With terraced houses, the garden usually has to be divided into two areas - the one in front of the house (prestigious) and the one behind the house (private). While youBackyard to suit his tasteand can be furnished according to the needs of the family, the front garden is more of a semi-public space that functions as a representative entrance and must always look well-kept. Since landscaping on the north side of a house can be a challenge, it is worth seeking advice from a gardening and landscaping expert. You can find out which plants are suitable for this shady location in this garden tip.
Our reader, Ms. Raab, is having difficulties designing her front garden with a northwest orientation. Your doubts concern a small flowerbed between the garage door and the front gate. It is the last terraced house in the row, so the entrance gate is on the side of the property.
“There is a small, thin spruce tree growing in this round place, but it was planted by my brother so I have a fondness for it, and a big, old box tree that is bare from the inside. It is also important to me because it was moved from my family's house in Rostock. Recently I started trimming the boxwood a little and it is getting thicker,” writes Ms. Raab in her letter. “The boxwood unfortunately obscures the space that should logically be visible from the street, but on the other hand it is also a nice privacy screen through which you cannot see what is happening in the garden on the side of the house. On the square there is still a small silver spruce, seasonal flowers and heather. In fact, I have neither a reasonable idea of how to design this garden corner nor the courage to make serious changes,” complains Ms. Raab.
The small front garden is next to a busy streetNorthwest side, the sun shines there in the late afternoon. It would be difficult to reach the site with a lawnmower, so a lawn is out of the question here.
In response to Ms. Raab's letter, Agata Kies from the Green Creations studio created three concepts,how to design a modern front garden on the north side. Each of the concepts also included suggestions on how to screen the bed from the busy street using plants or prefabricated wood fence panels at a similar height to the existing fence. At Ms. Raab's request, the existing spruce and evergreen boxwood were left in the flowerbedbe cut regularly into shapeshould in order to maintain compact, healthy growth. Due to the northwestern location, the existing heather (Calluna), a small spruce (Picea pungens) and ornamental grasses from the fescue genus (Fescue) is omitted because they require a sunny location.
Check out the three bed ideas andGet inspiration for your own front garden. The planting plan helps to better plan the number and arrangement of plants. By the way, you can find additional free planting plans for the front gardenin this articlefind.
First concept: Lighten the shade with yellow plants
The greening relies on thisColor yellowand refers to the existing sand-colored paving and the light facade of the house. A variety of plants were used here, exclusivelybloom in shades of yellow and light yellow. The front garden designed in this way will brighten up the shady corner on the north side and give it a warm, individual character. The mixture ofevergreen plants and perennials, which bloom one after the other, ensures that the bed remains beautiful in every season.
Plants were used for the greeningfeel comfortable in the shadeand prefer urban conditions. In the back part of the bed there were three columnar yews (Taxus baccata ‘Hicksii’) arranged, which create a clear, vertical accent in the bed. Against this background, groups of the large-flowered foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora), which blooms from June to August, and the long-spurred garden columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha), which blooms from May to August, is suggested. The perennials reach a considerable height of up to 100 cm during flowering.
In the middle part of the bed there should be an evergreen shrub, an ornamental mahogany (Mahonia aquifolium 'Apollo'), with small, yellow, fragrant flowers that appear from April to May.
In the front part of the bed the soft lady's mantle (Alchemilla soft), the Amur Adonis floret (Adonis of Amur), the carpet golden strawberry (Waldsteinia ternata) and the evergreen creeping spindle (Euonymus fortunei) used as ground cover. The season begins with the Amur Adonis rose, which blooms from March onwards, followed by the golden strawberry flowers from April to May and the numerous small lady's mantle flowers from June onwards. The greening of the front garden is planned in such a way thatFlowering times of individual plantscomplement and merge into each other.
Second concept: Design the front garden elegantly with hydrangeas
For the second conceptdiverse and multicolored plant compositionschosen. The front garden is impressive not only because of thatFlower magicof the plants. Thedifferent shapes and sizesof the plants give the whole thing a spatial dimension.
The front garden was separated from the street by a tall columnar yew tree of the variety 'Hicksii' (Taxus baccata ‘Hicksii') and a medium-sized panicle hydrangea 'Pinky Winky' (Hydrangea paniculata) shielded. The hydrangea reaches a height of up to 150 cm and impresses with attractive, initially white and later dark pink flowers that appear from July to October.
The lower level is formed by a Japanese splendor (Astilbe japonica) with crimson, fern-like flower spikes and a hosta with attractive, large leaves and purple-colored flowers. Both perennials bloom profusely from June to August.
The shady bed is complemented by the sky blue flowers of the spring memorial (Omphalodes verna), which appear between March and April, the purple flower shoots of the creeping gunsel (Ajuga Reptans) (flowering time May-June), the heart-shaped violet flowers of the dwarf heart flower (Dicentra exceptional), which can be admired from May to June, and the red elf flower (Epimedium x red), which fascinates with its attractive leaves in April and May.
The flower bed was designed so that itblooms all year roundand is a highlight in the front garden.
Third concept: Modern and easy-care with gravel
The third concept is basedMinimalism and simple elegance. The use of evergreen ground cover also makes the bed attractive in autumn and winter. Placing pots in intense colors enlivens the composition.
The space was shielded from the busy street with wooden fence panels that visually close not only the interior of the flowerbed but also the entire front yard, creating a more private space.
The most important vertical element here is also a yew tree of the 'Hicksii' variety (Taxus baccata ‘Hicksii’). To the existing boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) another, smaller one was added, also in spherical shape.
Form the center and main point of the beddecorative garden panelsin different sizes, available onChooseare misplaced. Two large buckets with a modern, elegant design were placed on the panels. Thebucketwere planted with boxwood balls, but can optionally also be provided with seasonal flowers from the second half of May. Impatiens, fuchsias andBegonias, for example, prefer shady locations.
fat man (Pachysandra terminalis), low false berry (Gaultheria reclining) and medlar 'Eichholz' (Cotoneaster radicans ‘Eichholz’) form pretty carpets around the panels. So thatBed also in autumn and winterdoes not lose its attractiveness, evergreen ground cover plants such as carnations (Dianthus) suggested.
The third concept does not use lush flowering perennials, so it is asimple but original greeneryacts that is easy to implement anddoes not require any special care.
When it came to the design, the landscape architect decided onFence panels in warm brown tones, which can be combined with light, white or cream-colored pots. However, you can vary the design by using panels in shades of gray, for example, and choosing colorful, “eye-catching” pots, for example in an intense purple. The colors of the pots and the seasonal plants that are planted in them can be changed according to your mood, creating a new effect every time.
