Photo in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY
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| My “front yard”! (above) |
As most of you know, I live in a tiny tiny tiny cottage in the Hollywood Hills. My house is located on a small trail nestled among the trees on its own little knoll.
This is the front of my house.
Out front, there’s a lovely little colorful Japanese maple that my gardener recommended, some fuchsia and white impatiens and 25 winding flagstone steps that lead up to my 1940’s house (mini house actually). Oh did I mention the oodles and oodles of ivy out front…including two slightly bizarre ivy covered trellises (I did not put those there…the previous owner did). I chuckle when I look at those trellises sometimes as I walk up the stairs after a long day at work…they just look so strange….like ivy monsters or something…serving no purpose really…but I haven’t gotten rid of them even after almost 8 years of owning this house! 🙂
I have a small “outdoor decor” dilemma today…landscaping issues…
My little Japanese maple out in front of my house looks so wonderful right now…bright and vibrant…full of those fabulous deep purple leaves. I love it when leaves come back. I am thinking though of changing this Japanese maple out for an evergreen miniature tree like a little kumquat or something. Reason…for about 1/2 of the year my little maple has no leaves…and it is little depressing to come home to a scrawny little tree that really just looks like a bunch of twigs. I don’t know what to do here. I LOVE the way this cutie looks in spring and summer…but I nearly loathe the way it looks in the winter…
Do I keep the maple tree or do I dig it up and find a little evergreen tree? What do you think dear readers? Take or leave the maple…?
Am off to the Pasadena Rose Bowl flea market this morning! Wish me some good vintage hunting!
Happy Sunday!
xo
Coco
P.S. Do you have any part of your yard that you are particularly proud of? If so, please send me photos and maybe I’ll post! [email protected]
P.P.S. I know, I really should be addressing those two heaps of ivy on the slope behind the tree…but that is for another landscape dilemma Sunday!
P.P.P.S. Follow me on COCOCOZY Twitter because throughout the morning I will tweet finds from the Rose Bowl Flea Market…from around 9:30am-11:00amPST.
Photo in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY
Dress up that cute tree with some twinkle mini lights…it always looks festive. I keep mini clear lights on my small pinetree in the entry of my home all year long and my neighbors tell me they love to see it when they go by…just a thought for you.
Tamera
This looks like a healthy little Japanese Maple. The trouble is in So Cal, winters are still pretty nice and I agree, something evergreen would be enjoyed all year. Kumquats can be finicky. How about a Little Gem Magnolia?
Have fun at the Flea Market…I am emailing you a photo of my yard…
ciao from Newport Beach
Coco can you move the Japanese maple to another spot? I do appreciate their colors!
Am thinking about what you could put in place of the ivy trellises, I even like Ivy ground cover.
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
I have an amazing Giveaway from the Artisans at Novica. You will love it!
Oh, you HAVE to keep that maple- it’s great! I love ornamental maples, but if you’re concerned with it being the first thing people see, maybe you could transplant it to a higher place in the terraces- say, where an ivy trellis currently is? That way, when it is at its peak, it will still be noticed, but it will be less obvious when the leaves are gone and the tree is bare.
I agree with the above comments put the maple in place of the Ivy statues. I would probably add a cherry bush in the form of a double globe topiary. It would give a nice form and the color would tie in with the maple. The new growth is a reddish color. I have two on each side of my garage and love the look. In fact maybe two would look nice. One on each side to make a nice entrance and welcome at the steps. Kathysue
I’m with Tamera on the twinkly lights. I think that the bare branches of deciduous trees add something to the landscape, but if you find it upsetting, why not add some twinkle, then place a potted evergreen in front of it — you can move the potted plant to another position once the leaves start to come in!
I vote keep the maple, but maybe move it over and put something more colorful in there? Or leave it and surround it with something bright that fits it. The ivy (rat house) could be replaced with climbing roses…pretty…:)
It looks fabulous to me. I would add a handrail on the stairs and paint it a complementary color to the garden.
I don’t think you are facing a real dilemma (ie. a choice between two equally bad options). It seems more like you are at a point of recognizing that your current landscape isn’t “right” and wanting to do something about it. Look at it as a great opportunity to get creative and feel more satisfied with your choices. I would say the fact that you haven’t removed the ivy structures means you don’t like the bare seasons. I think deciduous trees always seems a bit out of place in Hollywood anyway, so why not embrace the incredible climate you live in and replace it with something that keeps it’s leaves year round. I think I would choose a bush or short tree such as a strawberry guava with a height slightly below the bushes to the left of your steps and replace the impatiens with something in the rusty reds and oranges to complement. You can post your giveaway tree and flowers on Craigslist for free or Freecycle and someone will be thrilled to get them. Good luck, I hope you love whatever you do.
Keep the cute maple. It’s more unexpected. And it would be cute to dress it up in the winter. Kinda like a charlie brown tree!
Hello! Like others, I think you should move the maple. I have dwarf lemons and mandarins in huge pots on my back porch. They look great. Maybe clear the other side of the stairs as well and put a cumquat or dwarf citrus on either side. Change the impatiens to all white. And the ivy? Ever think of sculpting them into groovy shapes? That could be very amusing.
best of luck!
Don’t part with your red maple. I think you would regret it later. I love the idea of the twinkle lights. My red maple is one of the best parts of my yard. During the cold NJ winter-when it’s bare-I can imagine how beautiful it will look once spring arrives. Reconsider!
Don’t do it! Add the twinkle lights- that is a perfect idea!
Keep the tree – the color adds a nice punch to your landscape and is a good addition & eye item for your entry. It is nice to have that indicator of seasonal change. I would remove the 2 ivy covered trellis items, purchase 2 desired evergreen trees and mix up the plantings by relocating the maple – put an evergreen at entry, then the maple in the middle stair zone & another matching evergreen item to the one at the entry..in that upper trellis location. Creating a better & appealing group of 3.
good luck – http://www.jerrygalanti.com
If you move your maple it might not make it in another location. Sometimes they “freak” out. I’ll send you a picture of my maple that my husband has to jack hammer a hold for in our ledge for the perfect spot! Everyone told us it wouldn’t make it but it is big and beautiful! When the rain stops I’ll get you a shot.
I like the ivy too…. Maybe you just need some more low growing color? As for the winter – we plant red twig dogwood (or red artic fire) and it’s bright red in the dormant snowy months in the South of Boston…
I adore maples and would leave it. You could try to move it but they don’t always transfer well. I agree with removing the ivy bushes…maybe something smaller there that is green year round but flowers part of the time. In the NW, we love “Daphne” bushes. In the spring they produce the best smelling flowers and are otherwise nice and green. Not sure how they do in L.A. weather…
There are some really beautiful specimen evergreen trees that “weep” and are slow growing that are gorgeous. However, I think you need the contrast. If the maple isn’t working, then how about something with a verigated leaf (bits of white on the tips and edges of the leaves) or a dogwood tree. A bit of white or chartruese against all that green will do the trick.
Move the Maple. If it lives, bonus! Love the idea of a dogwood. They smell wonderful! How about turning the ivy trellis’ into an arch and add the white lights to the arch?
I strongly believe you should keep the Japanese Maple tree… I personally love them.It’s a colorful pathway and you should keep it that way. I also think that you need hand railing, maybe a modern mix of stainless steel and wood and I would add a couple of upwards indirect lighting along the stone edge for a dramatic look…
MOVE THE MAPLE.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MILD LA WINTERS! THE MAPLE YOU CAN KEEP, BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE IN A SPOT THAT MAKES YOU SAD… AND I DO NOT AGREE THAT PUTTING LIGHTS ON IT IN WINTER WILL BE ENOUGH.
My professional opinion (landscape architect): move the maple while it’s still small. It may look cute now but it will soon outgrow the scale of the space and crowd out the steps. You will end up pruning it up so much that it will be somewhat of a lollipop tree. If you want/need a vertical element here, consider an appropriately scaled garden obelisk or tuteur. You could grow a flowering vine like clematis, or even two vines, one that blooms early in the season and one that blooms later. You could always add twinkle lights or seasonal decorations as well.
Why not do both! Put the maple in a pot (they actually do quite well potted and it will keep it from getting too big) and when it looses it’s leaves relocate it to a less conspicuous place in your yard. Then replace with something else in a pot the will look pretty through the winter months.
dwarf lemon tree. It will make you very happy all year long with it’s deep green glossy leaves, frangrant white flowers and plump fruit. Smells wonderful when it’s blooming and the right variety will give you lots of fruit as a bonus.