Creating Plants In A Garden Project For The Side Of Your House

Creating plants on the side of your house is a great garden project. Plant small trees, shrubs and flowers. The landscape in your front yard and your backyard is complete. You walk around the house and look at the sides, they are bare. Creating garden beds along the side will also enhance the beauty of your home, along with raising the value of your property. Here are some suggestions to think about before you begin planning this particular garden project.

• Do you have any windows on the side of your house? This is important in deciding what size small trees or shrubs you want to install.
• Do you want to connect your front bed with the side bed? Some people like the idea of connecting their entire landscape all the way around their house.
• Do you have air units or other utility features that are ugly and need covering up. A simple way to get rid of an eye sore is to be creative and plant three shrubs around the air unit or utility item.
• What will be involved in the prepping phase? Do you have grass or sod that will need to be removed?
• Do you have power or other utility lines that will need to be worked around?
• Do you want to put shrubs or flowers on both sides of the house? Think about balancing your total landscape area before you begin any project.

These are just a few things to think about before you begin. Lets walk through some basic steps in planning, prepping and planting your side gardens. Decide if you want to connect any of your beds. The front with the sides, the back with the sides, or connect them all and have one intertwining large garden area. A lot of this can be determined with the shape of your house and of course expenses. Creating side beds can be easy and done in just a few hours or a day. Below are the steps to take to create garden beds along the side or sides of your home.

1. First decision is if you are going to do both sides at once. About 60 percent of my clients opt to do both sides at once. The other 40 percent plant in phase planting.
2. Think about what size trees or shrubs you want to plant? Do you want low maintenance evergreen or incorporate some flowering deciduous plants?
3. Before the preparation phase, know where all your utility lines run. If you don't know, have them marked by the power, cable, gas, or telephone companies. This is very important in any landscape project.
4. Lay out the design of the bed. Take landscape chalk, spray paint, or a garden hose and mark off the length and width. There are two ways to design a side bed. Create a snake pattern by weaving the edge of the bed all the way down the side. Another design is a straight line all the way down. This is really up to you and what is best for the contour of your land. There is really no set pattern. You can have a straight bed line across the front of your house and curve the line all the way down the sides of your house. Use your own creativity when making this decision.
5. Prepare the area like you would any other project. Spray for weeds and if you are removing grass, put down a grass killer. Wait at least five days. I usually tell people one week is a good rule of thumb.

6. Use a tiller, shovel or other tools and turn your soil over. Do three to five passes if using a tiller. One of the most important steps in the plan, prep and plant method is the preparation phase. If the soil isn't prepared properly, the chances of healthy trees and shrubs will diminish tremendously.
7. Rake the area out as level as you can. Remember, always pitch the dirt at the foundation. You do not want a low pitch at the foundation or there will be drainage problems. The dirt should be a little higher right next to the house and slope towards the edge of the bed.

Dig a small trench or edging all the way down the bed line. Rental places rent out small trenchers. The trenchers will usually give you a two inch depth. There is another option for the trench. (my crew got use to this technique after awhile) Dig a small trench anywhere from four to six inches deep and about three to five inches wide. This serves as two purposes. One it will allow water flow if the ground is uneven. Also the bigger trench gives the bed a professional look.

8. Add any top soil or other soil amenities if needed. Your garden project - how to correctly install plants, shrubs, and flowers explains the proper ways to place and plant. Try not to plant large trees next to your foundation. The trees may look small now, but always remember to think down the road a few years. Root systems vary in different types of trees. What you don't want is a root system growing underneath your foundation.
9. Your final step is adding the finishing touch, Mulch, Pine Straw Or Decorative Stones Finish A Landscape Project. There is nothing like seeing an area in your yard getting a new look.

Five Sky Pencils

Variety Of Plants

Small Side Of House

Above are three different views looking down the sides of houses. The first one shows a line of five Sky Pencils. The second is a full view of different plants planted all the way down a side. In the middle is an air conditioning unit that is now covered by shrubs. The third photo is a small side of a house that has some shrubs staggered. Notice the single layer of stone to edge the bed. Take a look at different pictures of landscape beds on the side of a few homes. The photos give you some ideas on different looks. Here are a couple of small trees and shrub suggestions for the side of your house. Low maintenance shrubs, and small trees that are evergreen. A Cleyera, Hinoki Cypress, Blue Owl Juniper, Globe Arborvitae, Soft Touch Holly, Ruby Chinese Pizazz - Loropetalum, Mop Cypress, Robin Holly, Tea Olive (Osmanthus), and Otto Luyken Laurel. If you have two windows along the side of your house put the smaller shrubs such as the Mop Cypress or Ruby Chinese Pizazz in front of the window. Your taller plants such as the Cleyera, Tea Olive, and Robin Holly can be placed where there is all siding, brick, stone, or wood. Any of these shrubs and small trees will work well. Take a look at the gallery section for more options on some shrubs and possibly flowers.

Another option for you to think about is if you are doing a straight edge all the way down the side. Create a small decorative rock or brick wall. This adds a nice final touch. The wall can be one to two feet. You could also put just a single layer of stone or brick which makes the bed have a defined edge. Read about retaining walls and decorative walls in outdoor features to get some more ideas.

You have a lot of options when creating your own garden project for the side of your house. Plan it out so you can walk around your property and enjoy the front, back and sides. I hope I have been able to help you in the steps to take to create your very own side landscape bed.