Kristina

I hope you don't mind if I attempt to pick your brains for some advice or ideas.

Keep in mind, my husband builds, I manage paperwork, plants and flowers just aren't where our talent lies.

We are looking to do something around our mailbox. Icky neighbors mailbox is pretty close to ours but we don't want to include theirs in our plan. I was thinking that we could put a removable wooden planter box around ours and fill it with flowers. It has to be removable for winter as not to get annihilated by the plows in winter.

I also need ideas for around our trees. Husband said something about a circle of pavers filled in with mulch. That sounds pretty cheesy to me. I'd prefer stones real or fabricated, but a stone wall around each tree would be too labor intensive. Would it look equally cheesy to have a one or 2 level stone border around the trees?

I don't know nuthin' 'bout landscapin'.

TIA!! Oh and here is a pic of our house. As you can see, the roof's not finished and we have no grass or driveway (ya know, the shoemaker's children have no shoes? That applies here). It's a clean slate!!!

The nasty metal post is our mailbox and the garage doors are now the same cream color. I'd like to rip out the newspaper boxes, since we don't get either of them. We've been here 3 years and the house has been COMPLETELY gutted and redone. We aren't as ghetto as it would appear!!

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Glasshousebltr

Pick up a statue, that replicates a full scale fat fella bending over. then set it up so the mailman has to drop his paints and stuff the mail.

Bob

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Bob

Jes

Hi- I am in the same boat you are in with the 3 year remodeling project. No outside storage so my yard is about as trashy looking as you can get. Not to mention unfinished drywall in a couple of rooms.It is amazing what you can get used to.

I personally think stone borders around trees look quite nice. and you are not fighting with trying to keep plants alive while replacing rotting wood every few years. The stone gives that English garden look.

As for the mail box I would minimize the amount of boxes, maybe invest in a new post and stick a trellis behind it with a vine that flowers. Maybe a single line rock border around it that is not set in concrete so you could pull them out of the way of the snow plow. Than stick in a good grond cover and let it go.

JUST SOME THOUGHTS. GOOD LUCK

Jessica

Glasshousebltr

OK.........Then, how about an arc trellis over the fat guy?

Bob

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Bob

Kristina

Pick up a statue, that replicates a full scale fat fella bending over. then set it up so the mailman has to drop his paints and stuff the mail.

Oh you have NO idea how much I would love that!! Especially because my "icky neighbor" is the one who stiffed us out of 6k on her project. That would be fabulous.

We actually thought about ghetto-ing up the house even more to lower property values.

Jes, no outside storage for us either, thus the plow and snowmobile decorating my front yard. Do you think I could hide them with a couple of planters??

I have a new box that I need to paint and just told my husband we need a new post. Maybe I can get one that has a spot for a planter on the post or something.

Thanks for ideas peeps!

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trialbyfire

define and plant! Define your drive with a kerb, and line your winding path to your door with a raised strip garden. Use circles to stay within nature, and plant trees that will flower in them. You have such an opp here. You are starting from scratch, I would love to work this one, but my other job is taking over and is much less labour intensive.

Kris http://www.rasmussen.natureswellnesssecret.com/

realpurty2

Maybe dig an area around the post base and partially bury some of the landscaping edging to create the border. Fill it with some perennial ground cover flowers and mulch or hostas. Something that would come up each spring and be gone by fall. The edging is plastic and only sticks up around an inch or two from the ground so that shouldn't be a problem for plows.

Or, change post and mailboxes, and just hang impatients on the post. They have those in bags just for hanging on mailboxes..atleast here they sell them every season.

They also make mailboxes with planters built right into the post.

Wish you were local, I'd love going nuts planting and landscaping a bare canvas like that... oooooh the ideas that come to mind. You've got beauty waiting to happen

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Woman in a Man's World.

Glasshousebltr

Wait for a good rain, then ride that snowmobile around the yard a couple hundred times. You could top it off with about 10 junk cars. That would fix the "ickey" neighbor.

After, you could always move out and rent to a biker gang.

Bob

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Bob

Kristina

Thanks guys! I know there is so much we cold do! I'm just one of the most uncreative people I know.

We will hopefull do the driveway and grass this summer.

Great ideas!!!

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trialbyfire

You have a diamond in the rough. you should do it yourself, and tke your time. Like I said earlier, just define what you want and take your time doing it. first things first. And if you get a sore back doing it, or like me wreck your joints, there is relief. And it is natural too, for those who don't like not knowing wht goes in their bodies. Anyways, would be nice to see you post a picture of what your house looks like in the fall.
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Kris

profinish grade

I'm new to this site. Also I'm a lic. landscape designer with auto cad drawing experience. If you would measure you home width in front showing where you front door, sidewalk ect. Plus tell me your plant zone I'll be happy to design you a yard to be proud of free of charge. There's no greater pleasure then driving and seeing the yards I designed come to life.