make a "green thumb" out of you, yet! 

I am soooooo excited for you!

[sunsoaker]

Thanks y'all. We have not found our new place yet, but have been working on it already. I take the short sale time and a sign that it was the right thing to do at the right time!

We are going to be getting an acre of land and putting a quality built manufactured home on it.  We can get more square footage that way. We have also made the agreement with the buyers to rent this house back for 3 months which should be plenty of time to get everything in place (I hope).

As for the gardening Dianna, that will probably be next year. It will be well into the hot summer by the time we get settled and by that time, all my attention will most likely be on my daughter. She is getting married August 25th!!!! This is turning out to be such an eventful year! 

I know who to turn to next year though for plenty of good advise on what to do with my acre -- The good smart folk here!

[Bonnie]

Let us know if it is haunted.

Bonnie

[Dianna]

all my attention will most likely be on my daughter. She is getting married August 25th!!!!

Congratulations, Barb! Will she be getting married in a church or at your new home?

Let me know when you get ready to start gardening, and I will send you some seeds for some easy plants to grow!

[sunsoaker]

Ahh yes... easy to grow. That would be for me!!! lol. 

As for the daughter, she isn't doing the church or my home. She has reserved the Civic Center in Lynn Haven. A very nice place right on the water, though they will hold the ceremony and reception inside (it is August in Florida after all).

Tell me, is anyone ever happy with their daughter's choice of husbands?  Did I say that out loud? oops! 

[Dianna]

Tell me, is anyone ever happy with their daughter's choice of husbands?  Did I say that out loud? oops!

Yes, you said that out loud...

Barb, have you moved yet? Got pics? 

[sunsoaker]

Nope, haven't moved yet. We close on this house on June 30th. We put the closing on our home that far back to allow us plenty of time to get a new home all set up on our property the way we wanted. But at this point, we don't even have a definate place to move to yet.  We have been going rounds and rounds with the "dealer" on all kinds of things. We have decided that this weekend we are going to go look at a few "existing" homes, since they are finally starting to come down some in price.  If we don't find something we think we would be happy with, then we will most likely go ahead with our original plans.  When I know something, I will certainly let you know.