DIY Landscape Design
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DIY Landscape Design
I am wanting to remove all shrubs and hedges around the perimeter of our home. These plants are far too close to the slab and have been here probably close to 25 years (long before me). I have a mental vision of what I would like to see replace these shrubs, but don't know just exactly how to get there or what plants would be good for our climate. Is there a relatively inexpensive software program which would help me achieve this goal?
Second question.....Can very large azaleas be relocated to another area of my lawn or will they die when dug up?
Second question.....Can very large azaleas be relocated to another area of my lawn or will they die when dug up?
#2
Removal of existing plantings will require lots of hardwork, especially if digging out all the roots. There are software programs available for landscape design. Some are inexpensive. I have seen some basic ones at Office Depot. For reviews of software: http://landscaping-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
Your local Cooperative Extension Service Agent can provide you with a list of shrubs that do well in your growing zone. Keep in mind that when making selection that you take into consideration size at maturity, amount of sun and moisture required. Also, how labor intensive if pruning is required. Local established nurseries are a good place to learn about shrubs. Older nurseries usually have knowledgeable owners. You can not find this at the big box or roadside retailers.
Azaleas are shallow rooted and transplant well, including large ones. Roots spread wide, not deep, so a large root ball should be dug. This should be as wide as you can possibly manage. Transplanting can be done in early spring or fall. New hole should be prepared before moving the azalea. Lift azalea and drag onto tarp and drap to new location. Avoid planting too deep. Water well once tamped in new location.
Your local Cooperative Extension Service Agent can provide you with a list of shrubs that do well in your growing zone. Keep in mind that when making selection that you take into consideration size at maturity, amount of sun and moisture required. Also, how labor intensive if pruning is required. Local established nurseries are a good place to learn about shrubs. Older nurseries usually have knowledgeable owners. You can not find this at the big box or roadside retailers.
Azaleas are shallow rooted and transplant well, including large ones. Roots spread wide, not deep, so a large root ball should be dug. This should be as wide as you can possibly manage. Transplanting can be done in early spring or fall. New hole should be prepared before moving the azalea. Lift azalea and drag onto tarp and drap to new location. Avoid planting too deep. Water well once tamped in new location.
#4
You need to go ahead and dig out around the root ball and get ready for transplant. Get the holes ready where you want them to go.
Oh, DH, is going to be a problem. Mine was. I did all the prep work and he never showed up to help. I took a rope and tied it around a shrub and to the catch for the trunk lock and pulled out the shrub. (That was in my Mother Earth Days when I was invincible at 120#.)
DH due at 5:30 pm and dinner on the table. I could not close the trunk lid because I sprung the latch for the lock. Drove to the local garage and told them to fix it quick so I could close the trunk because DH was due home in 15 minutes. All was done to the car w/o his knowledge. Shrub was sitting outside its resting place in front of the house. I watered it deeply. DH drove up the driveway and never noticed. Next day, I roped that shrub and put it on a tarp and dragged it to its new location. DH never noticed. (One of the reasons I live alone.)
I want you to keep something in mind. Most folks plant things without any idea of their size at maturity or when maturity will be. You state, "These plants are far too close to the slab and have been here probably close to 25 years (long before me)." If your shrubs have been there that long and your home is overgrown, it is time to dig up and dispose of those shrubs. Take a drive through your neighborhood. Look at their landscapes and their plantings around their houses. How many have shrubs that exceed the heights of the houses, hide the front porches, etc.
Another thing that has been on my mind lately is 'builder grade shrubs.' Drive through one of those suburban builder neighborhoods. Everyone has the same shrubs. If a new development, they are probably a foot tall. An older neighborhood, they hide the porch. An even older neighborhood, the trees and shrubs ensconce the structure. Take a drive way out into the country. See a beautiful modern 2-story farm house surrounded by several hundred acres of cattle, corn, wheat, etc. Foundation plantings? The same that you see in the burbs! Absolutely disgusting and discouraging!
Sorry to rant. Just want you to be informed and not get into a rut or do anything builder grade if upgrading your landscape. It might be worthwhile to pay for a consultation with a landscape engineer and pick his brain. The best landscape plan is one that is already drawn out (well worth $$) and that can be completed DIY in stages as the budget allows over the next 2-5 years.
And, I don't want to overly smotherly you with motherly, but if you have the time, you might want to get involved with the local Master Gardener program at the local Cooperative Extension Service. They will educate you in exchange for volunteer time, but that knowledge will last you a lifetime. I did that during a period when I was unemployed and volunteered at experimental gardens. Tod date, I am too old to get out and plow the lower 40, but my gardening shelves keep growing.
Oh, DH, is going to be a problem. Mine was. I did all the prep work and he never showed up to help. I took a rope and tied it around a shrub and to the catch for the trunk lock and pulled out the shrub. (That was in my Mother Earth Days when I was invincible at 120#.)
DH due at 5:30 pm and dinner on the table. I could not close the trunk lid because I sprung the latch for the lock. Drove to the local garage and told them to fix it quick so I could close the trunk because DH was due home in 15 minutes. All was done to the car w/o his knowledge. Shrub was sitting outside its resting place in front of the house. I watered it deeply. DH drove up the driveway and never noticed. Next day, I roped that shrub and put it on a tarp and dragged it to its new location. DH never noticed. (One of the reasons I live alone.)
I want you to keep something in mind. Most folks plant things without any idea of their size at maturity or when maturity will be. You state, "These plants are far too close to the slab and have been here probably close to 25 years (long before me)." If your shrubs have been there that long and your home is overgrown, it is time to dig up and dispose of those shrubs. Take a drive through your neighborhood. Look at their landscapes and their plantings around their houses. How many have shrubs that exceed the heights of the houses, hide the front porches, etc.
Another thing that has been on my mind lately is 'builder grade shrubs.' Drive through one of those suburban builder neighborhoods. Everyone has the same shrubs. If a new development, they are probably a foot tall. An older neighborhood, they hide the porch. An even older neighborhood, the trees and shrubs ensconce the structure. Take a drive way out into the country. See a beautiful modern 2-story farm house surrounded by several hundred acres of cattle, corn, wheat, etc. Foundation plantings? The same that you see in the burbs! Absolutely disgusting and discouraging!
Sorry to rant. Just want you to be informed and not get into a rut or do anything builder grade if upgrading your landscape. It might be worthwhile to pay for a consultation with a landscape engineer and pick his brain. The best landscape plan is one that is already drawn out (well worth $$) and that can be completed DIY in stages as the budget allows over the next 2-5 years.
And, I don't want to overly smotherly you with motherly, but if you have the time, you might want to get involved with the local Master Gardener program at the local Cooperative Extension Service. They will educate you in exchange for volunteer time, but that knowledge will last you a lifetime. I did that during a period when I was unemployed and volunteered at experimental gardens. Tod date, I am too old to get out and plow the lower 40, but my gardening shelves keep growing.
#7
This is a joke, now, twelvepole...don't be angry- I am just teasing you, because you are always so business-like. I am truly charmed you let your personality shine through a bit!
Hal is a super computer in a movie who tricks the humans and tries to rule the world. Of course, the humans eventually win
Hal is a super computer in a movie who tricks the humans and tries to rule the world. Of course, the humans eventually win
#8
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Hi TxBecky,
Here is an awesome site that will give you free information on selecting new shrubs. You simply provide some basic information about size, exposure, color and it will provide you with a list of potential shrubs.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/shrubselector/
They also have a tree selector:
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/treeselector/
I've used both and have found them very helpful.
Here is an awesome site that will give you free information on selecting new shrubs. You simply provide some basic information about size, exposure, color and it will provide you with a list of potential shrubs.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/shrubselector/
They also have a tree selector:
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/treeselector/
I've used both and have found them very helpful.
#9
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Take a drive through your neighborhood. Look at their landscapes and their plantings around their houses. How many have shrubs that exceed the heights of the houses, hide the front porches, etc.
Sorry to rant. Just want you to be informed and not get into a rut or do anything builder grade if upgrading your landscape. It might be worthwhile to pay for a consultation with a landscape engineer and pick his brain. The best landscape plan is one that is already drawn out (well worth $$) and that can be completed DIY in stages as the budget allows over the next 2-5 years.
And, I don't want to overly smotherly you with motherly, but if you have the time, you might want to get involved with the local Master Gardener program at the local Cooperative Extension Service. They will educate you in exchange for volunteer time, but that knowledge will last you a lifetime. I did that during a period when I was unemployed and volunteered at experimental gardens. Tod date, I am too old to get out and plow the lower 40, but my gardening shelves keep growing.
Sorry to rant. Just want you to be informed and not get into a rut or do anything builder grade if upgrading your landscape. It might be worthwhile to pay for a consultation with a landscape engineer and pick his brain. The best landscape plan is one that is already drawn out (well worth $$) and that can be completed DIY in stages as the budget allows over the next 2-5 years.
And, I don't want to overly smotherly you with motherly, but if you have the time, you might want to get involved with the local Master Gardener program at the local Cooperative Extension Service. They will educate you in exchange for volunteer time, but that knowledge will last you a lifetime. I did that during a period when I was unemployed and volunteered at experimental gardens. Tod date, I am too old to get out and plow the lower 40, but my gardening shelves keep growing.
Twelvepole, Rant on with the motherly! I am here looking for advice from the experienced and it sounds like you have just that. I am like you....do it myself because that's pretty much how it will get done....don't wait on someone else to get in the right frame of mind to decide to help. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE to work in my yard and have a picture in my mind of what I am working toward.
I have been driving around looking at the newer neighborhoods, but I am just not seeing anything that rings my bell. I like a lot of what I have seen on HGTV with the casual, more informal beds around the front of the home. I don't like rigid, straight lines....don't want to do a lot of pruning just to keep something small when it wants to grow big...love, love, love things that bloom....and I need something pet-friendly (pet-enduring) for my four-legged fur balls.
There are several garden centers here which I spend time in, but two winters in a row, I have lost everything I purchased and planted which was supposed to be tolerant of our weather. I like the idea of having a long-term plan, done in stages. That sounds like the way to go, so I will work on that. I am not sure I can get rid of the azaleas...move them, yes...they are so pretty.
Suzy, thanks for the link. I will definitely be checking this out. I am always open to ideas and suggestions.
Happy Easter!
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Hi Zinsmeister,
In your area the best time to transplant azaleas would be in very early spring. This should be helpful.
http://www.rhododendron.org/transplant.htm
After you read that site and click on the 'Planting' link, let me know if you need more help with transplanting, mulching or watering.
Newt
In your area the best time to transplant azaleas would be in very early spring. This should be helpful.
http://www.rhododendron.org/transplant.htm
After you read that site and click on the 'Planting' link, let me know if you need more help with transplanting, mulching or watering.
Newt
#12
A consultation with a landscape designer that will provide a long-term plan may be worth the investment, whether you DIY or have he landscaping company do the work. If the landscaping company provides the plants and DIYs, many offer a discount. Most will work with you in stages whether they do it or DIY.
Most builder homes tend to provide builder grade landscaping. If you seek custom, then you must take a leap beyond. Meet with a landscape designer.
I have driven across the US and have observed zillion dollar homes. Many defy any landscaping rules, are devoid of landscaping, or are overgrown. Do they not have a clue?
Most builder homes tend to provide builder grade landscaping. If you seek custom, then you must take a leap beyond. Meet with a landscape designer.
I have driven across the US and have observed zillion dollar homes. Many defy any landscaping rules, are devoid of landscaping, or are overgrown. Do they not have a clue?