SFGate

handymam Wow, you are off to a great start! Looks totally different now, in a good way! Are you looking for landscaping ideas, or house ones as well?

handymam How far away is the street from the front of your house and doews the sidewalk end at the driveway?

Tracie Schmiedl Both would be much appreciated!

Sigrid I'd start with a new path to your front door. I'd have a nice, generous curve, which might meander through some planting beds. Map it out with hoses or stakes and see if what you propose is something that works.

handymam Because your house is so long and low, your entry door is lost. It is hard to see and needs to be popped out to be seen. If you go to the idea books, you can find front entryways with a covering overhead and columns. (I am sure someone will come along and post some, I don't know how, lol.)

It would be nice if you could replace the current one, with one that is that is curving out a bit more so that you can make a wider bed by the house. I think some curving lines would really help make your house look less straight across and add interest.

When you consider plants, make sure you look for dwarf varieties when possible, less trimming at full height for you, and won't get overgrown in 20 years.

apple_pie_order Wow, what a change. I suggest you use the same cream colored trim/wall paint on your front door to lighten up the dark entryway.

White azaleas are lovely. I like "Alaska" because it is a continuous bloomer. http://www.gardenality.com/ImageViewer/?id=7907&IUID=3&RID=1004#imageId=7907

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Barvo for taking down the trees even tho' I'm a tree lover I'm also from 'bama and know how scary they are in tornado season. Can't for the life of me understand it here in N.C. where houses are built in a forest of huge trees many of which are close enough to demolish the house in a storm and it happens frequently. Anyhoo, as to your landscape and naturally your love of Azaleas which grow so well there and are beautiful, here's a doodle I've done that I think will look good with your ranch style home.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Didn't know if you, like many Southerners, wanted a lawn or not. Evergreen ground cover is an option if the space is not so big or if you have enough sun a beautiful rock garden with ornamental grasses and stones.

Tracie Schmiedl Thanks for all the feedback! Sweet Caroline....I love it! Handymam, totally agree about the entrance. We are wanting to plant as much as possible with minimal lawn. We will replace some of the trees with ones that do not pose a threat during these storms we have.

Tracie Schmiedl We also are dealing with a slope that starts at the street and continues down....I will add a couple of pics. We are thinking about adding a retaining wall and backfilling.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Here's one of my favorite lawnless looks for a hillside, Tracie.

handymam Think about a more natural looking wall of assorted size rocks (to blouders even) instead of a retaining wall. If done "correctly" it will appear much more natural, and you will have plantings of your own choosing. You will be able to tuck daffodils in and daylilies, or whatever else gows in sweert home Alabama!

Swwer Caroline, don't know how you do that, but it sure is beautiful every time you come up with your ideas!

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Tracie, I agree with handymam about using rocks or boulders instead of a retaining wall. If you have that Alabama red clay you're gonna need a truck load of good garden mix topsoil before planting. Once everything is in the ground the plants will keep the slope from eroding. Plant a lot of natural grasses in groups for a great loo, Russian sage, lavender, and other drought-tolerant plants that will spread and fill in your space.

Tracie Schmiedl Great suggestions....I just spent a couple of hours looking at pics. I am now going to start the hunt for stone!

Tracie Schmiedl One more question.....should the shutters stay, go, or should I make them l make them wider? If they stay what color?

handymam I would definitely keep the shutters. Waht is your favorite color? I think there is a solution color wise for you in whatever is your favorite color. It will all depend on how dark to go. I would choose a door color first to make the door stand out, and then choose a color for the shutters. Have you searched the house ideabooks for front entry ideas? You will most likely see some color combos with brick to spark your imagination.

Brown Bros. Masonry You'll love what the combination of brick and stone adds to your home. Find a way to showcase your entrance. Perhaps installing a covered porch, maybe with a couple columns veneered in stone, perhaps even a couple raised planter boxes on each side of the entry- maybe giving a little more depth breaking up the long length of your home a little. Have fun and can't wait to see the afters.

Tracie Schmiedl Love the ideas. The door and shutters are definitely in for some color. We would love to add something like a couple of columns to break up the length .....just don't know about tying it in with the roof line. Time to do more research on houzz!

Eileen A. I love Sweet Caroline Design, ikow that red clover its a great ground cover enriches the soil and have
flowers too