We'll see if I update this. I'll get some before and after pictures of our front yard. We're working on curb appeal before the shower at the end of July. We don't have much to spend... I was hoping not to spend more than $75, but we'll see what we can get for mulch pricing. We don't have a trailer, so we might have to buy bags this year and I'm not sure how that's going to run.

Anyway, my question is really: What is this purple flower? John and I both like it.

Ooh. I think it's this!


Yeah, a lot of help I'm sure. Sorry. Maybe Google goggles can help. I'll go try it.

Well, the phone camera search said petite indigo butterfly bush...
http://www.thetreefarm.com/butterfly-bush-petite-indigo

Seems right for the one in my yard.

That is salvia, think I spelt it right... both val and I have it. Its great not much care and gets huge

We like that too but it appears that the ones in our neighborhood always has bees around them, so we decided not to get it.

It looks like Salvia/Sage to me! I love it and have some in my yard too but it's not as established as what's in your engagement picture.

Eddy, I have petite purple butterfly bushes and they look different from the purple flowers in Tori's pic background. Pretty much like a normal butterfly bush only smaller.

I can only tell you that we have roses and grass. The picture searching thing was cool though. Never used it before.

So this is our awful curb appeal when we bought the house...



We ripped out the four bushes (the smaller ones were actually pretty, but were still too close to the house and dwarfed our little cape, so we ripped them out too.

This is what it looks like now before we plant...




We still need to take out the stump of that one tree, but it's super easy to do.

All I know for sure is that we want those purple flowers... So thanks everyone! Salvia it is We will eventually paint the front door red as well. Any other suggestions or comments are welcome and would be appreciated

Our only other thought is a small tree (one that doesn't get larger than 15 feet at its MAX) at the top right of the driveway. However, we wouldn't do this until we repave the driveway and that's not happening this year.

you so need a cute path way from the street to your steps, man you have so much you can do, im having flashes of thoughts in my head!!! i would put tall flowering scented bushed on either side of the front door so when you have your windows open you can smell it. like lilac or butterfly or roses. i would add some height to the front maybe a raised flower bed or maybe a cute little white picket fencing with a garden behind it. oh and if you could put in cute window flower baskets on the front windows.

ok so as far as money goes, here is what i do to save money, well for one check lowes clearance rack, sign up for home depots garden club they send you deals every week, they also will have mulch 4 for $10, with 4th of july coming up they will have sales. also check your local flower places and sign up for there clubs as well, make a email account for all this stuff. with your cold winters make sure you are buying perennials that WILL make it till the next yr. in CO i have learned that anything about -10 hardness is still a gamble and i try to get things that are at least -20 to -30. some perennials are marked for 10 degrees hardness. everything you plant this year will be small and grow some, its in yr 2 and 3 that it really takes off and fills in and grows so remember your spacing when you plant. i think HD even has a build your garden app on the website where you can lay things out. and we are here for you

I love Jenn's idea on raising the beds in the front and adding some short white picket fencing! I would do some flowering shrubs in the front to either side of the front steps, with that you can even stage flowering shrubs in tiers with a raised bed for an attractive, colorful and organized look...of course that will require planning and pruning to keep a nice clean look. I'm envisioning something like butterfly bushes or burning bushes in the back tier, a row of roses in front of them on the second tier, and maybe some dwarf hollies in front of them on a third tier...or not, then a short white picket fence and then a row of tulips or daylilies or asiatic lilies or daffidils out in front of the picket fence with maybe some groundcover sedum or phlox in front of that. Oh you have so many options available to you and I'm sorry I am just throwing out ideas that I like. You should come up with a list of plants that you like and are interested in and then sit down and see what will and won't work best in the areas that you are planning to plant in. You can visit local nurseries and talk to gardeners for suggestions or just to walk around and get ideas on what you do an don't like.

I think a planter or two or three (of varying sizes) filled with an assortment of annuals up on the front porch would look really nice. You could also put some double sided box planters over the porch railing that will really make an impression. How much sun does the front of your house get?

I think you mentioned you wanted lilac before so that would be a nice addition. There are plenty of dwarf tree varieties that you could consider for the top right of the driveway.

You ladies are full of ideas! You need to remember I am an idiot when it comes to planting, lol.

So... front of the house faces the east. We get a TON of morning sun, but not a lot after that.

Here's what I'm thinking in response to your ideas (wedding is really keeping me on a very tight budget!):
-I LOVE the window planters idea... I'm going to see if I can find some inexpensive ones in black and plant some window planters. I think that's a GREAT idea.
-Lilacs are all out back, and John and I would like to keep the front plants small (so lilacs would be too big). He doesn't like anything growing against the house which is why those big bushes had to go. I want plants that are ALL under 3 feet in the front.
-I like the small white picket fencing idea too. I probably can't afford that this year though. I really need to stick to the $75 budget to make it presentable this year and then next year I can go a little crazier

So far, two salvia's and I need fillers in between. I'm better with pictures... I have no idea what ya'll are talking about, lol

I should also preface that I think we need low-maintenance plants. Gardening is NOT my list of high priorities unfortunately

ETA: Oh and yes, we're doing a pathway (eventually) from the steps to the driveway

tori they have a miss kim lilac that stays small
http://www.aboutlilacs.com/miss_kim_lilac.shtml 5-6ft
mine

day lilies and irises take not much care


my front saliva with the MONSTER daisies in the back ground


another salvia in the far back and the light green plant next to it is flowering lambs ear that pink flower is evening primrose and it SPREADS like a weed! i killed some of it this spring thinking it was a weed

daises are also another good one i think mine are 3-4ft now its crazy after all this rain today im sure things will take off and i will upload more pictures.

Koda wrote:

I LOVE the window planters idea... I'm going to see if I can find some inexpensive ones in black and plant some window planters.

Why not white window boxes to match the house? I only say that because black tends to get so much hotter which can backfire on heat sensitive plants. I can see how black with go well with the shutters though too.

Koda wrote:

I want plants that are ALL under 3 feet in the front.

Mmm, do you want greenery or flowering shrubs? You could go with some Hostas or Coral Bells although I think you have plenty of Hostas in your backyard, no? Dwarf hollies are nice with light green leaves and nicely contrasting red berries. Astilbe are nice part shade flowers that come in a variety of colors. Roses will get too big. Dwarf butterfly bushes grow up to 2-4 ft in height and can make a really nice flowering hedge once established.

Uggghhh... My evening primrose is taking over the WORLD (well, as least the world of my backyard)! I thought it would bloom longer though...

Looking good, Tori!

Huskyluv wrote:

Koda wrote:

I LOVE the window planters idea... I'm going to see if I can find some inexpensive ones in black and plant some window planters.

Why not white window boxes to match the house? I only say that because black tends to get so much hotter which can backfire on heat sensitive plants. I can see how black with go well with the shutters though too.

Exactly. We're trying to make the front pop a little more and I think black would do that best. We don't get a TON of sun in the front, and it's only morning sun, so I'm thinking the heat won't be a major issue?

Huskyluv wrote:

Koda wrote:

I want plants that are ALL under 3 feet in the front.

Mmm, do you want greenery or flowering shrubs? You could go with some Hostas or Coral Bells although I think you have plenty of Hostas in your backyard, no? Dwarf hollies are nice with light green leaves and nicely contrasting red berries. Astilbe are nice part shade flowers that come in a variety of colors. Roses will get too big. Dwarf butterfly bushes grow up to 2-4 ft in height and can make a really nice flowering hedge once established.

Mhmm. I LOVE Hostas and how easy they are! Seriously-- amazing. Anything like THAT you can think of for the front?!


Jenn- I didn't know they have little lilacs! What a great idea! I'll have to ask my store if they carry them. The primroses are pretty too... Hmm.

General question: Is it best to keep things symmetrical since the house is already pretty symmetrical? Thoughts?

im a very symmetrical person. odd i know... i think you can do the lay out symmetrical but mix the plants up some, the taller ones i would do the same on each side and the smaller shorter ones mix it up. the hostas are fun cause you can get different leaf colors with them but if you get to much sun they might not to so well.
i really just go to the garden centers and read tags and now that i have a smart phone i will look some things up or call my aunt to see if they will do well in CO. its all about look so if you at least have an idea of, i want some bushes this height or i want flowers this color it helps. i will be truthful my front bed was built from discount flowers and i just tried to keep the tall stuff in the back and short stuff up front, some have made it and some have not. i have made the mistake of planting before blooms and end up with same colors next to each other but i love my front bed and it took 3yrs to grow. you will get there tori! Rome was not built in a day

Haha... touche!

So I'm thinking lilacs (the small ones ) on either side of the stairs (like Jenn said). Then the salvias, then one more plant along the "back". Then I can plant some small little flowers (non-perennials) scattered along the front edge of the mulched area, and mirror those flowers in the pots at the window (if I can get them?).

Thoughts?

sounds like a good start like i said keep you eye out for the 4th of july sales

Any idea on where to get "cheap" window boxes? I can always upgrade to better ones in the future, but I want something that is big enough for the under the window, but not an arm and a leg!

ETA: and I plan on doing this fourth of july weekend, so yay for picking a good time with sales! lol.

this one is cute
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=black+window+flower+boxes&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=bmQ&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1063&bih=418&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4949245433243548233&sa=X&ei=FaX_Tem2CZSq0AHKr62ZAw&ved=0CIABEPMCMAY4FA
on a google search i found lots of brackets that are cute and you just pick up the plastic container. i would check all your normal discount stores.

would the color work with our house though? Imagine a red door... not sure the clay color would look right?

its the basket coconut liner that is the "clay" color and if you get fun plants that cascade you will hardly see it. we have a red door as well well dark wine red. i think it would look fine. its a natural color

What are these? They appeared in our backyard too and they seem to be nice and low-maintenance. We haven't had to do anything to them

day lilies! told you they were low maintenance they come in all colors and patterns, i LOVE THEM

Nice! Perhaps that's one for the front too... maybe in a different color though They were as easy as the hostas!