Garden renovation before & after

This is an ocean front property with very harsh winter winds. Some of the plants were in poor condition and overcrowded so we removed the majority of them and pruned the remaining shrubs as needed. The client wanted more of a cottage-style garden with color and interest each season. The first two photos show the front yard and beds before doing any work. The third photo shows a similar view of the completed job for comparison. The following photos will show more details.

Garden renovation right side details.

Image 1 shows the right side garden before any work was done. There are a few late spring perennials and a couple of hydrangeas that will bloom in the summer, but other than that, it is lacking in seasonal interest. In image 2 we have removed many of the plants and removed the narrow strip of sod to allow more room for planting. New plantings have been installed in image 3 showing a nice mixture of perennials for three seasons of interest as well as a few shrubs for year-long interest. Image 4 is from a slightly different view. This planting adds a playful treatment with color and whimsy.

Most of the original plants in image 1 were discarded. The remaining shrubs were pruned heavily to renovate and keep everything in scale. The bed is very narrow so we made it wider and reshaped it to allow more room for planting as can be seen in images 9 & 10. We amended the soil with compost because it was sandy and lacked organic matter.

Image 1 shows the left bed after the new plants are installed with a mixture of evergreen shrubs, grasses and perennials for seasonal interest. The Black Pine in the far left corner should be able to withstand the harsh ocean winds. This replaced the failed Hinoki Cypress. Image 2 shows the two front beds together in more detail.

Kingston perennial garden

This client had an existing perennial garden that she was unhappy with. Many of the plants were low-growing, spring-blooming plants that were not very showy so she wanted to revamp the garden. Photo 1 shows the garden area after most of the plants were removed. We salvaged a few of the original plants to use in the new garden. Choosing superior varieties of perennials makes a huge difference in the long-term results. The original planting used varieties that never flourished and were lacking good structure and flower display. So we chose strong varieties that will perform well and positioned them to complement each other throughout the season. The bed was reshaped and widened to allow more room for the plantings. We also amended the soil with compost before planting.

Photos 2 and 3 were taken right after the plants were installed. A mixture of evergreens and perennials were planted for seasonal interest throughout the year. Since the garden was planted in September, the plants did not have much time to flower and some of them are showing their autumn color.

Photos 4, 5 and 6 were taken the following summer as you can see the plants are much more mature and the garden is lush and colorful. Tall plants were placed against the stone wall in order to create a colorful view from the street as can be seen in photo 7.

Photo 1 shows the area before any work was done. It is a shady area with filtered light and the soil is sometimes on the wet side so the clients wanted us to choose perennials that would thrive in these conditions. We needed to do a little pruning first because there were many branches extending out into the bed area, but the clients didn't want the shrubs reduced significantly. After removing some of the lower branches and thinning, there is now more room for planting as can be seen in Photo 2.

The bed has been planted with shade-tolerant perennials, Photo 3, including Solomon Seal, Astilbe, Brunnera, Bleeding Heart and some ferns.

This is a tiny garden bed next to a swimming pool that had an existing planting of Gold Thread Cypress as seen in Photo 1. The shrubs were no longer very attractive so it was time for a change. The client really liked ornamental grasses so that is primarily what he wanted. Photo 2 shows the empty bed with everything removed with the exception of two large stones.

After the plants are installed in Photo 3, the new garden is much more interesting with a combination of dwarf, mounding grasses and tall, upright varieties that will develop plumes at different times of the year. These blend in nicely with the rest of the existing grasses in the pool area. From the other side of the bed, Photo 4 shows a grouping of dwarf leucothoe 'Scarletta' which will provide 4 seasons of interest especially in the Fall and Winter when it takes on cranberry hues contrasting against the grasses. Photo 5 is from a different view.