Projo Garden Blog

Very attractive, but just imho, I would take out the emerald green arborvitae and put the peonies in instead. Do you really want 14 ft tall plants there?

I looked some of these up on the web. The gold thread cypress, for example, gets to be as tall as the arborvitae. Are you planning on blocking off the patio from the rest of the backyard with the plants? That would seem to also block the view from the house windows.

I asked that question of my landscaper and of the shops I visited and all of them felt that they'd be fine if I kept them under control with trimming. That remains to be seen. They wouldn't have even been a part of the plan if my husband hadn't insisted on something tall for privacy and to mark the edge of the patio so visitors don't drive over the corner. So the resulting plan is a compromise. I prefer a clear view of the front property, whereas he was thinking of the patio more as an outside room. I was also anticipating plow damage -- the kind you don't discover until the snow melts -- when I put in a big plant like that. In a few years, if I don't feel like trimming it or can't keep it under control, it'll come out as fast as it went in.
At this point, it's a big event in our household that the project is in progress. Inside projects are satisfying, but a garden project gives you real enjoyment because the miracle of plants growing is coupled with the mere fact that you are outdoors while enjoying it.

Same answer as before. If they get too tall, they're out. I think it's up to me to keep them in check. Whether I keep up with them is the real question! You see that in landscapes all the time -- a plant that needed trimming but didn't get it. I think of that when I see rhododendrons that have grown out of control, but I can relate to the homeowners, who probably just weren't paying close enough attention. I guess shrubs, like kids, sometimes surprise you with how much they grow in just one year!

I didn't realize this was the front of the house. With an outdoor patio and privacy concerns, I would have thought it was in the backyard.

So, you want the shrubs tall enough to screen the patio, but low enough so that people can see where the front door is, which I assume is on the porch.

I'm probably prejudiced against arborvitaes, not much of a fan of junipers either. They tend to get too big and then can't be reduced in size without looking hacked up. Maybe frequent trimming would work.

Hmm. I might have put a medium height fence, slightly lower than the height as the porch fence, and echoing its design, along the side of the patio that is perpendicular to the driveway. That marks the end for plowing and gives you some privacy, but it could be low enough to you could easily see over it, and since it isn't solid, it wouldn't make things feel closed in. You could put low plants on each side of it, or maybe just on the outside.

Nothing like redesigning someone else's yard :-) Not my money being spent :-) Not me out there working on it :-)

It’s a lovely garden, but from the photo, I don’t see a clear line between the garden area and the lawn. Fletcher will never know when he’s “crossed the line” unless you put one there. Define the planting area and mulch it. The difference in texture will help him know when he’s entered “no dog’s land”. Be careful of the mulch you choose. No cocoa hulls, as this is toxic to dogs. Try to find organic mulch if possible...and happy gardening.

In response to the last 2 comments. The fence idea is a very good one which I may consider doing. It would at least stop a plow and maybe visitors from driving up onto the patio edging by mistake. There's not a lot defining that edge, no difference in levels that is noticeable. Getting the project this far has taken forever, but who knows what could happen if I take advantage of the momentum! It is a lot of work, though, trying to make the yard look nice.
And as I mentioned before, an arborvitae that grows too fast gets the shovel treatment if need be. There'd be plenty of other places to put it.
About the edging issue -- that is next in the plan. We haven't even defined the edge yet, but we will. The first thing was to get these plants into the ground where they wouldn't be stressed by RI's recent lack of rain. I don't think a moat would stop Fletcher, though. He's already burying toys and bones in the planted area! (What's that saying about old dogs?) Airedales are big diggers, too. They dig a hole to sleep in on hot days -- and they love, love, love being dirty. He "relaxes" outside on the gravel driveway, on small stones, even. He doesn't seem to feel it. And like most dogs with a dense-as-wool coat, he really comes alive in the snow.

I love your feedback on this project. It seemed big to me, as I don't do much of it, although I know realistically, it's relatively small and conservative and cautious compared to what other great Rhode Island gardeners are doing. So thanks again for all your comments. I'll touch upon it occasionally as we progress further.

I like what you've done and am glad you shared your work. I'm in the process of changing my back yard. It's about half covered in stone. Flowers, small trees and moss are planned for berm areas.
"an arborvitae that grows too fast gets the shovel treatment if need be."
To me this suggests that you might try to apply some Bonsai techniques to help restrict the growth of your shrubs. It's known as root pruning. I usually do this in early spring. You can watch to see when the buds begin to swell on deciduous trees. Every 2 or 3 years you could actually dig up the plant, prune back the roots and replant it. You'll need to do some pruning of the top growth to keep all of this in ballance but your plants will develope a more compact growth over time. Borrow a few good bonsai books from your local library if this idea interests you. There also are a couple of good Bonsai nurseries you might visit in Mass. One is located in Bellingham just above Woonsocket. I've been there a couple of times to observe demonstrations.

Re organic mulch, there seems to be a nice big tree there, leaves in the fall, instant mulch source. I sure do miss my big trees from my yard in California. I used to just rake the leaves onto the planting beds and into the compost pile.

The garden looks great and edging and mulching it will just make it look even better! It will be nice to have some spots of privacy from the taller arborvitae. As for the dog, the urine will burn the shrubs if he persists. You can wet them down with the hose after he goes to dilute the urine or you could, perhaps, train him to go in a mulched area. That is a lot of work and it looks great! Landscapes need redecorating every ten years or so. Not to worry!

Robert, thanks for that advice. I hope you didn't think I meant I'd throw the tree away because I would find another place for it for sure. I'm just at a point in my life where I try not to overthink things. That's my flaw, which brings me to landscaping my yard 14 years late! I love the bonsai technique idea -- truthfully, I never even knew how it worked. I thought I could keep a check on their growth by pruning the top growth, never considering what's going on underground. Good advice, thanks!

To Karen Anne, overhead in the "after" photo, you could see that we have a very large, old maple which does drop an ocean of leaves. I heard once that if you run over them a couple of times with your mower they make an even better mulch that settles in and decomposes more quickly. We compost everything, too.