Placing plants

Greg our landscaper came early yesterday morning before any of my piano students arrived so we could set the foundation plantings. He'll be back on Monday to stick them in the ground!
It was really cold out, but the sun was shining-- giving me just enough of a taste that spring is going to be here soon.What do you think of something like this for the front? In and among these boxwood foundations is where I want to plant my herb garden... but I like the way these add some permanent interest and frame our entrance way. It's starting to look like a "real house"!

Here are the "contractor's boxwoods" to cover the gas meter. These and the dragon lady holly were the only things we purchased-- everything else was salvaged from our previous home.

You have to use your imagination here, but I'm thinking hydrangeas on either side of the chimney and that's a full/low boxwood in between. I of course have visions of filling this out with perennial and annual plantings, but these are the foundation plants.

Here's another view with a larger boxwood on the corner of the house. I do love boxwoods....

Again, please use your imagination, but that's a hydrangea on the corner of the deck-- some peonies in between that and the stairs. Those large posts on the deck are where the lattice will be and I'd like to grow white climbing roses and clematis up there. Still figuring out how to hide the two air conditioning units in front...

Here's the back yard. On the far right is forsythia, next a Japanese maple which looks like it has a fighting chance and then two plants which really may or may not pull through. We're going to stick them in, give them some love and see if they take... but if not, we'll hoick them out.

Another view of the side/chimney area.

And of the front...

This view is from our neighbor's yard so you can see the side of the house. I like it too because it has some grass (where our yard still looks like a giant mud pit!)

Here's another view of the back... use your imagination... I think I could potentially frame out our whole back yard with beautiful perennial borders and have a gorgeous private retreat....

Another view of the back.... I have never liked that jacob's ladder plant and it's not looking good. out it goes!

Here's the side-- more boxwoods interspersed with azaleas. Again, these will be the foundations but I'm excited to plant some sun-loving annuals on this side of the house too.

This was one of the most fun mornings-- I was running around like a little kid-- pointing, "Let's try that holly over there!" and, "What about the hydrangea here?" and carrying the smaller boxwoods to the front of the house. I still have to figure out where the rest of the peonies will go... and take another look to make sure everything is in place before tomorrow.