Recently, one of our clients reached out and asked us to spruce up their front yard. The ,landscape they had inherited with their town home appeared overgrown and tired, so they asked us to redesign their front yard landscape. We had a ton of fun with this project and wanted to share a bit about it with you from start to finish! But first…
How is front yard landscaping different than backyard design?
Your front yard is visible year-round, so you want it to be in tip top shape throughout EVERY season! Neighbors and guests are initially greeted with your front yard, so keeping it green and beautiful is imperative. In contrast, your backyard is typically limited to seasonal use.
nHow can you ensure your front yard landscape looks impeccable all year? Use more evergreen plants, at least for the foundation. Green is GOOD! Let me say it again…green is GOOD, so pick plants that showcase green year-round! Yes, evergreen plants are more expensive initially, but once they are established, they are low maintenance fixtures in your yard. Backyard plants often contain evergreens as well, but flowering perennials are far more common in the backyard than the front. Perennials are great to use in the front as well but do require far more attention and die back at the end of the season. When the gloomy days of winter arrive, you do not want your front yard looking dead, brown, and lifeless. Prepare now to see green well into the dark days of winter!n
Our Process
Now to our process. We started by wiping the town home’s slate clean; we started from scratch by removing the landscaping elements present on the property’s front yard. Then, we chose an Acoma Crape Myrtle as the focal point of the landscape design as it is the perfect tree for a small yard. The Acoma Crape Myrtle is a dwarf variety with gorgeous white blooms. Many people love this plant for its versatility and unique canopy-like structure. You can plant this tree all by itself or in accompaniment with other trees, plants, or shrubs. We underplanted Harbor Dwarf Nandina which also looks great year-round. In the fall and winter, this plant produces red berries which wildlife love.
Our next step was to add in some foundation plants. These plants frame the house and often set the tone for the design. Here’s a tip: foundation plants do not need to be fussy; pick something that is appropriate in size and scale to your home. (Note: Do not forget to take the mature size of the plants you choose into consideration. Neglecting to consider the mature size of plants is a HUGE, common mistake made by many homeowners.)
After this, we began to layer in smaller plants for texture and color. Our client loves pink, so we incorporated dianthus fire witch. This plant is a vibrant pink that continuously blooms from spring to summer. Give it a little haircut come fall, and it will look great until next spring. We added in touches of purple as well and planted salvia and geranium. Most people think of geranium as an annual, but there is also a variety called Rozanne that provides a beautiful purple ground cover. These are long lasting bloomers, so try to include some in your front yard for extended pops of color year-round.
Transitions
As fall approaches, we face a great amount of change, and we could use any pop of color we can get. Use these tips to start preparing your front yard for the fall and winter months ahead. Color really does make such a huge difference!
Happy Landscaping,
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