My 19-year-old daughter is very determined and persuasive. She gave us a very convincing PowerPoint presentation of why she should be allowed to adopt a dog and all the ways she planned to solve any objections we had against her having a pet. We were stupidly convinced by this presentation and agreed to her plan. So in October of 2021, I became a furry grandmother to a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd combo named Knox. He is adorable and I love him, but he is into EVERYTHING. He thinks small nursery pots are the best chew toys ever and often mistakes my cucumbers for his tennis ball. But come on, look at him! How can I resist?
He runs around in our fenced-in backyard, so I have decided to focus my landscaping intentions on the front yard to save myself the frustration of him ruining my hard work. This brings me to the area we are focusing on for this article, the front foundation bed. It is in the deep shade of a huge oak tree and just to the left of the front stoop. A few years ago, I planted three camellias and a rainbow leucothoe to spruce it up a bit. I was trying to be frugal (a.k.a. cheap) and bought one-gallon size plants. In hindsight, I realize my mistake because from the street you couldn’t even tell I had put ANYTHING there at all. A year later, I was so excited that they had started to fill in a little. I even got a few blooms on the Camellia bush. Sadly, we had our roof replaced shortly after this and these baby plants were crushed, much like my heart, by fallen shingles from the roofers.
Ok, so here are my top tips for designing a new garden bed. I also linked in some of the items in case you are interested in purchasing them for yourself. If you do decide to purchase them, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Think Of The Architecture
The first thought in my mind when designing a new bed is what it will look like in the winter, or as some say, the bones of the garden. If you don’t think ahead on this you may end up with a totally naked section when all the leaves drop. The structure that a deciduous plant leaves behind is included in the bones, but I want to make sure there is still a balance of evergreens and other structures to keep the area interesting in the winter. Maybe I will include an Italian olive jar or an interesting pot like these here:
Create A Retreat
One of my favorite things about the front yard is that it is canopied by mature Oak trees. It is always about ten degrees cooler in this area. I am going to include a bench near the gas lantern to create a destination that invites guests to linger. I chose a black bench to match my shutters. This one from Plow and Hearth is made of eucalyptus wood that will weather well out in the elements.
A Haven For Birds
This shade garden is right outside my big kitchen window. In the winter it is like a front row seat to the cutest bird fest. To encourage them to keep coming back I will be making sure to include some shrubs with berries that persist through the winter like this Beauty Berry Bush from Proven Winners and a few bird feeders.
Brighten The Dim Spaces
While I am choosing plants, I think I would also like to include some chartreuse or variegated foliage to bring some brightness to this very dark area. A few of my favorites are Apple Twist Heuchera, Champagne Pearls Deutzia, and My Monet Weigela.
I will also be sticking with white and yellow flowers in this area. They will really stand out in the shade and sticking to one or two colors will maximize their impact.
Use Contrasting Foliage
Contrasting leaf shape, texture and color will help to bring interest to the area and play up the plants' differences. You need to keep this in moderation, or the design can feel unplanned and chaotic. The picture below is from Better Homes and Gardens. The large ribbed leaves of the hosta next to the finely dissected burgundy leaves of the Japanese Maple are a great example of contrasting colors and leaf textures.
Create Layers To Keep It Interesting
Planting in layers helps give a garden dimension and also makes it look lush. It’s a bit more complicated than tall stuff in the back, and short stuff in the front but I know you can do it. This article from fine gardening does a good job of giving you more details. The picture above is a beautiful example of layering.
Pick The Right Plant For The Right Place
Getting the scale of the plant right is important in this location because I don’t want to block the view of the front of the house. But I know myself and I do NOT want to be out there pruning shrubs into little balls. This is partially because I am a lazy gardener, but also because I just prefer to let plants take on their natural shape. Knowing the size of the plant at its full maturity will help guide its placement in the landscape, so read your plant tags. When it says this tiny plant is going to end up being 10 feet tall, believe it!
Plant In Drifts
I like to plant a minimum of five to seven of each type of plant. By repeating the placement of a plant through the landscape, you will end up with a much calmer, coordinated look. Resist the urge to buy one rando plant here and there. If I am out and see a plant that I love, I will buy at least five so my yard doesn’t end up looking like a random plant collector's nightmare.
I hope these tips are helpful to you when designing a new bed. I know it’s a lot to think about. But with some forethought and planning, you can make a beautiful place for you and your loved ones to enjoy.
Being the super nerd that I am, I love planning and list making. So I am gathering a list of possible plants to include in the landscape design for this area. Do any of you find it fulfilling to sit around on a Friday night pouring over catalogs and plant websites searching for the perfect plant for certain conditions? Like I said, total NERD. I will do another blog post showing you what I decided to go with.
An awesome source for plant ideas can be found in the podcast from Fine Gardening, called Let’s Argue About Plants. Each episode has a topic regarding a certain type of plant and the contributors share their favorite plants for this plant type. A few of my favorite episodes I referenced when planning this bed are Plants for Winter Interest and Shrubs for Shade. If you haven’t listened to this show I encourage you to give it a go. I can’t tell you how many times it has made me laugh out loud! I absolutely love it! Happy gardening friends.