Question
I'd love to have some suggestions on what to do with our U shaped entry for landscaping.  I'd love to have something a little different and unique, but have no idea what to do.  There's a small porch where you enter through the door.  The entry has about 4 feet on both sides of the sidewalk as you walk to the door.  We're thinking of putting a new paver sidewalk in, but don't know what to do about plantings. We like the more contemporary look too.  I just don't find examples of this type of entry on web sites either.  Would love your thoughts and ideas!  Thanks a bunch.  PS...we're near Chicago.

Answer
Hi Pat,

There really is nothing more exciting than to have a clean canvas like that of a landscape waiting to be planted, and U-shaped entries can be so very much fun to do. There are so many options that you have to choose from if you like the contemporary look too.

I would enjoy giving you some insight if you would like me to, but prior to giving you sound advise may I ask that you a bit of time to do a few things for me. You will need a few hours, a scanner, a digital camera, and a willingness to e-mail your 'homework' to me for review.

To get started:

1.  The first and most important part of a good design is a site plan of the area. Take a few moments when you are able and sketch up a drawing of how it looks (from a birds-eye perspective) and the measurements of the entrance and area you hope to improve. It takes a little time to do it, but is easily done with a tape measure, clip board, and sharp pencil with a good eraser. I would suggest that you use an 8.5 x 11 piece of graph paper so that it will a) be easier to work with than a larger piece of paper, and b) be easier to draw things out and give an accurate perspective of the area using the graph aspects of the paper to your advantage. Make the layout drawing as large as the paper for the ease of working with it. Include the location of any trees or existing shrubs that you want to keep along with their height and spread, indicate the direction that your entry faces (N,S,E,W,NE,SE, etc.), indicate prevailing winds, and if any underground utilities or irrigation is present (if you know of it). I suggest as a 'do it yourselfer' that you then make several copies of the drawing once you have it the way you like it. This will allow you to 'doodle' on a drawing if an idea comes to you.

2. On another sheet of paper list plants, colors, textures, and shapes that you can remember catching your attention in the past as you were out and admiring landscapes in your travels and day to day activities. This sort of drive by impression exercise allows you to assimilate those unspoken appealing factors of landscapes that you do not necessarily consciously think about when you see a landscape as a whole, but in your mind something jumps out at you just the same. You will also want to provide the color scheme of your home along with any features that stand out from the exterior of your home that sets it apart from other homes in your area. Part of the success of any landscape is to complement the structure it is meant to enhance and sometimes, color and the type of structure can affect the overall success of the appeal and 'first impression' of your landscape and ultimately your home.

3. Take  a number of pictures from different points in your yard of the area to be landscaped. Indicate at what point in the landscape that the photo was taken from and mark it on the site plan, i.e. photo #1 might be from the street looking straight towards the middle of your entry so indicate on the site plan "Pic1" and draw a small arrow in the direction the photo was taken.

4. Once you have completed the above steps, please e-mail them to [email protected]. I will be very happy to look at what you have and give you gratis (free) advise as I would if you were a paying client.

In closing Pat, there really is nothing like the thrill of rolling up the sleeves and digging into a project that when completed, not only looks great but over time continues to blossom and look even greater. Gardens are like children though. They require much thought and time spent with them in order for them to turn out right. Once matured, they require constant care to insure their long term success (spoken as a single father of two little gardens that are maturing quite nicely, and with only an occasional weed or two).

Please let me know how I can help or encourage you with your needs. I look forward to hearing from you directly.

Blessings!

David