Consider planning and establishing a garden as a work in progress. You can do a lot of shrubs and plants that once planted don't need too much maintenance. You can add evergreens in-between for year-round green. Plants like hollies can be added for winter interest with their red berries; added bonus they provide food for birds through the winter months.

On that note, do not plant heavenly bamboo. Their berries look lovely in the winter but are poisonous to birds and will kill them. When these plants first became popular, birds started dropping dead. It took a while to figure out it was heavenly bamboo berries which were killing them.

Don't plant any shrub closer than 3 feet from your foundation. Root systems can mess with your foundation.

OP since you are just starting out and the weather here cycles through extremes get plants that are hardy and for this climate. Most people with nice gardens do a fair amount of maintenance. Also plants are generally intolerant of situations that don’t meet their profile needs. Like shade plants don’t do well in sun. Sun plants don’t do well in shade. Plants that need water suffer in the summer and so on.

Group plants or at least have a repeating theme. Don’t plant 10 different plants randomly. I like hydrangeas - the Annabelle’s or limelight’s are good white ones. Flower carpet roses (a group of 3) can be a nice accent in a couple of places. Spirea are pretty and ours seem to flower twice a year. Sedum will have color in the fall. A good designer will be able to pick a mix of plants that flower at different times of the season so there is always something going on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bare sticks in the front is a problem. I have hydrangeas in the front. They look great now but the sticks in winter not so good. You can’t prune the sticks because threats where the flowers come from. Moving them in the fall.

Mine have never stopped blooming due to pruning, although last year I was too lazy to do so.

There are two kind of hydrangea. Ones that bloom on old branches and ones that bloom on new. The first you can't prune and the latter you can.

Anonymous wrote:Bare sticks in the front is a problem. I have hydrangeas in the front. They look great now but the sticks in winter not so good. You can’t prune the sticks because threats where the flowers come from. Moving them in the fall.

Mine have never stopped blooming due to pruning, although last year I was too lazy to do so.

Anonymous wrote:David Austin roses are gorgeous but a PITA in our heat and humidity unless you spray. The only Austin that does well for me without chemicals is Crown Princess Margareta.

True dis, I regret mine because of pests as much as black spot. It’s very hard to fight any bug without hurting bees and other beneficials.

David Austin roses are gorgeous but a PITA in our heat and humidity unless you spray. The only Austin that does well for me without chemicals is Crown Princess Margareta.

It’s truly NOT a good feeling to go out to look at garden and the deer have eaten every blossom and all the hostas and even some evergreens in the winter.

Landscape designer is right! Some nurseries will do a plan for you with stars and the supporting cast. Also we spray for deer but deer out ( which smells like mint not like something died) had to be mail ordered.

Hydrangeas are beautiful just not right next to the front door. Mine were little pots hiding behind the evergreens but now they are huge.

Landscape Designer here. If you don’t want to
invest in a plan-do look at your neighbors’ yards a d think about what you like about their yards. If the front of your house faces north-use other north facing homes as your standard and factor in tree canopy. While I love color I achieve it with foliage as much as flowers and remember-every plant doesn’t need to be a star-you need some ‘supporting staff’ to bring out the best in the real gems.

Deer are a huge challenge but again-see what’s not being destroyed in the neighborhood and start there. I do not design gardens that need to have the netting to protect: I design using deer resistant plants BUT they still may get destroyed! By the way: There are absolutely roses that can do well in 4 hours of bright light (just google roses for shade or go to David Austin roses and look at their listings for shade. You’ll probably need to mail order but actually don’t because you have deer!!

Somewhat self serving but I’m booked through September: if you are ready to invest in a landscape pay someone to design for you! If you pick well you’ll get a garden that thrives and looks good all year.