When we tell people that we moved to Maryland from Minnesota, the first thing they mention is the winters. “Oh, I bet you’ll enjoy these winters a lot more!” Well, actually, no. I’m one of those rare people who prefer the cold. I am pale, blonde, with light eyes, and I just melt in the heat. I turn beet red, I burn, I break out in hives, and too much heat makes me feel nauseous. I’m already missing the snow. But, I am looking forward to having a longer growing season and a wider variety of plants when it comes to gardening. Gardening in Minnesota was hard for me! We had some particularly harsh winters that killed even hearty boxwood bushes. Since I broke my gardening baby teeth just about 40 minutes away from here at our former PA house, I feel like I can make a pretty good go of it here.
Now that we have overgrown trees and bushes cut down, let’s talk about some of my gardening plans for the front of the house.
Of course, painting needs to happen first. I don’t want to plant bushes and plants that are going to be trampled by ladders. We hope to powerwash and paint in the early spring as the weather starts to warm up. We also still have some scraggly bushes to remove to give us a fresh start.
In case you missed it, this is a super professional mock-up of the general idea of how we plan to paint the house. Both Jeff and my mom are in favor of painting the brick and they are bringing me around. I want to be 110% sure, though, because once the brick is painted, there is no going back.
As a side note, a few people have suggested adding windows to the “wing” with the siding on it. It would definitely balance out the house, but that is the garage and two windows would really cut into the storage. Jeff even suggested adding windows, which surprised me, but when I pointed out the loss of storage he changed his mind. The plan is to balance things out visually with the landscaping. I’d like to add a small, pretty tree in front of that blank wall to add a bit of interest. You can see a dogwood off to the right and, when that blooms this spring, it’ll give us an idea of what might look good.
I don’t have an exact plan for the front garden, yet but I have an idea of how I want it to look and feel overall. The thing that I do know in detail, though is that I want to line the front sidewalk with liriope. We have a long, winding sidewalk that leads to the front door and, right now, it’s pretty lost. Planting some spreading grasses on both sides will give it some definition and make it look more important. I’m hoping I can find locals who have some liriope to split because it’s a looooong sidewalk! I want to get the liriope planted this spring, though, so we can watch it spread over our years in the house.
Here is an example of what I’m picturing…
Photo via Nest of Posies
I actually found the photo above when I was looking into installing thin brick over an existing concrete sidewalk. I think that would look great, not only on our sidewalk but also on the porch. That is a project that is way, way out, but it is fun to imagine and research. The sidewalk lined with liriope was exactly what I was picturing, though.
The liriope-lined sidewalk is really more of a memory than an idea. The house my Oma & Opa lived in when I was little was a sweet brick house with a liriope-lined sidewalk. I remember riding on my tricycle and pushing trucks on that sidewalk with liriope like bumpers on a bowling lane. It was practical for the inevitable crashes of a toddler, but, even as a kid, I loved the way it looked. I think it’ll look fabulous on this house and will add a piece of my history to the house.
Here’s a picture of my older brother and my Opa’s dog, Skeeter, on the sidewalk in front of that house.
Another thing I’m excited about is letting some of the ivy grow on the house again. You can see where ivy was growing and was pulled back (I’m assuming when the house was listed.) The ivy is still in the ground, though, so I’d like to let some of it grow back and just keep it trimmed. There is some ivy growing in the basement window wells and even into one of the basement windows, so that needs to be cleaned out and kept in check, but I think ivy on brick is so charming.
Here are a couple of examples I found of ivy that is well-kept and adds so much character…
I don’t plan on letting ivy grow on the entire house, but just in a few select spots where it will compliment the architecture. The two examples above are a bit too much for me but still beautiful.
I am planning on sticking with a mostly green and white palette with a little bit of purple, just as I have in our last two gardens.
And, of course, I’m going to plant lots of hydrangeas. I’m already watching the light to see the best places to plant Annabelle and Limelight hedges. Not only do I love how they look, but I love being able to cut the blooms to use in my home.
I was sad about leaving our beautiful house in MN for a number of reasons, but I felt a particular pang about leaving the Annabelle hydrangeas that had been maturing for over four years. I just loved them! So, I’m going to get some planted this year so I can enjoy them as long as possible.
You can read about drying Annabelle hydrangeas HERE.
I will plant some boxwood as well to act as low hedges and borders. I have so many more varieties to choose from in this gardening zone, so I can’t wait to hit the nurseries and put a plan together.
And, I am happy to report that we already have sweet autumn clematis, which is one of my favorites. I worked so hard at growing it around our front porch in Minnesota. I was over the moon to see it draping over the fence in the backyard when we looked at this house. That poor fence will need to be replaced in the next year or so, but I want to make sure we’re careful about the clematis when it is replaced. I am hoping to transplant some of it this spring as well.
Oh, and the poor pool, too. They start work on the concrete pool surround next week, replacing parts that are sunken, cracked, or need to have drainage added. It’s the first step to bringing this pool back to life. I’m excited about the side and back gardens, too, but I’ll share about those in another post. There is more to trim and remove, but I can see how good it’s all going to look with work and time.
We have a day this week that’s forecasted to be 75 degrees, so I’ll likely get out and do some trimming and weed-pulling to take advantage of it!
If you’re in gardening zone 6a (or thereabouts), do you have any suggestions for bushes and perennials I should look into planting?
91 Responses
Lavender always grew amazingly well for us in MD!
We also had a neighbor with beautiful espalier trees (pear I think) on the flat wall area of their garage.
You’re such a talented painter, Marian, you could easily trompe-l’œil two windows on the garage wall! You could even paint Esme or Violet sitting on the sill looking out!
Yes! With real shutters to match the other windows!
That is a great idea!!!!!
Monica, that is a lovely idea!
Ohhhh, wouldn’t they be beautiful on Marion’s blank garage wall?
I second the vote for lavender. I was thrilled to find our new home has a very established patch in our backyard.
I also suggest dwarf nandina, “Obsession”, and “Firepower”.
Mountain Laurel also does well in this area and is a native. We have “Schipka” and I also like “Kalmia”. Both have white blossoms.
On a side note, I’d like to suggest a recent publication of the Hagerstown Magazine, “2023 Winners Hot List” for all of Washington County and surrounding area businesses and events. We find it a useful resource.
You may also want to do an outing to Lurgen’s Greenhouse. It is in Orrstown, PA but they are very knowledgeable, helpful and are known for their quality plants and guarantee…and a lovely drive out there!
Happy planting!
Espalier pear or apple was my thought as well. Or some nice trellis work where a flowering vine could be trained.
I live in Bucks County, PA which is also a planting zone 6. My west facing front landscape has beautiful boxwoods, but I have them sprayed for leafminer in the Spring and Fall and an Anti-Desiccant before Winter because I don’t want to lose them. Our tree person seems to think Japanese Holly is a better choice. Something you may want to research. I did have one in the past and it did seem more resistant to problems.
We also have an Edith Bogue magnolia which is now large and beautiful. If you have a spot for one of those off to the side where you can still enjoy it I would suggest planting one.
We actually have several Japanese holly bushes in the yard currently and I love the look of them. I’ll look into them further.
Hi Marian, You’re doing such a good job with so many projects in the works. I am like you, torn on painting the brick. I do like how it looks when it is painted, but you can never undo it. I would wait to see how it looks after power washing the house. Remember, if you don’t paint it, you will never need to re-paint it in the future.
As far as plants for your landscaping go, consider some easy growing roses. There are some wonderful floribunda and shrub roses available that grow quite large and are pest and mildew resistant. There is nothing like a flowering bush that continually blooms for the entire season. Knock Out are available at our favorite big stores and are reasonably priced. I’ve had the best luck with them where I live in Connecticut.
If you paint the house, forget about Ivy. It will become a dirty nightmare. Ivy has little suction cups and they will stick to paint. Eventually, the paint will flake. Also moisture is sometimes trapped behind paint and the bricks can no longer let moisture escape. I have worked on several Homes for Humanity in Michigan. Painted brick homes require so much maintenance in our freezing winters. Take your time. You have such great instincts. There is a practical and realistic reason for your hesitancy.
I agree…I would just power wash the brick and live with the natural brick color for or a year or two. Painting brick creates lots of problems., as mentioned…paint flaking, needs repainting, when_you fo need to repaint, it’ll disturb your growing plants,etc.. also the bricks not able to breathe, instead trapping moisture. Go natural!
Any kind of trailing vine on brick, wood or any surface can harm the structure of the surface and is a beast to remove. You could have properly installed beautiful laticises for the vines on that blank wall and it would balance out the front. You could also beef up the beams on the porch for loads of character. I think you should paint the brick!!!
Where I live, in the St. Louis area, is between zones 6a & 6b. All the plants you mentioned have been in my garden and done well, except the Sweet Autumn clematis. I had no experience with this plant and was given a cutting by a friend who had it draped over her fence as you have. I planted it to grow on an arbor by our front door and boy did it grow! The first two years were lovely and the aroma sweet but then we began to have it springing up all over the yard–front and back–as the wind carried the seeds. My husband decided to spot spray with weed killer to remove it from the lawn and we ended up with circles of dead grass with clematis growing happily in the center. The only way to remove it was pulling it up by the roots, roots which became thicker after every mowing. Eventually I removed the entire bush and replaced it with a different variety of clematis and pulled and mowed for the next few years to get it out of our lawn. I imagine it was not as hardy in MN so it didn’t spread as easily. Perhaps my experience was unique?
Sweet clematis is considered invasive in New York state and is on the restricted list.
Sweet Autumn Clematis will spread by means of its seeds and be everywhere. I planted it over 20 years ago and dug it up when it started taking over. It is still spreading in our shrubs and into the neighbor’s yard and we can’t get rid of the stuff. It is an invasive plant and not recommended to plant.
My next door neighbors just spent a week trying to pull the ivy off their brick house and it left a huge mess, including mortar that needs to be repointed on the walls and chimney. It looked beautiful, but it really damages brick work and mortar. I like the idea of painted brick, but as you said, once it’s painted there’s no going back. There’s a new product for painting masonry that is made of cork – it lasts for years, you can make it any color. It allows the mortar to breathe and doesn’t peel like paint does after a few years. I’ve seen it used on some house renovation shows and it looks beautiful.
That sounds like a winner, and I tend to agree with everyone that has hesitancy about a painted house and ivy.
My sister in law had a large blank side to their garage similar to yours. The builder installed “fake” windows and painted the glass area black . This helped balance out the large expanse of garage siding . Looking forward to seeing how you make this house your home
Maybe don’t paint the brick? It is such a pretty colour and goes so well with your siding and trim colour choices. All one creamy-grey colour, though, seems a little bland in the mock-up. I love the soft green you’ve chosen but, if I were a betting girl, I would have totally thought you would have chosen your signature blue! If you really want windows on the garage to balance things out, they can always be dummies that are actually just black panels built onto the outside of the garage wall and then trimmed out. Just a thought. It will be gorgeous whatever you decide!
Hi Marion,
Welcome to Maryland! I am born and raised here and have lived in Frederick Co. for 34 years. So far what you are choosing sounds great. Perennials I recommend are Peonies, Cone Flowers and Lenten Rose. The Peonies and Cone Flowers like sun but the Lenten Rose does well in shade and is an early bloomer (mine is blooming now). Crepe Myrtles also do well but don’t bloom here until around August.
Good luck with all of your gardening. I also have liriope lining my walk. Love it!
Catmint is very pretty and easy to take care of. It comes in several different varieties and sizes. It needs full Sun and can take the heat.
It’s one of my favorite plants.
On the garage wall don’t actually install windows, but do put two pairs of “Closed” shutters there. I’ve always like that look. Maybe this is what some of the ladies above are meaning.
I have and love Nandina. The new growth is a lovely pinkish red and then the clusters of red berries in the winter. Divine. I also have calicarpa, but it can get to spreading. Pink flowers in the spring. Purple berries in the late fall. Maybe too colorful for you though.
Have u thought of using faux windows on the outside of the garage. Yrs ago, I saw a pic, probably on Pinterest, of faux windows on a fence. The person created the faux windows wanted light to bounce around a very shady back garden by using a mirrors inside real window frames. I remember it had mullions And shutters. In the pic, the mirrors had naturally aged after several seasons.
I love Abelia shrubs. I prefer the simple standard Abelia. It has been hybridized into many cultivars. Big range of heights, widths and colors in the newer cultivars. The Abelia is hardy and very few pest problems. Massive bloom time in the spring and sporadically the rest of the growing season.
I could see an espaliered apple tree on that blank brick. I’ve always wanted to try that and it would totally fit your look.
I love the San Antonio house you show as an inspiration. Similar tone to the brick you have. My FIL was a brick mason so I admit I am biased about painted vs. unpainted brick. I would vote for the original intended look and no-maintenance of unpainted brick any day. I grew up in a brick house similar to the dark brick house in the previous photo – timeless and classic. Your home will be lovely whatever you choose. The texture of the unpainted brick would look so pretty highlighted by the landscaping plans you describe. I think some of the texture is lost when painted. Fun to watch the progress. Thanks for sharing!
Beware of ivy!!!!! It honestly can wreak havoc on the mortar between the bricks and in my case, stone! I spent a lot of time ripping out some ivy that was out of control and it damaged a lot of the side of the house. It’s quite hard to get rid of so I would steer clear!!
How about a large obtuse triangular or thin rectangular window at the top of the front garage wall. It would break up the wall and allow more light into the garage. However, a good size dwarf floering tree would also break up the wall
WOW!!!! I cannot get over how much your brother looks like your older son. Strong genes.
On the garage wall….you could make a fake window. Square it out, put on the window grids (nailed to the wall), add the shutters. Then you would paint the wall white to look like a closed curtain in the window. With the grids and the shutters it could really trick the eye. Then you could still put plants under and around it. I have seen it done in person and was AMAZED it was not real. Between Jeff’s wood working and your painting abilities ….it would work.
The need for a fake window s on the garage front was what I was going to post about too. Could not copy the link but look up outside fake windows on Pinterest and there was a shed that had same wood as your garage front with fake window, shutters, and window boxes. I know you came up with an even better idea to make the window part look more like glass —maybe even with light
I agree with everyone who mentioned the English ivy. It is considered an invasive species and should be avoided. I would remove it from your garden rather than letting it grow back up. It can destroy your siding and even the mortar between the bricks. Do your research before you allow it to climb the walls.
I like your brick and I think brick is used for a reason – low maintenance.
Good luck with your decisions. I know you will make the outside as beautiful as you are making the inside.
oops…..I forgot to say you could even have the glass in the fake window, so you would get all the reflections of the trees and the sky. As long as the wall was painted a light color to appear like a curtain.
I wonder if even Window World would sell you just the window front???
It’s delightful reading your plans for landscaping and advice and suggestions from your readers. And 75 degrees in MD this week!!! You are missing a HUGE debilitating and major snow storm in MN this week. Needless to say, the planting plans are keeping me hoping for some warm weather here very soon!!
Have you ever had Daphne? It flowers in the Winter in colder Australian climates. My mother had it when I was young. I loved the delicate white waxy flowers, and the intoxicating perfume. It also had lovely green leaves. My mother would place bunches around the house, and take a bunch when we visited friends. The other plant is cat mint. It has such soft grey green leaves with delicate lavender flowers. It would fit your colour scheme. It drove my mother mad that our cat Petunia would plonk herself on top of the bushes! It made the cat ecstatically happy!
I also recommend Daphne. I’ve grown mine under dappled shade. They need attention the first year (don’t let them get too dry) but once established they are wonderful. They mound perfectly, don’t get too tall, and deer don’t eat them!
I noticed you mentioned putting thin brick on the porch and sidewalk. It would be a shame to paint your brickwork and then add the thin brick other places. Just a thought. I like the comments about the damage ivy can do to your brickwork. I hope you take those onto consideration when you make a decision on where you let the Ivy grow. I would opt for ivy on a trellis or some facsimile. Enjoy your site.
Think about ivy growing on the brick. We had it growing and our neighbor who’s an arborist told us we should remove it as soon as possible. We did and then called a mason to repair all the ripped out mortar.
What a fun project to look forward to! As others mentioned, I’d rethink the ivy. Besides structural damage to houses, I’ve always heard that rats like ivy. And if you ever feed your dog outdoors, you’re giving them food AND shelter.
Just my 2 cents here:-) I had an English Tudor home in NJ and the brick areas had been damaged from ivy when I purchased the home so I am not a big fan of vines that “attach” themselves. Non attaching vines such as wisteria, clematis, climbing roses, jasmine could be pretty alternatives – these will wrap around a trellis, wires, espalier etc. Today I live in South GA zone 8B and last year I planted a row of Titan Boxwoods. Titan is extremely cold hardy to zone 4 but can also take blistering heat as far south as zone 9. It is also disease resistant and stays green 12 months. Another popular boxwood here in South and North GA (Atlanta) is Winter Gem and it’s also hardy in your zone. It turns a goldish color in winter and is also disease resistant. Both Titan and Winter Gem are dwarf varieties if you need a compact hedge that goes up to about 5′.
PS I commented on a previous post about painting the brick – I would vote for a lime wash that calcifies to the brick and patinas as it ages but will not peel like paint. Some of the original brick shows through and it is quite pretty and not as heavy looking as a solid paint. You see lime washed brick a lot in GA.
I do know that whatever you do will be beautiful! I can’t wait to see the yard and pool area transform! Thank you for sharing with us.
I agree with the comments about not letting ivy grow on your brick, and would add that ivy, along with nandina, are considered invasive plants in Maryland. Why not look at all the varieties of native plants you could use? Mt. Cuba Center, near Wilmington, Delaware, has a great website that trials and rates native plants and “nativars” that are beautiful, easy to grow, and importantly, provide a food source for insects (which draw birds) and pollinators. The gardens there are inspiring, as well, and definitely worth a visit! As a side note, I work at one of the big historic sites in Virginia, and there are sections of the woods that have been taken over by sweet autumn clematis that seeded in from surrounding homes:( You might check out the pretty native clematis varieties, too!
A Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) would be stunning in front of the bland wall of your garage. It has the added (wildlife and pollinator) value of being Native to Maryland.
Love reading about you plans and your color palette. If you paint the brick, will you still paint the shutters the soft green, or perhaps choose a darker color? Dark gray or even black would be pretty.
Hi Marian,
Something to consider is the what direction your lot lays and if the front of your home is in hot sun all day, or how much shade your lot may receive from the beautiful trees you already have. It would also be very helpful for the nursery person helping you to know the dimensions that you are working with before you start. Making a sketch of the layout along with photos will be very helpful too. They can advise you what might work in your situation and how big they might grow. Something to consider is less lawn unless you have alot of rain in your area.
I am definitely pro you considering faux windows with closed shutters on the garage. It would bringing the shutter colour across to the other side which would help unify it all. And I think don’t paint the brick, because it makes the whole house look flat. I think your idea of adding brick overlay to the concrete would definitely help add some dimension too.
Chip and Joanna did a German “schmear” treatment on brick in at least one Fixer Upper episode. That could be something to investigate. Also, check out Garden Answer on YouTube. They are a 6a zone. Love their channel.
I was going to suggest the German Schmear treatment as well. Looks great on brick.
I agree with everyone on the ivy being a “not so good” idea. I planted ivy on my old 1829 house on the summer kitchen and it wasn’t long before I realized what a huge mistake it was. As much as I loved the look it had to go. Took forever to get rid of it.
You are making wonderful progress!
We had a long blank wall on one of our houses. We built window frames attached to the siding and filled them with wood European style shutters so it looked like windows with closed shutters. Our neighbor thought they were actual windows. We have also painted the bricks on two houses and they held up well. One house even went through a flood and had to be pressure washed and the paint did not chip. We used special masonry paint.
Our daughter bought a beautiful ivy covered house. Rats lived in the ivy, copperhead snakes ate the rats while termites and carpenter ants invaded. Her house was built in 1980. She lives on a bayou in Houston Texas so pests are plentiful anyway but since getting rid of the ivy her snake and rat problem has greatly lessened.
I look forward to seeing how it all comes together!
Also, you’re missing Snowmageddon in MN this week! Lucky us.
Ah, I am missing it!! I would love to be there for that.
I think your brick is a very nice color. know painting brick is a trend right now, but I would not paint it! I think you should follow your gut and wait until the siding is painted first. Painting is not always the answer! (I can’t believe I’m saying this to you!!)I think it would take away some of the original character of the house and could make look too generic! imo
Yes, I am definitely going to paint everything else first and live with it for a while before I make up my mind about it. I think the brick is pretty, too, and might be a nice contrast against the painted siding, trim, and shutters.
I was going to suggest putting an espalier of some sort on the garage wall or possibly adding a series of trellis to that wall. They would look kind of like windows and you could grow more clematis or or another vining plant that is suitable in your area. Using plants to create dimension on that wall would provide some kind of interest all year round. I love the idea of liriope – have fun what ever direction you go.
Please leave the brick unpainted. It’s such a pretty brick, and goes so well with your green and blue color scheme. The white and green with Lavender garden will go so nicely with it. You can always revisit the idea in a few years. Other thongs seem more urgent at this time.
This red haired very pale skinned girl melts in the heat too. I thought I was the only one!! <3
I’m a pale skinned brunette and I will join you in your preference for a cooler climate. The advantage to skin that burns easily is that, as a result, I have been very careful about avoiding sun when I can and using sunscreen when I can’t. Your skin will thank you in a few years. 🙂
I will echo the many people who are saying “don’t have ivy on your brick!”. There must be a way that you could get a similar look without damaging your lovely home. And I’m on Team Don’t Paint The Brick. Your brick is a lovely color and with your skillset, you could find a way to enhance it beautifully.
Crepe Myrtle trees will bloom all summer and available in many colors including white. Be careful with the ivy. Although beautiful it is extremely invasive, hard to control and can be damaging to your bricks. Love your style and your new home.
Faux windows could be added to the garage area but I love the suggestion from the person who mentioned an espalier. It’s so much easier on your house than ivy which looks fabulous but wreaks havoc on brick. The product that Young House Love used was more of a penetrating stain than a paint so there isn’t flaking like a surface paint. I also love a dogwood tree; my Mom had a pink one and in central Ohio it bloomed near Mother’s Day. Your front looks so much better with the big stuff removed. I’m following along to see your progress!
Another voter against painting the brick and against ivy on brick. But I would agree with the suggestion for faux window frames with closed shutters as a way to balance the garage with the house. We have them on our brick garage. It’s common to have them in the MidSouth.
You’re doing great Marian. Your progress is amazing.
I agree with all the comments about the problems with ivy on brick. And I would encourage you to check out the natives for your tress, shrubs and plants. They will encourage insects that pollinate, which are in turn food for birds. It’s a win win. I grew up loving azaleas, nandina, acuba, so many plants from Asia. I found out that nandina berries actually kill cedar wax wings. As soon as I found that out, I ripped out the nandina in a big hurry. You could just clip the berries, but it no longer had a place in my garden. I know whatever you choose will be beautiful. Good luck!
I think a crepe myrtle would be lovely in front of the big blank garage wall. They bloom for about a month during the summer and can be kept in check by regular late winter pruning.
If I can suggest an alternative to Boxwood, my very favorite hedge is Sarcococca. Also known as Sweet Box. It is in the boxwood family. It’s evergreen with glossy dark green leaves. It makes an incredible small hedge. And here is the best part, it blooms in winter! Tiny, creamy, fringed flowers with an amazing
vanilla-y scent. These disease and pest free shrubs lined the walkway of our home in Washington state. Walking out the front door was delightful.
Lavender & lambs ear are favorites of mine. Hyacinth bulbs smell so amazing in the spring. Chamomile isn’t the most beautiful but is so lovely for making tea. I like a good kitchen garden, planted basil in a pot in 2020, and somehow it’s still going & looks like a bonsai tree (I bring it inside in the winters), but the basil somehow tastes better than on the newer plants. Rosemary is another good one to grow for a kitchen garden also. Good luck on the gardening!
In my last house we had a wall that needed a window to look balanced from the outside, but I didn’t want a window in my closet…. We had a window shape framed in on the exterior which didn’t go through to the inside. We installed “closed” shutters in it to look like a window with closed shutters. The shutters matched the open shutters on the other windows. I thought it looked great.
Hi, Marian,
I think with all these comments you might not see mine but here goes anyway.
Why not put up an arbor for the clematis? I think a beautiful wood arbor would be perfect for this space along the garage.
Marian, please remember to check out Lurgans (not too far from Hagerstown) when you are ready to plant. It is an Amish run nursery and they have wonderful plants in every variety. If you know what you want be sure to take cash/check. They do not take cards but I could get lost for hours in that nursery! Just dreaming of spring!
Have you considered lime wash for the brick? It’s better for the brick (it breathes) and it ages beautifully. It’s something to think about before painting.
I guess you don’t need another comment about the negatives of planting ivy directly on your brick, but I am going to echo those sentiments. I know, I know it looks so sweet and cottagey looking, but it can cause so much damage to the bricks and structure. My late stepfather was a brick mason and yet he naively let my mother plant ivy on the exterior of our brick masonry fireplace. The ivy almost pulled the fireplace away from the house after a few years. I do love all your other ideas for landscaping and planting.
I saw online a few faux windows. They look like real windows, and you put on real shutters. You can plant around them and I think they would look great. Just a thought.
I wouldn’t paint the brick, but I know it’s a tough call. I think it breaks up the length of ranch houses and can make them appear less “one note,” if you will, esp with a lot of green and white landscaping. I love the planned liriope along the walkways, beautiful! It’s fun hearing all about the changes planned for your house. I also love wintertime and cold. I’m jelly of folks w/ swimming pools in summertime, I’d love one. The heat is not my friend, either.
Yes to painted brick!!! Many years ago we painted brick on a house that was a fixer upper and none too attractive with green painted siding and brown brick. The painted brick really unified the elements of the home and emphasized the best part of the architecture. Over the years numerous people would come to our door and ask for the paint color (it was a light taupe. We painted the trim white, and varied shutter color over the years). We loved painted brick so much that when we recently built a house we chose painted brick. It distinguished our house from our neighbors and added a vintage look that’s hard to achieve in a new neighborhood. I’m firmly on the painted brick team. Good luck!
I am excited to see what you do with the exterior! I was picturing an espalier on your garage wing if your tree off to the right doesn’t overshadow it. Liriope will look so pretty with your proposed house color.
Why not put the windows in and have them not be functional, you could paint a piece of wood to make it look more like what inside would look like and still use the wall for storage. Or put up shutters that would be closed as if windows are behind them.
Hi there,
I do not live in your plant zone, but want to caution you about boxwoods. At least in our area, boxwoods are contracting blight and dying branch by branch. It’s a fungal form of root rot and there is no cure. I’ve seen it in my area for the last year and just thought people weren’t watering enough – until it happened to me. Ha! The unfortunate part is that boxwoods are coming from the nursery with blight that can’t be seen yet. We’ll eventually have to replace ours with a different shrub altogether because the fungus stays in the soil. Ugh!! You can google boxwood blight to see what it looks like then check with your local nurseries.
I can’t wait to see how your yard evolves. It’s large and has so much potential. 🙂
Two of my favorite purple perennials are May Night salvia and Russian sage. The salvia will multiply, but not take over, so you can divide and move to other spots (or share with others). If you will cut it back after the first bloom it will rebloom for you. The Russian sage has silvery foliage that will give you longer seasonal interest with delicate lavender blooms that are pretty in cut arrangements. And it smells like yummy sage, bonus! Happy gardening!
Just getting to your blog today, if you like purple add Purple Plum, no fruit or a real pretty Japanese Maple, reddish purple. If you are trying to go bargain on the landscaping, Lowes always has carts with liriope dirt cheap. They just need some TLC. I did that to my front walk. Painting the house would look soo great. Love the green on the door & shutters. Good luck and have fun.
Hello, With so much to do around a newish old house – painting the siding a darker color would make the brick lighter without paint. You already have a light brick so not sure painting it lighter would make much of a difference.
Also living with the brick after power washing it would give you a better idea of the summer light around the house. Also the darker siding would bring out the plant shape and leaf color out more in contrast which would look fantastic. Green front door with deep gray siding or dark blue siding perhaps? Mockups are a good idea to see what might work along with actual paint sample on the siding.
Looking forward to the exciting kitchen renovation ahead. It is going to look great! Best wishes.
Too bad you aren’t in MN to enjoy, hopefully, our last winter blizzard. Forecasting over 20″, but you know how that goes. Would you like us to send it your way when we are finished with it?
Hi!
I just don’t always have time to keep up reading all of your posts, but LOVE to follow you! Your excitement is contagious!
Again, am very pressed for time, but feel I MUST respond to your ideas about plant choices.
PLZ PLZ PLZ consider planting only NATIVE species of everything! You will not regret it!
Just Google “Native Plant Society of Maryland” and you will see lots of options to click on.
The only problems “natives” have are competing with aggressive, invasive disease carrying “alien species”, which choke out our “natives”. The more I have learned about this, the more I am convinced to ONLY plant natives and banish the alien species as best I can! Our native species of animals,insects, and birds are so dependant on them, more than we ever realized! Some heirloom varieties can also be a pretty good choice bcuz many (not all) are more disease/problem resistant.
Herbs can be wonderful choices. For example, lavender, instead of liriope would look stunning along your walkway and the pollinators would benefit, plus think of what you could do with all those lavender wands & buds at the end of the season! After so many years,liriope must be thinned out. You wouldn’t have that extra work with lavender!
With very little of your time invested on researching, I am assured that you will change your mind about some of the plant choices you have mentioned here.
And I encourage your followers to look into “natives” as well. It is so gratifying helping God’s great creation in this way to be what He intended it to be! Think of it as a gift for your grandchildren and future generations.
This advice was intended with a very sincere heart. Didn’t mean to put a damper on your special memories. I hope you find that there are wonderful alternatives that can be just as satisfying and meaningful.
Happy spring and happy gardening!!
On that wide space without windows (garage), have you ever considered an espalier tree? I am hoping to incorporate one into our landscaping at some point. There is a fantastic company in TN, Red River Farms, that has some beautiful trees. You can check out their website for all the options they offer. Just a thought.
Never paint brick. Destructive to the brick — might entail repair costs down the road.
Look into plants native to area. That said, I do like plants to be useful in at least two ways — attractive and edible; attractive and cuttable; food for birds and evergreen, etc.
I love the idea of the faux windows that others have suggested. I think that would really enhance the elevation of your house. With some hedges and small trees planted in front, it would probably be hard to tell they were faux.
I like the idea of painting the brick, too. It seems like you’re getting a lot of pushback about that in the comments above, but I think faux windows + painted white brick and siding + shutters and a door painted a pretty soft blue-green would look wonderful.
Funny, I thought of that too.
Marion, what is the white climber on your fence behind the pool?
I didn’t read the other comments, but I would suggest faux windows, with maybe window boxes on the side garage wall. Years ago I saw two ideas for faux windows, both using real, old wood salvaged windows, one painted the glass portions black, think she used exterior wood instead of glass and just painted it and the other installed mirrors instead of glass. Both used window boxes. I can no longer find these, but thought I’d pass on the ideas. The other suggestion I have would be to beef up your columns. They look so tiny, like the weight of the house may be too much for them. And final thoughts, I love painted brick but REALLY love lime washed brick. (Bless’er House is a good example.) with black shutters, I know you want to honor the previous owners and use green on the exterior, white brick and black accents is an updated look imho. And you could still do your front door green. Whatever you choose I know will be beautiful, so don’t know why I’m putting in my two cents, but it’s only two cents, and in the grand scheme of things is worth just that. 🙂
We were taught in Landscape Design School, to never plant ivy against a building for the reasons given above–the tendrils destroy the mortar and it is very hard to get rid of.
My part of FL has many buildings facing the canals with fake windows–I am assuming to block out the noise of boat traffic. They look great filling in the expanse of the walls. I’m for putting in fake windows as well. I also agree with using trellises against the building t spare paint or siding or mortar. I also like the look of trellises. I find brick sidewalks charming, especially with the brick on your house.
Your house will be stunning!
You have some great ideas. I have one warning. Many people love the sweet smell of autumn clematis, but it is extremely invasive. My daughter’s neighbor planted it along her fence and now it has moved to my daughter’s vegetable and flower beds. My daughter is an organic grower, but is having a very difficult time keeping up with the clematis that want’s to take over everything. She has tried all kinds of natural remedies including digging it out. She doesn’t want to give up her perennials, though, so digging doesn’t work there. Both she and her neighbor are trying to kill it off.
I didn’t have that problem in Minnesota, but the cold winters may have kept it in check. I’ll definitely do some more research about this zone. I already have some in the yard, so I’ll see what happens.
I’d like to make another suggestion. If you choose Viburnum , please consider Doublefile Vburnum plicatum tomentosum ‘Mariesii’
Yes it’s a mouthful and magnificent
Also, are you considering an island garden for your front yard? If so, a handsome dogwood or the Viburnum plicatum would make a lovely centerpiece A kidney shaped bed lined with Lirope might work
I have read through the comments and haven’t seen anyone mention the posts on your house. We built our house and the plans came with skinny posts like you have. We had them boxed in with faux stone at the bottom. Please consider beefing up your posts. You will be amazed what a difference this makes architecturally!