I May Have Found The Perfect Idea For The Area In Front Of Our Breakfast Room Windows
This past Sunday, I met my family at Terry Black’s Barbecue for an early lunch as my bonus sister and her husband were passing through town. I had never been there before, although I’ve heard the rave reviews about their food for a long time now. As a side note, the food lived up to the hype, so I highly recommend it. It’s the best and most tender barbecue I’ve ever had, and their sides are amazing! But the last thing I expected was to walk into the courtyard area and see landscaping ideas for the front of my house.
I was immediately struck by this arrangement of really large planters all bunched together and overflowing with colorful plants.
As I’m out and about in town, I’m trying to keep an eye out for landscaping ideas, arrangements that catch my eye, and most importantly, which plants seem like they can survive and thrive through our hot summers. And we just got through a really hot August, but these potted plants seem to be thriving. Since I’m so out of my element with plants and landscaping, I try to take notes and lots of pictures when I’m out and see something I like. What makes this arrangement so eye-catching to me is the variation in heights of the plants and the variation of colors. So I’ve made a mental note that I want to be sure to add some large planters grouped together with height and color variation mixed in with the plants that are actually planted in the ground. I think that can really add a lot of interest in a planting bed. I like this idea for the area around our exterior bedroom door, but possibly other areas as well.
But then I saw these large wood planters packed full of colorful flowers with one tall tree (topiary?) in the center. As soon as I saw this, I thought this might be a perfect idea for that area in front of the dining room windows.
I’ve been trying to decide what to put in that area in front of our dining room windows for a very long time now, and I always seem to drift towards some sort of water feature. In fact, that’s what I told the landscape designer who did our landscape design, so that’s what he added. But I really like the idea of something simple like a large planter like this one.
Another thing that caught my eye was this fence-planter combination. It serves as both a fence and a planter. I couldn’t see how deep the planter is (i.e., how deep the soil), but they had some really large, tall plants inside there. And I would estimate that it’s about 14 inches wide. Both sides of it look like a low fence.
I made a note of that because when I build the small deck off of the back of our master bathroom, I’m going to want to add something around it that will provide privacy to that little deck without making it feel too closed off from the rest of the back yard. I think something like this fence-planter combo would be an interesting option.
And then as I was on my way out, I took a picture of this plant (tree?) so that I could find out what it is because I definitely want one of these! My google search says that it’s a Japanese Yew. I absolutely love how this looks.
So with my new ideas and inspiration in hand, I uploaded a picture of the front of our house to ChatGPT, along with two of the pictures that I took at the restaurant, and told it to add those ideas to the area in front of the dining room windows. The first one I tried was the arrangement of the flower pots in various sizes. I think ChatGPT went a little overboard with the idea, but this is what it gave me.
And then I had it try out the large, square, wood planter in that area. And oh my gosh, I absolutely LOVE THIS!!!
I genuinely believe that of all of the ideas I’ve tried for this area, this is my favorite. And, of course, there will be more plants added to the front of the house. I’ll have a planting bed in front of the porch, a planting bed in front of the studio, a walkway leading from the sidewalk to the driveway, etc. But this is my favorite idea so far for the area in front of those windows. And the best thing about it is that it would be easy to build. I think I may have found the perfect idea in a very unexpected place.
On another note, I’ve found myself using both “dining room” and “breakfast room” for the same room. I’ve called that room the breakfast room for a decade now, but now I’m trying to turn it into a more proper dining room, so I’m trying to retrain myself to call it the dining room. But old habits are hard to break! So if you’re kind of new around here, we only have one room for dining in our home, and it sits behind those three windows to the right of our front porch. I’ll try to be more consistent in the future and only call it the “dining room”.
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Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Check out a plant called “Lemon Coral Sedum”. I think it would look amazing mass planted in the ground around the large planter. I think you would really like the very bright color and it’s super duper easy. Low water needs, very heat tolerant and I suspect it’s probably a perennial for you. I’m imagining a carpet of chartreuse under the planter in that nook and think it would be incredible!
That is beautiful!!! I’ve made a note to look for it when I go plant shopping.
The big square planter is perfect for outside the dining room. I love it too. I would caution you against putting plants too close to the house like the Japanese Yew is to the building. Roots can do a lot of foundation damage and you don’t want the foliage to touch the house and possibly stain the siding.
I do like the idea of a fountain in that area but I’m sure it would be more expensive than either the grouping of plants or a planter. I like the planters with plants in various heights, textures and colors, but smaller than the ChatGPT design. The only problem with planters is that they need to be watered more often than plants in the ground so they require more maintenance. The square planter with one accent tree/shrub is eye catching and would stand out from shrubs that would be planted between the walkway and house. I would select a tree that will not grow so large it totally blocks the view from the window.
Hi Kristi – Glad you had a nice outing with your family. I’m just curious but whenever you say you meet up either family does Matt ever go with you? You very rarely mention if he goes with. Just wondering if Matt ever gets out.
No, he doesn’t go out to eat, but he does get out of the house for other things.
That is indeed a Japanese Yew, a very pretty and low maintenance shrub. There’s also a low growing horizontal form (Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Prostrata’) if you need a lower ground cover type thing. Also check out ‘Mood Ring’ Podocarpus, a yew with pink new growth tips!
First of all, I love the topiary and planter idea, BUT….a topiary will require rigid maintenance, and as you’ve said yourself, you don’t know anything about plants. Sorry to be blunt, but those things cost a lot, and I would hate to see you lose it for lack of knowledge. The planter also would require extra watering, since it sits above ground. With a water feature such as a fountain (I’m thinking in the shape of a birdbath style) you can add low growing planting around it, such as the plant called Pachysandra, a sort of ground cover that will return every spring, and requires no maintenance. Secondly, there is an app you can load on your phone called “plant finder” that will identify a plant by snapping a photo or hovering over the plant with your phone. If I remember correctly, it also will identify insects and birds as well! It will work on the real object, or on a picture of the item. Very helpful!
While the topiary planter looks great, I prefer the mix of pots and different heights. You could rearrange them whenever you wanted a new look.
When I saw the potted plants I thought initially you wanted them by the guest bedroom door. Something like that would fill the space and allow you to hide any emergency ramps.
Potted plants are a gateway to gardening problem-solving interest. You can move potted plants around. Could hide extra water storage if it needs a bunch. You can bring in or save interesting sensitive plants in the winter during a cold spell. That pot adds a handy modifier.
If experimenting method vs pretty, or trying to affordably start a to-be bigger plant for a fancy pot, start with a grow bag. I recommend keeping an eye open to hand trucks, methods and moving tools though before investing in a ton of pots.
Watching what is planted locally you’ll see trends on what is available in commercial nurseries, as well.
OMG when I am in TX I look forward to going to Terry Blackwells! It is the best! I love the topiary. Remember that it is going to need to be trimmed to maintain its shape. I like the square planter but personally I think that a round planter would be more appealing especially if you want to add some seating. As a side note, check out rosemary. I know that it grows into a large “bush” in the Dallas area. As a bonus, you can use it for cooking.
I really like the square planter with the topiaried tree in your dining room garden. I think I’d skip the topiary part though as too much work to maintain. Ditto for the yew which someone has kept well trimmed because they want to overgrow your sidewalk or whatever they are next to.
I’d really be interested to see how they did the “fence-planter.” I can see some waterstaining on the fence but how do they keep the dirt from rotting the wood; is there a liner? I think you’ll need to check that one out a bit closer and I hope get back to us on it.
I looked, but I couldn’t see what they plants were actually planted in. I’m sure it has some sort of plastic container that just sits inside the wood part.
Love the topiary one! As a side note, maybe think of adding sprinklers and drips systems to your planters. In this heat you will water more than once a day. Love what you are doing.
Kristie please do not get the purple stuff in the first picture. Common name is Wandering Jew. Scientific name is Tradescantia zebrina. Comes in the solid color you see as well as a variety of striped plants. The solid purple can be a significant respiratory allergen to people who are susceptible. Like me. Or you, or Matt. Can cause significant respiratory issues. The only way you know is when you plant it and start having issues. The pollen gets on clothes or animal fur and gets brought inside. The green/purple stripe variety does not seem to have this problem. I grew lots of hanging baskets full of it without any problems.
There are lots of other beautiful foliage plants. Considering your location, look at some of the crotons that come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Probably have to be covered in the winter if there is a freeze but are gorgeous plants. Heat is not an issue if watered.
BTW, the Japanese Yew is beautiful. I had 2 of them when I lived in the Keys. Only problem I had was a particular species of caterpillar that loved it and stung like fire if you accidentally touch it. Black and furry.
The wooden ‘topiary’ planter outside your dinning room window, painted the same colour as your shutters would look amazing
Make notes on the sun and shade exposure in those two areas you want plants. Some plants need more shade others more sun etc. you don’t want to plant opposites. As a person who HAD topiary junipers weekly maintenance. I have a narrow all west facing backyard with lots of potted dwarf citrus and have drip lines because they need water daily water in the summer. I also have a water feature four feet high that didnt work in my courtyard because of afternoon winds. It got moved and now has geraniums growing in it and I love its new home. Happy planting.
I would think about swapping the topiary for a water feature in the square planter. I just think a topiary would be a pain to keep looking nice. I’m a big fan of low maintenance gardening. On that note, that’s why I use native plants primarily! Plus you get lots of butterflies that way. You could have a water feature surrounded by native butterfly-attracting plants. Plus the birds would come drink from the water feature too.
I love the idea of a beautiful tree planted in front of your dining room window.
I would check out what trees that grow in your area and do well with the sun situation you have in that spot. This is what expert nursery people can do.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tree that has beautiful blossoms in the springtime and perhaps lovely leaf color in the fall? That’s what I would go for. And if it loses its leaves in the winter, it will help keep your dining room cozy.
Another beautiful tree, one which grows well here in coastal California, is the Arbutus, commonly called the Strawberry Tree. It has the most exquisite bell-shaped dropping blossoms, then makes a fruit, first yellow, then red. It is a braodleaf evergreen, so it is not deciduous in the fall. One note: Our gardener asked me not to put one in near a path, because it drops stuff all year long. If it were isolated, its shedding would not be a problem.
Your local nursery will know the best ideas for your area!
I wonder if they would tell you who did their landscaping so you could maybe even do a consult or at least look at the company’s website for more inspiration? I tried to find it on the web but couldn’t—though when I searched I saw notes about what they’re planning for landscaping in a new location they’re working on.
My husband is an avid gardener….our grounds are full of perennials (with a few perennials). People stop to take photos & videos & talk with him about our flowers, etc. One word he cautions “new gardeners” is to realize gardens…no matter what size or kind….take maintenance. Watering, pruning, trimming, etc. Plants & shrubs are not one & done. Second caution…be aware of what is native to your area….for us plants that thrive in warmer climates….wouldn’t last a nano-second here. And remember…things will grow. That little tree or shrub will get big….so give it room to grow…not too close to a house or garage.
About 100 miles or so south of you is the amazing Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It’s a wealth of information regarding the most appropriate plants for your area, and well worth the drive. There’s even a native plant sale coming up October 9th – November 1st! Check out their website at http://www.wildflower.org
Ditto! If I lived in TX I’d go!
I like the square planter, but instead of a tall topiary, I’d recc a dwarf shrub that stays skinny, or a tall grass that isn’t aggressively spreading. Looks like they put imapatiens around it. Those like shade and aren’t fussy, just require watering. But if you don’t mind planting annuals it could work. I dunno if winter by you kills annuals. Re that yew— it seems a special variety. Check if it needs pruning. All the yew I know requires pruning if cut in a shape.
Few more ideas-
Shrub—Japanese Holly
Flower—Cannas
I think these are hardy in TX and they grow tall with cool colorful flowers. In the MW we have to dig them up but people do like them.
Elephant Ear plant
Dies back in winter but has cool big leaves, tall
Hardy Hibuscus
-lots of flowers, if you want a more round plant with long blooms. Pretty unfussy
Hot Poker Plant
It does spread but is perennial and has cool red/yellow/orange blooms like a torch.
Ask a master gardener at your University Extension or area botanic garden.
I have a Japanese yew in my front landscaping in Houston. Gets lots of sun but is thriving. Withstood below 30 in our mild winters. Good choice
Love that planter!
I believe that shrub is a podocarpus plant. We’ve used them here in Florida a lot. They are slow growing but beautiful and easy to shape.