REPLACING AGING LANDSCAPING- A COMMON SENSE GUIDE

 

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

This post is sponsored by Bailey Nurseries.

If you have a home that is over 15 years old I bet you are dealing with aging foundation plants.  Our home StoneGable, is 22 years old and the once beautiful landscaping around our home has become tired looking, overgrown and showing its age. Recently, we have gone through the process of replacing landscaping around our home and I’m thrilled we did. Our home looks much fresher and younger and the new plants will grow and accent our homes beautifully. Today I’m sharing a common sense approach to a very common problem… replacing landscaping around our homes!

On our recent episode of Decorating Tips And Tricks we are talking about decorating with Industrial Style in mind.  You will be amazed at the ideas we have for you and how a little bit of this trendy style can update your look!

Listen HERE.

Now about that landscaping…

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

We replaced almost all of the bedding plants in the front beds closest to our house. The hardest part of this process was letting go and replaced our dying 22 year old boxwoods. They had been so beautiful. But because of a disease that plagues our area, there was no way to keep them alive.

However, this story has a happy ending because I found a gorgeous replacement for them… First Editions® Wildfire™ Winterberry. Winterberry is a deciduous holly that has bright, fire red berries that remain on the stem during the winter. What a pretty contrast they will be to the white and gray of our home!

Here are a few things to consider when thinking about replacing landscaping.

TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THE LANDSCAPE AROUND YOUR HOME

If you are like me, then you probably don’t give bedding plants around your home a good once-over on a regular basis. And we should! Add walking around your home and checking out the health and wellbeing of all landscaping plants to your to-do list every month.

Here are some things to look for

  • healthy leaves and/or dropping leaves at an inappropriate time of the season
  • dead spots
  • signs of insect or vermin destruction
  • broken branches or stems
  • signs of under or overwatering
  • roots disturbing walkways, house foundation, or driveways, roots growing up out of the lawn, etc.
  • bushes hiding windows, doors, etc
  • plants blocking air conditioning units and any vents
  • the overall health of the plants

Here’s how the plants around my home looked…

The boxwood looks healthy but there was a whole lot of mess and trouble going on the inside of the plants. And the Annabelle hydrangeas I love so much had gotten so big at the height of their blooming season they grew and drooped over the walkway. 

We kept the boxwood trimmed and neat but they were now hiding over half of our porch railing. And the Annabelles were higher than our railing in full season! Foundational plants should show off your home not cover it up!

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

Four of our 8 boxwood plants had a deadly blithe and this is how they looked when they were cut out.

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

 

When the bedding plants were cut down we could see just how dead and unruly the plantings were!

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

YOU MIGHT NEED TO WORK IN STAGES

Like most updating and makeovers in my home, replacing our old landscaping will be done in stages. And that might be the same for you too!

So be mindful of the total cost and labor of landscaping.

We made a list of how we think we will replace most of the front landscaping at StoneGable. We are thinking it will be done in three phases.

Phase One:

  • remove the dead Ash tree stump that keeps growing back and reseed with grass
  • remove the overgrown holly tree and reseed with grass (this was a tough one because we love our holly tree, but deemed it was not safe because it was too hard to see around it coming out of our driveway.
  • replace all bedding plants in the front of our home closest to the house

Here are all 8 new First Editions® Wildfire™ Winterberry in a row! We will keep them trimmed to about 1/3 the height of the porch when they are fully grown. 

We replace the Annabelle hydrangeas with Endless Summer® Hydrangeas. They will bloom all summer long!

http://www.baileynurseries.com/first-editions-wildfire-winterberry

Lots of new growth already on my Winterberries!

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

This is how the Winterberries will look dressed up with their berries…

The Annabelle hydrangeas were replaced with Endless Summer ®Hydrangeas. Unlike the Annabelles, they will stay round and compact and bloom all summer long.

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

Now that phase one is done we will probably do phase two this coming spring.

Phase Two:  This phase came about after we replanted the front. I originally wanted to keep the spirea (bridal veil) but after seeing how fresh the front looked the spirea looked very overgrown and sloppy. The same for the front landscaping around the lamp post.

You can see from the image below that the Queen Ann Lilac tree is very leggy and top heavy.

 

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

  • replace existing spirea with another early summer blooming plant
  • remove and replant the small front bed around the lamp post
  • replace the lamp post

PHASE THREE

  • widen the driveway and have it repaved. 
  • landscape around the back walk

This might take at least another year to address.

CHOOSE THE CORRECT PLANTS 

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

One of the biggest decisions, after deciding to go ahead with the project, was to pick out plants. And most importantly to pick the right plants! It’s very much a process of elimination. We knew we wanted to incorporate First Editions Wildfire Winterberry and Endless Summer hydrangeas. 

I had seen the Winterberry plants in landscaping in our area and I love how they berries stay on the plant in the winter. Perfect for our home!!!!  And I have had a long love affair Endless Summer hydrangeas! So Winterberry and Hydrangeas were a must!

We consulted our landscaper for other plants that would work well with them and our home.

Here are some things to consider when choosing new bedding plants

  • height and width
  • function of plant
  • shapes and textures
  • color
  • evergreen or deciduous
  • climate and zones plants will thrive in
  • soil
  • drainage
  • sun
  • wind
  • surrounding plants
  • plant diseases in your area

 

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

 

DECIDE WHO IS DOING THE WORK

We decided early on that this was not a DIY project for us. We know our limitations! So we contacted a landscaper that we have been working with for years and he helped us with choosing some of the plants, purchasing the plants and the landscape remodel process.

As you can see getting our boxwood’s out was a big undertaking. But sooo worth it!

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

Here is what was planted in the area that was being dug up.

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

AFTER CARE


REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

Taking care of plants after they are planted will help them thrive and grow. We want to keep our investment happy and healthy!

Here are some things to think about after landscape is planted…

  • mulching
  • watering
  • fertilizing
  • trimming
  • pruning
  • keeping an eye on the plant  (see TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THE LANDSCAPE AROUND YOUR HOME)

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

And most of all…

 

ENJOY YOUR LANDSCAPING!

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

Make sure to take time to enjoy the beauty your new landscaping brings to your home!

Today on DECORATING TIPS AND TRICKS we are talking about OUR STAIRWAYS. We have lots of ideas and ways to decorate them so they enhance your home!


 

 

REPLACING AGING BEDDING PLANTS- Are your bedding plants around your home looking a bit tired and overgrown? Here's how to replace them and up the value of our home!

A big thank you to Bailey Nurseries for providing product and compensation for this post. The opinions are 100% my own.

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55 Comments

  1. Anne Marie says:

    Beautiful – our 18 year old plants need replacing – thanks for the inspiration.

  2. Thanks for the tips. I have been thinking of planting some hydrangeas in my yard this fall.

  3. Our 23 yr. old colonial also had the same issues. We removed the overgrown shrubs on both sides of the house – planted a beautiful ground cover that requires little maintenance on the shady side of the house. On the other side I planted perennials – foxglove, lupine, daisies, roses, as well as some pots of basil, parsley, etc. The maintenance is very low for my husband (no hedge trimming) and it gives a fresh new look. This took about 2 years to accomplish as I wanted to take my time and pick out the right plants and enjoy the process. A small formerly fenced in area is now a lovely private patio that we did ourselves, a water fountain, and more perennials. I think it’s a more welcoming look all the way around. I also updated our front porch by painting our rocking chairs, adding new pillows, a battery operated candle in a lantern sitting on an antique stand, and a new rug. My home is white with black shutters and a light blue front door. My colors in the pillows are in soft blue, and citrusy green color and the indoor/outdoor entry rug is a stripe in those colors, Such a fresh look for the summer as well as updating the curb appeal.

  4. Your new landscaping looks great, love your decisions on which plants to use and will keep that list in mind for future reference. My husband works hard to keep ours looking neat and trimmed, but even with that some plants just need replacing after years.

  5. Linda Hess says:

    We just did the same, but had a total re-do fall of 2006, at that point we had been living here 22 years. This time around we retained, discarded, and had some extensive pruning done, to our existing shrubs.
    Along with a variety of shrubs being introduced, to me. Things I would not have noted, in a garden center. The team, I had here, also moved a lot of my perennials, and expanded on what I had in place. I could not be happier!
    It certainly re-freshens the exterior in a stubble, but stunning, way

  6. So much work but so worth it! Looks great!

  7. Good post about a topic that a lot of us face. I would love to get rid of some shrubs around our house but my husband loves to hold on to originals and he is always hoping that they will “come back to life” when what we should really do is get rid of them. Redoing the landscape in stages is a great idea, cost-wise and work-wise!

  8. Replacing landscape plants is definitely a must when disease strikes; however, unless there’s a newer, compact version of Endless Summer, I do believe your hydrangeas will grow huge. I started with 7 in my back landscape beds (in a space about 25′ x 12′, in front of a 6′ brick wall). I have had to thin out – remove – 4 of the 7, and they grow as tall as the wall! My landscape is 13 yrs old, but I’ve hard pruned the hydrangeas twice in that time (which knowingly resulted in a year of no blooms due to the fact their blooms produce on the old wood). After the last hard prune 3 yrs ago and a couple years of bushy green leaves and skimpy blooms from harsh winter/early spring frost bite, I thinned them out.
    Best wishes for happy growing!

  9. Your phase I results are beautiful! I’m sure phases II and III will be equally gorgeous.

  10. It all looks wonderful. I am going to take a hard look at our landscaping and see if we need to update and replace. Thanks for the inspiration!

  11. Julie Garza says:

    Your reference to “bedding plants” is incorrect. Bedding plants are annuals used for seasonal color — begonias, pansies, petunias, etc. The proper term for the plants you replaced is “foundation plants.”

  12. Great post and very relevant. Two years ago we moved to a new home that was already 10 years old. The landscaping was beautiful, but was beginning to need some things pulled out and moved to other areas or just plain gotten rid of. I have a very nice man who helps me with this and I kind of have a time line as to what I want to get done every spring and fall. I agree that is the best way to do it. This fall, we are replacing an evergreen tree. The previous owners had a company come work the yard every week and they never noticed the guide wires around the tree. So, now the tree is looking bad and slowly dieing. After this fall, I will have a new evergreen tree there and it will look great!

    Thanks for your wonderful posts!!

  13. We have a project to do in our front yard with some over grown bushes. It always looks good when it is cleaned out and new stone is put down.

  14. We replaced all the landscaping around our house last year.Our house was surrounded
    by 4 foot tall hedges and they were choking the house.We went with smaller low growing
    plants, much better now.Loving your new landscaping.

  15. Marilyn Gillis says:

    WOW!!!!Totally awesome. Need to look at the front of our house for sure!!!

  16. Interesting that the “endless summer” hydrangeas stay round where you live…..in the pacific NW they get leggy but I have other, older traditional hydrangeas that I cut back every yr. that come back beautiful….I’ve even propagated them by pulling a branch down to the soil and when it roots I dig up and plant elsewhere…..these are 30 yrs old and still nice but the endless summer grows leggy every yr. even though I cut back in the winter….

  17. Great choice of plants! I liked the before pictures too but, they seem to give your home a facelift and look at home in your garden already. I would love to see a picture that shows what you see as you turn into your driveway.

  18. Jamie from Kentucky says:

    Yvonne….very interesting and informative post. I am curious to see how these winterberry bushes will look each season, please keep us updated!! Everything looks fresh and nice.

  19. I loved this post! Great information and advice. We have a traditional ranch-style house that the Amish built here in Southern Maryland. We have lived in it for 26 years, and have had to do some major pruning on our original foundational bushes. I had four beautiful holly bushes planted along the front and about 6 years ago had to cut them way back. I have four hygrangea bushes that I love! Your tips on taking care of them were so helpful!!!! I love cut flowers all around my house!! I have scavenged red brick for my garden path and just love my wisteria, lilac, butterfly, and crape myrtle trees! Since I have retired I have been able to spend more time in my garden and inside my home. Using your “Decorating Tips and Tricks” podcasts along with your Stonegable blog for inspiration and advice, I have been updating and slightly changing my decor inside and out. Thank you for allowing me to call you a friend. Blessings to you and your family.

  20. I love your new landscape! We have also had to remove plants and a huge holly tree. Sad to see some of it go, but it sure opened up the area around our home! Love love those hydrangeas!!

  21. We definitely need to update our front landscaping and take out several large diseased boxwoods. I would like to find a controllable evergreen to put on either side of the front steps.The area faces north with one side more shaded than the other. Any ideas?

  22. We too replaced our aging shrubs in our front yard a couple years ago, as we were approaching the 25 year mark in our home. We went with hardy, disease resistant shrubs that are low maintenance. Blithe got all of the Leland Cypress here.

  23. Linda schmidt says:

    It looks so refreshed and heat, such a good feeling, like a fresh start

  24. The new plants definitely open up the front porch area and really show it off. I especially love the hydrangeas!

  25. We too had to take out our Annabelle hydrangea. It was a sad day. But after 23 years they too were overgrown. We talked to our landscaper and he suggested some plantings. We also have a Hawthorne tree that needs to be replaced. All in good time, as the budget allows.

  26. Maureen brinkmann says:

    Wow, you had to make some hard decisions. Great info though. Choosing an informed landscaper is key if you are not doing it yourself. We have been in our new house for a year now and our landscaping is a disaster. The builder hired 2 young guys who didn’t have a clue what they were doing. They had just started up their own business and thought having a backhoe would make them instant gardners. Huh! They did a not bad job on the hardscape, but the plantings and lawn have to be replaced. My hubby is so frustrated. Needless to say, they are already out of business and we can’t ask them to come back and fix the damage.?

  27. Vee Muller says:

    Beautiful post and landscaping.
    Living in our new house in a new area (New Mexico instead of PA) has afforded us new opportunities for landscaping. We are doing it ourselves (so far) little by little. It’s all been quite a learning experience but a lot of fun! Looking forward to to seeing our new plantings grow.

  28. Thank you so much for this very informative and timely post. I am also in the process of updating a landscape that is over 40 years old. This is a new home for us and everything has to go. Thank you for the tips on what plants to use and how to care for them. I will certainly take your advise and do ours in phases. It can be overwhelming. I am doing the work myself and it is taking several days to uproot some of the old and tired shrubs. Continue to do the amazing work you do. You are an inspiration. Again AMAZING post!

  29. I love your replacement plantings. In the winter you will be entertained by birds who come to your winterberry buffet. We have moved several times over the years and of course I had to create soul-pleasing plantings around the exteriors. Now that we are “aging gardeners,” we always take into consideration how tall the foundation plantings will be at maturity. We like to do our own gardening and want to be sure that we can continue to get to the tops of the plants for any necessary grooming. I look forward to reading your blog – thanks for all the tips!

    1. I’m looking forward for the birds to have a little feast and give us a show!

  30. Debbie DuNois says:

    I use to live in the city and had typical city landscaping. Everything had to be trimmed and manicured to keep it looking just right. We moved to the country and ended up being a dog rescuer. We found that the dogs liked digging holes next to the house to stay cool… so it was difficult to have flowerbeds.
    I finally decided on planting knock off rose bushes(with thorns) and pink muley grass. As time has gone by the dogs have learned to find other cool places. I am older now and don’t have any desire to do a lot of trimming. All plants now are trim free but the roses.
    In the winter I plant pansies in the beds to add color and in the summer I plant vinca’s and purslane. The summer plants come back every year voluntarily so it cuts down on costs. So far the dogs have left the beds alone and I only trim the rose bushes a couple times a year. I love looking at the color and the pink Muley grass blooms pretty pink flums in the fall! Lovin it!

  31. Sue Malizia says:

    Yvonne , your post is perfect timing! We’re in the process of repainting our home 20 years later and relandscaping the front yard…our plants are just too overgrown too. I want a new look and now is the time. Your home and yard looks clean and fresh; just what we need. I’m newly retired and am going to do a little at a time preparing prior to painting the house. Thanks for sharing your steps.

  32. A lot of good tips!!!! the new front looks great!!!

  33. Cindy Finter says:

    Thanks for sharing this post. We just finished a kitchen remodel and have already decided that next Spring we will be redoing some items outside. I will start in the Fall by digging up all the front garden.

    I will need to check out the two plants you mentioned as possibilities for our area.

    Your home is beautiful .

  34. Our home turned 22 this past March. We have been doing the same thing! We have been doing it ourselves, however. Completing the front gave us the inspiration to do the back of the house next spring. It is hard work, but what joy and sense of fulfillment we have experienced..not to mention the sense of pride we have felt when many of our neighbors have stopped by to compliment our choices. Just what we needed! Your home is beautiful inside and out, Yvonne! Thank you for all the inspiration! Loving your podcast too! Creativity steroids!!!

  35. Love the changes s far. I hope you will post a winter picture of the Winterberry. I noticed your link for that plant was Bailey Nursery. Great family owned nursery with amazing plants originated right here in my home state of Minnesota! I have not had luck with the Happiness hydrangea. Thinking I will try it again.

  36. We are in process of doing the same thing. Do to budget and availablilty we went very small with our new plantings. Now I’m worried I made a mistake going too small.

  37. Donna Condon says:

    I agree that updating landscaping is so rewarding. We decided to do our updating ourselves since we have a small home. It was hard work but we love the results.

  38. Karen VanLoo says:

    Our house turned 15 this year, and we are constantly needing to keep up with and change flower beds and landscaping. I love where you live, it’s absolutely beautiful there! I love the walkways and beautiful landscaping around your home. Just gorgeous! Thanks for the inspiration.

  39. Thanks for the outline of what to think about. I was just telling my husband recently that I thought it was about time we start to talk to the landscaper about some things that I think are becoming over grown so I appreciate your suggestions!

  40. Definitely things to keep in mind when updating your landscaping.

  41. Great post. We are planning on doing the same with our 25year old front yard. I’m looking at replacing with mostly edible shrubs though so everything has a purpose, mostly native Australian ‘bush tucker’ that suits our growing environment here in Western Australia. It’s still has to look pretty though, so major planning involved.

  42. Jan Fusco says:

    It looks beautiful. I love to dig around in the dirt. I like the plants you chose. I might try some of those. I live in Florida on the gulf coast but I think they may work for my zone. I look forward to seeing your other additions.

  43. Maggie Nelson says:

    Thank you for your tips. I love gardening and I work everyday early in the morning because it get to hot later on. Love the plants you choose.

  44. Portia Read says:

    The new landscaping is going to be beautiful.
    Does the winterberry have thorns?
    We recently had to remove diseased rose bushes from the front of our home and some thorny bushes with orange berries from around the back deck.
    We have not decided what to put in so it’s looking bare. A landscaper is a great idea.

  45. Yvonne, I hope you will not be disappointed with the winter berry bushes. I have them as part of my landscaping also. The berries are beautiful, but do not last long. The birds eat most of them and the others fall off. I have tried bringing some berry branches into the house,but they never last more than 2 days. They fall off quickly and are not good for decorating. The berries on your bushes will not last all winter, maybe three weeks at the most. Also, these bushes grow as tall as a small tree, so you will need to trim them in the spring.

    I was so sorry to read that you removed your Annabelle Hydrangea bushes because you felt they were too tall. Did you know that you can control their height by trimming? I trim mine down to the ground each fall season and they come back with a growth of 2 1/2 feet tall. Your endless summer bushes will need to be trimmed too. I have them as well, and they can grow to over 4 ft tall.

    Your home and yard are beautiful. I wish you much luck and happiness with the new landscaping.

    1. Hi Sandy, the Annabelles are cut every year. They just got way too unruly.

  46. Vicki N. Martin says:

    I enjoyed this post. Thank you. This is something that my husband and I are discussing, replacing plants in the front of the house. We want to take the sidewalk out and put fill dirt to build the yard up and add a few plants. To make it fresh again. Thanks for the post. Hope you are feeling better Yvonne.

  47. I totally agree with you. Old big bushes makes one s house look so dated. I just convinced my friend to take her big bush out that was hanging right in the way every time she opened her door. She now loves it gone and the open look. She has replanted with a small one. It looks so nice now.

  48. You are so right about aging landscape! Great post. We had so much work to do on our yard. Intially it took more than a few years just to get it cleaned up from the overgrown mess left by the former owners. The last few years have been getting it to look how we envisioned. With the help for a landscape company and lots of work on my husband’s part, we’re just about there.

  49. Are those fields like the corn etc.. part of your property?