Can you integrate overgrown plants into a new garden design?

I say yes...

This front garden had been neglected over time and so the homeowner asked me if I could bring it back to life. It had/has an overgrown yew next to the front entrance, as well as an unruly golden mock orange, a sad looking boxwood and some struggling Annabelle hydrangea under the front window - none of which the homeowner wanted to say goodbye to. No matter. Many of these plants take well to shearing…but what of the rest of the bereft ‘garden’?

This front garden is only about 6-8’ deep, with a public pathway that travels in front. It is the home’s public face and as such, the existing garden wasn’t doing this beautiful heritage stone house any favours. The strip of “lawn” was just an annoyance as there was no other lawn on the property so justifying a mower in order to keep this narrow patch in check seemed ridiculous.

Although the front entrance is rarely used, it is where the mailbox resides so has to be navigable. Over time the PeeGee hydrangea (the small tree on the left) was losing branches and becoming less and less attractive, so it was finally dispatched.

A situation like this demands a rethink. No more lawn. Think ground covers and shade tolerant perennials as this garden is north-facing and requires a planting that requires very little maintenance.

Enter some order into the equation. Lawn dispatched, creeping jenny (some golden, and some the plain green) added, alongside more hosta, daylily, perennial geranium and Japanese forest grass. Meanwhile another standard PeeGee hydrangea was added in the rear (on the left) and a golden pyramidal cedar (far right; I believe ‘Yellow Ribbon’) to echo the golds. Mulch is also our friend here as it helps to keep the weeds down, moisture in and a tidy canvas between plants until the tapestry grows together.

The yew is still too large but is kept in check with annual shearing. The blue hosta underneath needs more breathing room (some lower yew branches will have to go) and the large hosta encroaching the path needs to move up. The golden mock orange (left of door) has been sensitively pruned to remove the dead wood (there always appears to be dead wood on mock orange!) and errant branching. The feeling that the house is being consumed by vegetation remains, but there is some order to what’s left and what’s been added.

There are still tweaks needed here as this garden continues to be a work in progress. The dwarf goatsbeard (between the Annabelle hydrangea and hosta) now feels a bit crowded so it may need shifting. There are a lot of hosta here; the trick is to keep those that can burn in direct sun away from those final afternoon rays and let the golden ones have those spots instead. And we may need to add more groundcover along the edge that will withstand winter salt and plow damage. The timing for the next stage of rearranging will be this fall and then next summer we’ll see the fruits of that labour - and re-assess.

What you can’t see is a stretch of goutweed that lines the perimeter of the garden on the far left - you can see it peaking on the edge in the third photo. That’s my next assignment…with a sharp shovel and strong back!