From a design perspective I’d probably start off with a couple of small shrubs on either side of the steps that are either evergreen or have year-round interest. If you go with native plants, you could check out inkberry holly (need male & female plants to get fruit) or catawba rhododendron. I’m sure there are other great options, but I’m not from the area and just recognized those two from my region. For non-natives, cryptomeria globosa nana or gold mop cypress might fit well.
Beyond that, I’d find a good local nursery and tell them how much space you have to fill and load up with perennials. My personal preference would be to focus on creating a butterfly/hummingbird garden. Just buy 2-3 of everything and plant them in little groups using the recommended spacing as a guide. Then, load mulch between all of the plants and wait for it to fill in over the next 2-3 years. I like bark mulch, but currently use pine straw (that’s the big thing here in the south); I despise rock mulch.
Another option is to get a seed mix from a place like prairemoon.com and just spread it and let nature take its course. It will take longer, but save you time and money compared to buying and planting individual plants.
From there you can just keep going and replace all your grass and never have to mow again! :)
Hi neighbor! Believe it or not, I walk by your house all the time and always tell my wife I love it :)
As for what you can do, I know you said you’re southern exposure with a lot of sun, but I can tell you that I would consider your home and even that front mostly shaded.
Now is a good time to mulch with some good compost. We’ve been seeing good results with just getting some black kow from Home Depot.
Additionally, I was just there yesterday, but The Farm in Green Village (by Morristown) is open and they’ll soon have plants in their shade section. Very helpful people there too. Definitely worth the trip.
Also, we have a ton of deer, and your arborvitae look like tell-tale signs of deer nibbling. They can’t reach the top so just eat out the middle. I got a motion detected sprinkler to scare them off a few years ago and that seems to help.
Small world, indeed! I never considered that any of my neighbors would have even heard of Lemmy. Thank you for the compliment on the house; it really deserves a little more TLC from me in the front. The deer are definitely a problem, but I just assumed the arborvitae were growing like that because I never bothered to prune them.
I'd suggest refining some of your ideas. Are you looking for traditional trees and bushes, or do you want color? If you want color, which colors? Do you want something blooming every season? Do you want low maintenance? How drought tolerant should it be?
Are you looking for ornamental plants? Do you want fruiting trees or bushes? Do you want to grow your own herbs and maybe some veggies? Do you want something pollinator friendly? Etc etc.
I live just outside Philadelphia, so close enough climate wise. Given that your house is raised, I think it would look good anchor the house with something full with some height. I recommend a Laurel, which is evergreen for year round color and does well in full sun. Also consider large sedge grasses flanking the stairs.
You could stop there or you can make your garden beds as deep as you want for smaller shrubs and annuals. My only design suggestion is to place plants considering it’s full grown size and not what looks best today.
There are so many choices, the best thing to do is find a locally owned garden center and talk to the staff. The one near me is staffed with landscapers and, big surprise, they love talking about plants. They will know what works best for your region and will give you tips on planting and caring.
In my experience, lavender either suddenly dies within 3 months of planting, or thrives exceptionally for one or two seasons then suddenly dies. I’ve given up on it
English lavender is a bit sturdier than French lavender, I’ve found. It does better at surviving a harsh winter. Mine did so well my neighbours complained about it encroaching on their footpath and I had to hack it back.
Every county in the US ( and some are actually combined jurisdictions) has a county extension office. Their job is basically to provide you with the latest plant growing information from the USDA and whatever your local land grant university is.
Unless you live on a reservation, in which case you might not have an office you can direct questions to, because reservations are sovereign nations and not part of “counties”. Some have extension services through another govt program, but not all.
I’m not clear if this is a legitimate question but….if so, it depends. In our city you can take them to Home Depot/Lowes for disposal. They should not be thrown out with garbage.
The amounts is absolutely minimal and mostly “harmles” even if accidents were to happen. To my knowledge they don’t contain actual liquid mercury but only the vapours. If you break them by accident just ventilate the room well and you’ll be fine. Not to say it’s healthy, mercury is a serious matter and should be disposed of correctly. But no reason to be overly concerned if you break one by accident.
You are correct, they are plugs, but two of them are glued in place. The other two, the ones closer to the rear, are removable. They’re not at the lowest point so in order to drain the trunk completely, you have to park on an incline apparently.
When I had a leak like this, it was the back window seal that was compromised. I had tested the trunk seal to no effect, but it still got wet when it rained or car wash. Took it to a shop and they figured out it was the window…I would have never guessed that.
For drying it out, nothing special - clean out as much as you can with towels/vac/etc, and then get as much air circulating as you can.
For the leak itself, if it’s the sunroof, the water is more likely to come from the sunroof itself and you’d see it raining on you along with wet seats. I’d wager it’s more likely the trunk itself or a light assembly that’s leaking.
Simplest thing to check is the trunk seal. Open the trunk and check around the seal for tears or areas where the seal is no longer attached. If there is any debris built up, clear that out too. Pour water around the outside of that seal and see if anything is coming through. Some weatherstrip adhesive fix up any cracks or breaks in the seal.
The other place you could be getting water in is the lights. Check around the housings to see if their seals are still intact and you can test by pouring water to see if any moisture is coming through. The “correct” fix here is to have the light housing removed and the gasket replaced. That can get spendy if you’re not doing it yourself, though, so some clear silicon can be employed to seal up the gaps.
Now, I doubt it’s the sunroof leaking, but just to be thorough: The sunroof has drains that can get clogged over time (usually see it with older cars or those that park outside under trees). Open the sunroof and check around the opening for debris. You should also be able to find the drain holes. They’re small and run through the frame and out the bottom of the car. You can test to see if it’s clogged by pouring a small amount of water into the gap and seeing if it drains or not. Some compressed air into the drain holes is usually enough to blow any loose debris out the bottom and clear the clog if there is one.
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