Front Patio Garden with Daffodils

Behind the front patio is a large expanse of lawn that rolls over a downhill slope that is steep enough that one looses visual contact with the lawn before it begins it climb up the other side of a small valley. It gives a feeling of being exposed. We know that the human creature likes Savannah's, but it also wants to have a personal place where it can observe without being exposed to direct observation itself. So we don't want blank walls, but light foliage that we can see through from our "high" ground, is an advantage. The closing off of this area must maintain the ability for visual observation, and at the same time establish a feeling of togetherness with the remainder of the front garden.

This is standing down the hill looking back at the front patio area. From this picture you can see the openess of the front garden, and the reason that I want to close it off.

The planting plan is to provide a patio background and to close off the area on the side of the patio in a simplistic manner. It starts with a simple wooden bench on the patio, with a backgound that is deeply mulched and with low growing bushes or shrubs, such as the dwarf azalea planted there in front of the foundation shrubs.

Of course, the mulched areas will be loaded with small or miniature bulbs, with a heavy emphasis on daffodils. I have over 70 varieties of daffodils scheduled to go in there. (Hey I am the daffodil man, right!!) We have already added a Braeburn Pear, and a Kousa dogwood that provides depth to the background. However, a large planter, and a serviceberry, may still be necessary to give that "end" of the "hallway" look to close the patio background.

To totally close off the second part of the front garden triangle as a background to the entrance patio will take more work than I can put into it this year. My long range plan is to expand this segment of the mulched area so that it will eventually replace a large part of the front lawn with an ever increasing garden, out to and to include the rock garden. Not to forget, the fox has already taken a permanent position on the front patio.

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