Midwest Home Landscaping, 3rd edition E-Book

Roger Holmes

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Landscaping
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Seitenzahl: 369

Beschreibung

Midwest Home Landscaping, Including Southern Canada, third edition, shows how to beautify 23 common landscape situations, such as front and back entries, walkways, borders, slopes, and patios. Each situation is presented with a variation, for a total of 46 designs. In addition, the book explains how to install and care for the plants, ponds, walls, and fences involved in the landscape designs. Plants that are proven performers in the Midwest are used in the designs and described in full detail. Step-by-step instructions provide the essential knowledge to tackle each project.United States: IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, WICanada: Ontario (southern)

Leseprobe

Inspiration for Your Home Landscaping

Inside you’ll find designs to enhance entrances, decks, and patios by using colorful annuals and perennials, trees, and shrubs. More than forty home landscaping designs are included, created by landscape professionals who live and work in the Midwest region.

An Elegant Entry

This design gives a formal feel to a front yard without requiring a complete makeover. Two neat rectangular lawns flank a central “courtyard” and its large planter full of colorful annuals. Borders are formed by lilac and juniper hedges, which provide seasonal interest. The enclosure is completed by a striking edging of sumac and ornamental grass along the walk.

A Big Splash with a Small Pond

A water garden adds a new dimension to a landscape. It can be the eye-catching focal point of the entire property, a center of outdoor entertainment, or a quiet out-of-the-way retreat. The plantings in this design are intended to settle the pond comfortably into an expanse of lawn. From a distance, the shrubs, ornamental grasses, and perennials that frame the pond resemble an island bed.

Down to Earth

A second-story deck is a perfect spot for enjoying your garden and yard. Too often, however, the view of the deck from the yard is less pleasing. Attractive landscaping brings the deck, house, and yard into balance. Decreasing in height from the deck to the yard, the planting makes it easier for our eyes to move between the levels.

Other titles available in the Home Landscaping series:

CALIFORNIA

MID-ATLANTIC

NORTHEAST

including Southeast Canada

NORTHWEST

SOUTHEAST

TEXAS

WESTERN

This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturer’s instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.

Creative Homeowner® is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.

MIDWEST HOME LANDSCAPING WORDWORKS

EDITORS

Roger Holmes, Rita Buchanan

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Monica Norby, Sarah Disbrow

COPYEDITORS

Nancy J. Stabile, Sarah Disbrow

INTERIOR DESIGN

Deborah Fillion

ILLUSTRATORS

Steve Buchanan (Portfolio of Designs); Michelle Angle Farrar, Lee Hov, Robert LaPointe, Rick Daskam, Teresa Nicole Green (Guide to Installation)

Manufactured in Singapore

Midwest Home Landscaping, Including South-Central Canada, Third EditionPrint ISBN: 978-1-58011-497-4eISBN: 978-1-60765-904-4

Creative Homeowner®, www.CreativeHomeowner.com, is an imprint of New Design Originals Corporation and distributed exclusively in North America by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 800-457-9112, 1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520, and in the United Kingdom by Grantham Book Service, Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 7XQ.

About the Authors

Roger Holmes is the founding editor of Fine Gardening magazine. He co-edited the monumental Taylor’s Master Guide to Gardening and other highly regarded gardening books, and produced the landscaping series of which this book is part. He also co-wrote Creative Homeowner’s Creating Good Gardens.

Rita Buchanan is a lifelong gardener with degrees in botany and an encyclopedic knowledge of plants. She worked with Roger Holmes to edit Fine Gardening magazine and co-edit several books, including Taylor’s Master Guide to Gardening. She is the author of numerous award-winning books and is a contributor to many gardening magazines.

Safety First

Though all concepts and methods in this book have been reviewed for safety, it is not possible to overstate the importance of using the safest working methods possible. What follows are reminders—do’s and don’ts for yard work and landscaping. They are not substitutes for your own common sense.

■   Always use caution, care, and good judgment when following the procedures described in this book.

■   Always determine locations of underground utility lines before you dig, and then avoid them by a safe distance. Buried lines may be for gas, electricity, communications, or water. Start research by contacting your local building officials. Also contact local utility companies; they will often send a representative free of charge to help you map their lines. In addition, there are private utility locator firms that may be listed in your Yellow Pages. Note: previous owners may have installed underground drainage, sprinkler, and lighting lines without mapping them.

■   Always read and heed the manufacturer’s instructions for using a tool, especially the warnings.

■   Always ensure that the electrical setup is safe; be sure that no circuit is overloaded and that all power tools and electrical outlets are properly grounded and protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Do not use power tools in wet locations.

■   Always wear eye protection when using chemicals, sawing wood, pruning trees and shrubs, using power tools, and striking metal onto metal or concrete.

■   Always read labels on chemicals, solvents, and other products; provide ventilation; heed warnings.

■   Always wear heavy rubber gloves rated for chemicals, not mere household rubber gloves, when handling toxins.

■   Always wear appropriate gloves in situations in which your hands could be injured by rough surfaces, sharp edges, thorns, or poisonous plants.

■   Always wear a disposable face mask or a special filtering respirator when creating sawdust or working with toxic gardening substances.

■   Always keep your hands and other body parts away from the business ends of blades, cutters, and bits.

■   Always obtain approval from local building officials before undertaking construction of permanent structures.

■   Never work with power tools when you are tired or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

■   Never carry sharp or pointed tools, such as knives or saws, in your pockets. If you carry such tools, use special-purpose tool scabbards.

The Landscape Designers

Carter Lee Clapsadle is landscape horticulturist with the College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, Minn. Trained at the University of Minnesota in horticulture and plant biology, Mr. Clapsadle has many years’ experience as a nurseryman and garden designer in Oregon, Alaska, and Minnesota. He currently maintains 110 acres of college land, managing the greenhouse and designing and implementing garden displays. Mr. Clapsadle teaches design classes at the University of Minnesota through the Practical Scholar Program. He has received awards for urban beautification, garden tours, and landscaping from the city of Anchorage and the state of Alaska. His designs appear on page, 32–35, 36–39, 40–43, 72–75, and 108–111.

Larry Giblock came to horticulture in the early 1980s from a career in fashion design. He assisted with field studies of native plants at the Cleveland Natural History Museum and was instrumental in forming the Native Plant Society of Ohio. In 1988 the Cleveland Botanical Garden hired him to develop and oversee their Wildflower Garden, and in 1993 care of the Japanese Garden was added to his responsibilities. Mr. Giblock’s residential garden designs draw on gardening traditions of Eastern as well as Western cultures and emphasize native plants, local materials, and the work of local craftspeople. His designs appear on page, 60–63, 96–99, 100–103, and 104–107.

Jan Little is manager of horticultural education at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Ill. A registered landscape architect, she has worked on a wide range of projects, including residential and commercial lanscapes, woodland restoration, public gardens, and urban renovations. Ms. Little’s public beautification projects for Geneva, Ill. (where she lives and works), have received several landscape design awards. Her designs appear on page, 56–59, 76–79, 80–83, 84–87, and 88–91.

Michael Schroeder, a University of Minnesota graduate, has practiced landscape architecture and urban design in the region since 1985. He works for Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc., in Minneapolis, where he has done award-winning work helping communities develop their own design strategies. Mr. Schroeder teaches a class in landscape design for homeowners at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Residential landscape design is his avocation, and he enjoys trying out ideas on his own property in Edina, Minn. His designs appear on page, 44–47, 52–55, 64–67, 68–71, and 92–95.

Contents

About This Book

Seasons in Your Landscape

As Your Landscape Grows

Portfolio of Designs

An Elegant Entry

Garden geometry transforms a small front yard.

Foundations with Flair

Plant a foundation garden.

A Welcoming Entry

Make a pleasant passage to your front door.

On the Street

Give your curbside strip a new look.

A Corner with Character

Beautify a boundary with easy-care plants.

A Pleasing Postal Planting

Provide a perennial setting for the daily mail.

Gateway Garden

Striking structure and plants make a handsome entry.

A Pleasing Passage

Reclaim a narrow side yard for a shade garden.

“Around Back”

Dress up the family’s everyday entrance.

Angle of Repose

Make a back-door garden in a sheltered niche.

Landscape a Low Wall

A colorful two-tier garden replaces a bland slope.

Beautify a Blank Wall

Paint a picture with plants.

Make a No-Mow Slope

A terraced planting transforms a steep site.

A Beginning Border

Flowers and a fence make a traditional design.

Down to Earth

Harmonize your deck with its surroundings.

Garden in the Round

Create a planting with several attractive faces.

An Outdoor “Living” Room

A patio garden provides privacy and pleasure.

Elegant Symmetry

Add a formal touch to your backyard.

A Shady Hideaway

Build a cozy retreat in a corner of your yard.

Back to Nature

Create a wooded retreat in your backyard.

A Big Splash with a Small Pond

Add an extra dimension to your landscape.

Under the Old Shade Tree

Create a cozy garden in a cool spot.

A Woodland Link

Create a shrub border for nearby woods.

Plant Profiles

Descriptions of all the plants shown in the Portfolio of Designs, plus information on how to plant and care for them

Guide to Installation

Organizing Your Project

Introducing the tasks involved in a landscape installation; how to organize them for best results

Clearing the Site

Removing turf, weeds, and other unwanted material

Making Paths and Walkways

Choosing materials, preparing the base, installing edgings, laying the surface

Laying a Patio

Employing the same materials and techniques as for walks and paths; ensuring proper drainage

Installing a Pond

Siting, excavating, installing a flexible liner or fiberglass shell; growing pond plants

Building a Retaining Wall

Laying out, excavating, and assembling a precast modular wall system and steps

Fences, Arbors, and Trellises

Wood selection, layout, post setting, basic construction; plans for building the fences, trellises, and arbors shown in the Portfolio of Designs

Preparing the Soil for Planting

Digging and improving the soil; edging for beds

Buying Plants

Where to go, what to look for, how to get the best quality and price

The Planting Process

When to plant, steps in the planting process, spacing; annuals as fillers

Planting Basics

Plants in containers, balled-and-burlapped plants, bare-root plants, ground covers, and bulbs

Basic Landscape Care

Mulches and fertilizers; controlling weeds; watering

Caring for Woody Plants

Basic pruning for trees, shrubs, vines, and roses; making a hedge

Caring for Perennials

Routine care, pruning, dividing

Problem Solving

Understanding common problems with animal and insect pests and diseases; winter damage

Glossary

Credits

About This Book

Of all the home improvement projects homeowners tackle, few offer greater rewards than landscaping. Paths, patios, fences, arbors, and—most of all—plantings can enhance home life in countless ways, large and small, functional and pleasurable, every day of the year. At the main entrance, an attractive brick walkway flanked by eye-catching shrubs and perennials provides a cheerful send-off in the morning and welcomes you home from work in the evening. A carefully placed grouping of small trees, shrubs, and fence panels creates privacy on the patio or screens a nearby eyesore from view. An island bed showcases your favorite plants, while dividing the backyard into several areas for a variety of activities.

Unlike some home improvements, the rewards of landscaping are as much in the activity as in the result. Planting and caring for lovely shrubs, perennials, and other plants can afford years of enjoyment. And for those who like to build things, outdoor construction projects can be a special treat.

While the installation and maintenance of plants and outdoor structures are within the means and abilities of most people, few of us are as comfortable determining exactly which plants or structures to use and how best to combine them. It’s one thing to decide to dress up the front entrance or patio, another to come up with a design for doing so.

That’s where this book comes in. Here, in the Portfolio of Designs, you’ll find inspiration for nearly two dozen common home landscaping situations, created by landscape professionals who live and work in the Midwest region. Drawing on years of experience, they balance functional requirements and aesthetic possibilities, choosing the right plant or structure for the task based on its proven performance in similar situations.

The book’s second section, Plant Profiles, provides information on all the plants used in the book. The third section, the Guide to Installation, will help you to install and maintain the plants and structures described in the previous two sections.

The discussions that follow here take a closer look at each section. We’ve also printed representative pages of the sections on pp. 9 and 10 and pointed out their features.

Portfolio of Designs

This is the heart of the book, providing examples of landscaping challenges and solutions that are at once inspiring and accessible to most homeowners. Some are simple, others more complex, but each one can be installed in just a few weekends by homeowners with no special training or experience.

For each situation, we present two designs, the second a variation of the first. As the samples on page show, the first design is displayed on a two-page spread. A perspective illustration (called a “rendering”) shows what the design will look like several years after installation, when the perennials and many of the shrubs have reached mature size. The rendering also shows the planting as it will appear at a particular time of year. (For more on how plantings change over the course of a year, see “Seasons in Your Landscape,” page.) A site plan shows the positions of the plants and structures on a scaled grid.

The second design option, presented on the second two-page spread, addresses the same situation as the first but differs in one or more important aspects. It might show a planting suited for a shady rather than a sunny site; or it might incorporate different structures or kinds of plants (adding shrubs to a perennial border, for example). As for the first design, we present a rendering, site plan, and written information, but in briefer form. The second spread also includes photographs of landscapes in situations similar to those featured in the two designs. The photos showcase noteworthy variations or details that you may wish to use in the designs we show or in designs of your own.

Installed exactly as shown here, these designs will provide enjoyment for many years. But individual needs and properties will differ, so we encourage you to alter the designs to suit your site and desires. You can easily make changes. For example, you can add or remove plants and adjust the sizes of paths, patios, and fences to suit larger or smaller sites. You can rearrange groupings and substitute favorite plants to suit your taste. Or you can integrate the design with your existing landscaping. If you are uncertain about how to solve specific problems or about the effects of changes you are considering, consult with staff at a local nursery or with a landscape designer in your area.

Plant Profiles

The second section of the book includes a description of each plant featured in the Portfolio. These outline each plant’s basic preferences for soil, moisture, sun, or shade, and give advice about planting and ongoing care.

Working with the book’s landscape designers, we selected plants carefully, following a few simple guidelines: Every plant should be a proven performer in the region; once established, it should thrive without pampering. All plants should be available from a major local nursery or garden center; if not, they can be ordered, or you can ask the nursery to recommend a substitute.

In the Portfolio section, you’ll note that plants are referred to by their common name but are cross-referenced to the Plant Profiles section by their Latin, or scientific, name. While common names are familiar to many people, they can be confusing. Distinctly different plants can share the same common name, or one plant can have several different common names. Latin names, therefore, ensure greatest accuracy and are more appropriate for a reference section such as this. Although you can confidently purchase most of the plants in this book from local nurseries using the common name, knowing the Latin name allows you to make sure that the plant you’re ordering is actually the one that is shown in our design.

Guide to Installation

In this section, you’ll find detailed instructions and illustrations covering all the techniques you’ll need to install any design from start to finish. Here we explain how to think your way through a landscaping project and anticipate the various steps. Then you’ll learn how to do each part of the job: readying the site; laying out the design; choosing materials; building paths, trellises, or other structures; preparing the soil for planting; buying the recommended plants and putting them in place; and caring for the plants to keep them healthy and attractive year after year.

We’ve taken care to make installation of built elements simple and straightforward. The paths, trellises, fences, and arbors (elements that landscape designers call “hardscape”) all use basic materials available from local suppliers, and they can be assembled by people who have no special skills or tools beyond those commonly used for home maintenance. The designs can easily be adapted to meet specific needs or to fit in with the style of your house or other landscaping features.

Installing different designs requires different techniques. You can find what you need by following the cross-references in the Portfolio pages in the Guide to Installation, or by skimming the Guide. If you continue to improve your landscape by adding more than one design, you’ll find that many basic techniques are reused from one project to the next. You might want to start with one of the smaller, simpler designs. Gradually, you’ll develop the skills and confidence to do any project you choose.

Most of the designs in this book can be installed in a weekend or two; some will take a little longer. Digging planting beds, building retaining walls, and erecting fences and arbors can be strenuous work. If you lack the time or energy for the more arduous installation tasks, consider hiring a teenager to help out. Local landscaping services can provide any of the services you need help with.

MIDWEST HARDINESS ZONES

The map here, based on one developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, divides the region according to minimum winter temperatures and assigns “zone” numbers to those temperature bands. All but a handful of plants in this book will survive the lowest temperatures in Zones 4, 5, and 6. (Alternatives for those that don’t are usually provided in the Plant Profiles.) If you live in Zone 3, however, you should ask at a local nursery for advice about suitable substitutes for those plants not reliably hardy in your zone.

Seasons in Your Landscape

One of the rewards of landscaping is watching how plants change through the seasons. During the dark winter months, you look forward to the bright, fresh flowers of spring. Then the lush green foliage of summer is transformed into the blazing colors of fall. Perennials that rest underground in winter can grow head-high by midsummer, and hence a flower bed that looks flat and bare in December becomes a jungle in July.

To illustrate typical seasonal changes, we’ve chosen one of the designs from this book (see page) and shown here how it would look in spring, summer, fall, and winter. As you can see, this planting looks quite different from one season to the next, but it always remains interesting. Try to remember this example of transformation as you look at the other designs in this book. There we show how the planting will appear in one season and call attention to any plants that will stand out at other times of the year.

The task of tending a landscape also changes with the seasons. Below we’ve noted the most important seasonal jobs in the annual work cycle.

Spring

Crocuses, daffodils, and other spring bulbs start blooming in April in the Midwest region, a welcome sign of the end of a long winter. Soon it’s time to start mowing the lawn, and by the end of May all the trees have fresh new leaves. Many shrubs and perennials, such as the yellow azalea, blue false indigo, and purple Siberian iris shown here, bloom in spring. Others that will bloom in summer or fall are just low mounds of foliage now.

Do a thorough garden cleanup about the time the bulbs bloom. Remove last year’s perennial flower stalks and tattered foliage, cut ornamental grasses to the ground, prune shrubs and trees as needed, renew the mulch, and neaten the edges between lawn and beds.

Summer

In summer, flowering perennials, such as the white and purple coneflowers, lilies, and coreopsis shown here, add spots of color to the otherwise green landscape. To coax as many flowers as possible from these plants and to keep the garden tidy, cut or shear off older blossoms as they fade. Summer weather is typically hot and humid throughout this region, but droughts are not uncommon. Water new plantings at least once a week during dry spells, and water older plants, too, if the soil gets so dry that they wilt. Pull any weeds that sprout up through the mulch; this is easiest when the soil is moist from rain or watering.

Fall

Fall foliage season lasts for a month or so in the Midwest region, starting in mid- to late September. Trees and shrubs such as the serviceberry, burning bush, and azalea shown here paint the landscape in shades of red, orange, pink, purple, gold, and yellow. Meanwhile, fall-blooming perennials such as asters and chrysanthemums, or the Japanese anemones and October plants shown here, produce colorful flowers that stay fresh-looking for weeks in the cool, crisp autumn weather.

Sometime in October, the first hard frost will kill tender plants to the ground, signaling the time for fall cleanup. Toss frosted annuals on the compost pile. You can cut perennials and grasses down now or wait until spring. Rake fallen leaves into a pile or bin and save them to use as mulch in spring.

Winter

In winter, when plants are dormant and snow covers the ground, you appreciate the evergreen foliage of conifers, such as the juniper shown here, and the twigs and bark of deciduous trees and shrubs. Clumps of rustling grass or shrubs and trees with bright berries are welcome in winter, too.

Spray broad-leaved evergreens with anti-desiccant before the weather gets too cold, and build burlap shelters around any young or exposed evergreens that need extra protection. Once the ground freezes, spread some pine boughs or coarse mulch over newly planted perennials to keep them from frost-heaving. During the winter, if a heavy snow or an ice storm snaps or crushes some shrubs, you can trim away the broken parts as soon as convenient, but if plants get frozen during a severe cold spell, wait until spring to assess the damage before deciding how far to cut them back.

As Your Landscape Grows

Landscapes change over the years. As plants grow, the overall look evolves from sparse to lush. Trees cast cool shade where the sun used to shine. Shrubs and hedges grow tall and dense enough to provide privacy. Perennials and ground covers spread to form colorful patches of foliage and flowers. Meanwhile, paths, arbors, fences, and other structures gain the comfortable patina of age.

Constant change over the years—sometimes rapid and dramatic, sometimes slow and subtle—is one of the joys of landscaping. It is also one of the challenges. Anticipating how fast plants will grow and how big they will eventually get is difficult, even for professional designers, and was a major concern in formulating the designs for this book.

To illustrate the kinds of changes to expect in a planting, these pages show one of the designs at three different “ages.” Even though a new planting may look sparse at first, it will soon fill in. And because of careful spacing, the planting will look as good in 10 to 15 years as it does after 3 to 5. It will, of course, look different, but that’s part of the fun.

At Planting—Here’s how the deck planting (page) might appear in late spring immediately after planting. The rose and clematis haven’t begun to climb the new lattice trellis. The viburnum and lilac, usually sold in 2- to 5-gal. cans, start blooming as young plants and may have flowers when you buy them, but there will be enough space that you may want to plant some short annuals around them for the first few growing seasons. You can put short annuals between the new little junipers, too. The switchgrass and perennials, transplanted from quart- or gallon-size containers, are just low tufts of foliage now, but they grow fast enough to produce a few flowers the first summer.

Three to Five Years—As shown here in midsummer, the rose and clematis now reach most of the way up the supports. Although they aren’t mature yet, the lilac, viburnum, and junipers look nice and bushy, and they’re big enough that you don’t need to fill around them with annuals. So far, the vines and shrubs have needed only minimal pruning. Most grasses and perennials reach full size about three to five years after planting; after that, they need to be divided and replanted in freshly amended soil to keep them healthy and vigorous.

Ten to Fifteen Years—Shown again in summer, the rose and clematis now cover their supports, and the lilac and viburnum are as tall as they’ll get. To maintain all of these plants, you’ll need to start pruning out some of the older stems every year in early spring. The junipers have spread sideways to form a solid mass; prune them as needed along the edge of the lawn and pathways. When the junipers crowd them out, move the daylilies to another part of your property, or move them to the front of the bed to replace the other perennials, as shown here.

PortfolioofDesigns

This section presents ideas for nearly two dozen situations common in home landscapes. You’ll find designs to enhance entrances, decks, and patios. There are gardens of colorful perennials and shrubs, as well as structures and plantings that create shady hideaways, dress up nondescript walls, and even make a centerpiece of a lowly mailbox. Large color illustrations show what the designs will look like, and site plans delineate the layout and planting scheme. Accompanying text explains the designs and describes the plants and projects appearing in them. Installed as shown or adapted to meet your site and personal preferences, these designs can make your property more attractive, more useful, and—most important—more enjoyable for you, your family, and your friends.

An Elegant Entry

GARDEN GEOMETRY TRANSFORMS A SMALL FRONT YARD

Formal gardens have a special appeal. Their simple geometry is soothing in an uncertain world, and their look is timeless, never going out of style. Traditional two-story homes with symmetrical facades are especially suited to the clean lines and balanced features shown here.

The design creates a small courtyard at the center of four rectangular beds defined by evergreen hedges and flagstone walkways. Inside the hedges, carefree perennial catmint makes a colorful floral carpet during the summer. The flagstone paving reinforces the design’s geometry, while providing access to the front door from the sidewalk. (If a driveway runs along one side of the property, the crosswalk could extend to it through an opening in the hedge.) At the center of the compositon, the paving widens to accommodate a planter filled with annuals, a pleasant setting for greetings or goodbyes. A bench at one end of the crosswalk provides a spot for longer chats or restful moments enjoying the plantings or, perhaps, contemplating a garden ornament at the other end.

Loose, informal hedges soften the rigid geometry. Deciduous shrubs change with the seasons, offering flowers in the spring and brilliant fall foliage, while the evergreens are a dependably colorful presence year round.

Plants & Projects

Precise layout is important in a simple design. Start with the flagstone walks; they’re not difficult to build but require some time and muscle. The hedges are chosen for their compact forms. You’ll need to clip the lilacs annually to maintain their shape, but the junipers will require little pruning over time.

A‘Nigra’ arborvitae (use 2 plants)These upright, pyramidal evergreen trees stand like sentinels at the front door, where their scented foliage greets visitors. Prune to keep their height in scale with the house. See Thuja occidentalis, page.

B‘Techny’ arborvitae (use 4)Marking the corners of the design, this evergreen tree forms a shorter, broader cone than its cousin by the door. See Thuja occidentalis, page.

CCompact burning bush (use 2)A deciduous shrub forming a neat globe of green foliage, it turns an attention-grabbing crimson in fall. An excellent choice to mark the property’s entrance. See Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’, page.

DDwarf lilac (use 12)This compact deciduous shrub makes an attractive loose hedge offering fragrant springtime flowers and glossy green foliage that has a purplish cast in fall. See Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’, page.

E‘Arcadia’ juniper (use 36)The arching branches of this spreading evergreen shrub line the walks with bright green color through four seasons. See Juniperus sabina, page.

F‘Blue Wonder’ catmint (use 40)Loose spikes of misty blue flowers rise above the silvery, aromatic foliage of this perennial in June, filling the beds with color. Blooms continue or repeat through the summer. See Nepeta x faassenii, page.

GPavingRectangular flagstones in random sizes suit the style of this house; brick or precast pavers work with other house styles. See page.

HPlanterNurseries and garden centers offer a range of planters that are suitable for formal settings. Choose one that complements the style of your house and fill it with colorful annuals such as the geraniums in the round stone planter shown here. If you’re ambitious, change the plantings with the seasons.

IGarden ornamentPlace a sundial (shown here), reflecting ball, statue, or other ornament as a focal point at the end of the crosswalk.

JBenchA stone bench is a nice companion for the planter and sundial here, but wood or metal benches can also work well in formal settings.

Formal and fresh

This design gives a formal feel to a front yard without requiring a complete makeover. Two neat rectangular lawns flank a central “courtyard” and its large planter full of colorful annuals. Borders are once again formed by lilac and juniper hedges, which provide the same varied seasonal interest as in the previous design. But here, the enclosure is completed by a striking edging of sumac and ornamental grass along the walk.

The planting offers flowers in spring and lots of healthy foliage in summer. But it comes into its own in fall, the season shown here. Deciduous trees and shrubs provide colorful accents. The 7-ft.-tall seed heads of the moor grass can make an airy corridor of the walk. Or you can trim off the stalks, as shown here, and enjoy a lower edging of golden yellow foliage.

Plants & Projects

AAmur maple (use 2 plants)This small, deciduous, often multitrunked tree produces attractive flowers in spring, red fruits in summer, and blazing clear red foliage in fall. See Acer ginnala, page.

B‘Gro-Low’ sumac (use 4)A deciduous shrub that spreads to form a low mound of glossy dark green foliage that turns scarlet in fall. The bare stems are interesting in winter, too. See Rhus aromatica, page.

C‘Windspiel’ purple moor grass (use 16)The dark green tufts of this perennial grass turn golden yellow in fall, when they are topped with stalks up to 7 ft. tall bearing yellow seed heads. Foliage and stalks break off at ground level in late fall, making room for you to pile snow shoveled off the walk. See Molinia arundinacea, page.

D‘Skyrocket’ juniper (use 6)These tall, narrow evergreen shrubs frame the door like two blue-green columns. Use ‘Pathfinder’ if you want a wider, pyramidal shrub. See Juniperus scopulorum, page.

EPavingTo create the central “courtyard” using an existing cement sidewalk, you can add arcs of well-tamped crushed rock (as shown here; see page) or pour cement pads.

FPlanterChoose an urn to match the house and fill it with annuals. A seasonal planting of chrysanthemums is shown here.

See page for the following:

GDwarf lilac (use 12)

H‘Arcadia’ juniper (use 12)

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

Whether expressed in geometry, repetition, or an unexpected way, formality can enrich a front yard.

A rich assortment of well-behaved shrubs and trees complements a very narrow formal entry, while keeping maintenance at a minimum.

A small circle of yucca and perennials set in attractive paving terminates a narrow walkway.

This imaginative design makes the most of a narrow front yard, adding interest and extending the space by creating a spiraling stroll garden.

Foundations with Flair

PLANT A FOUNDATION GARDEN

Homes on raised foundations are seldom without foundation plantings. These simple skirtings of greenery hide unattractive concrete-block underpinnings and help overcome the impression that the house is hovering a few feet above the ground. Useful as these plantings are, they are too often just monochromatic expanses of clipped junipers, dull as dishwater. But as this design shows, a durable, low-maintenance foundation planting can be more varied, more colorful, and more fun.

This design makes a front porch an even more welcome haven on a hot summer’s day. Chosen for a shady site, the plants include evergreen shrubs and perennials that combine handsome foliage and pretty flowers. Hanging planters filled with annuals extend the garden right onto the porch.

The plants are arranged to provide interest when viewed from the porch as well as from the street or entry walk. The bed sweeps out in a graceful curve to connect with the steps and entry walk, making an attractive setting for visitors.

Plants & Projects

A foundation planting should look good in each season. Rhododendron blossoms in spring give way to a summer display of hosta, astilbe, and anemone flowers in shades of pink and white. Once the perennials have died back, they reveal the vining euonymus covering the base of the porch. Along with the other evergreens, it carries the planting through fall and winter. Other than tending the planters, there is minimal seasonal cleanup. The shrubs’ natural forms are tidy, so any pruning is infrequent.

A‘Olga Mezitt’ rhododendron (use 3 plants)An evergreen shrub with striking clusters of pink flowers in early spring and dark green foliage that turns maroon in winter. See Rhododendron, page.

B‘Green Velvet’ boxwood (use 10)These tidy evergreen shrubs will form an informal hedge (with minimal pruning) at the front of the planting. The foliage stays green through the winter. See Buxus, page.

C‘Emerald Gaiety’ euonymus (use 6)This evergreen vine quickly covers lattice panels beneath the porch. Dark green leaves are white edged and may turn pink in winter. See Euonymus fortunei, page.

D‘Ostrich Plume’ astilbe (use 5)The cascading pink plumes of this perennial are eye-catching from the porch or the street. Shiny, dark green foliage looks good long after the midsummer bloom has faded. See Astilbe x arendsii, page.

EPink Japanese anemone (use 1)Lovely mauve-pink flowers rise well above the handsome, dark-green lobed leaves of this perennial in late summer and fall. See Anemone vitifolia ‘Robustissima’, page.

F‘Royal Standard’ hosta (use 3)This perennial’s fragrant white flowers rise above a mound of big green leaves in late summer, perfuming the porch with a sweet scent. See Hosta, page.

G‘Sum and Substance’ hosta (use 8)Huge, glossy gold, textured leaves form large, showy mounds at each end of the planting. Although it bears lavender flowers in late summer, some people remove them to showcase the foliage. See Hosta, page.

HPeriwinkle (use 18)Dark green shiny leaves and blue spring flowers of this perennial ground cover form a clean, evergreen edge in front of the box-woods. See Vinca minor, page.

ISweet woodruff (use 5)Tucked between a boxwood and the anemone, this perennial ground cover is a pleasant surprise to visitors approaching the steps. Bears tiny white flowers in spring. See Galium odoratum, page.

JHanging boxes and baskets (as desired)Hang window boxes from the railing and baskets from the porch roof and plant them with shade-tolerant annuals, such as the trailing ivy, impatiens, begonias, coleus, and vinca vine we’ve shown here.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

Anything but boring, these plantings demonstrate the wide range of possibilities for foundations.

This house couldn’t have a more natural setting than the rhododendrons and other woodland plants nestled by its walls.

Junipers and ground covers create an attractive frame for a bay window.

Colorful perennials and shrubs hide an unattractive foundation, highlight appealing columns, and provide some privacy for porch sitters.

On the sunny side

If your site is sunny, try this design. (It can easily be adapted to a house with a covered porch.) The backbone of the planting is a selection of deciduous and ever green shrubs chosen for their attractive foliage and pleasing natural forms—there’s no fussy shearing necessary here. Perennials flesh out the arrangement, adding color and contrasting foliage textures.

Here, evergreens provide color and the bare branches of deciduous shrubs add structure during the winter. Then, delightful scented blossoms appear in spring. Accented by colorful flowers in summer, handsome foliage puts on a brilliant show in fall.

If your site allows, you can repeat elements of the design to extend the planting to the other side of the stoop.

The shrubs need little pruning to look their best. Just remove dead or diseased wood and clip a branch or two as needed to enhance the plants’ natural form.

Plants & Projects

ACompact burning bush (use 1 plant)Dark green leaves and orderly layered branches make this deciduous shrub a handsome presence at the corner of the house in summer and winter. In fall, its fiery mass of brilliant crimson foliage makes it a showstopper. See Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’, page.

BCompact Korean spice viburnum (use 1)The delicious spicy scent of this deciduous shrub’s white flowers greets visitors at the door in May. Foliage is attractive through summer and fall; pretty pink flower buds emerge in early spring. See Viburnum carlesii ‘Compactum’, page.

CDwarf Japanese yew (use 3)With spreading dark green branches, this tough, slow-growing evergreen shrub is appealing in all four seasons. See Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana’, page.

D‘Wintergreen’ boxwood (use 4)The small evergreen leaves of this compact shrub hold their bright green color through the winter. Little pruning is required to maintain the soft, mounded form. See Buxus, page.

ESiberian iris (use 3)Enjoy this perennial’s elegant flowers in early summer and its graceful clumps of slender arching foliage for the rest of the season. Flowers come in shades of blue, yellow, or white. See Iris sibirica, page.

F‘Stargazer’ lily (use 3)Planted among the irises, these regal peren nials will scent the entire planting in late summer with the rich perfume of their white-edged crimson flowers. See Lilium, page.

GOctober plant (use 3)This perennial’s fleshy blue-gray foliage contrasts with the nearby evergreens, and its rosy pink flowers add color in fall. See Sedum sieboldii, page.

HSnow-in-summer (use 3)Star-shaped white flowers blanket this perennial in early spring. After flowering, its spreading mat of silvery gray evergreen leaves shines at the foot of the yews. See Cerastium tomentosum, page.

A Welcoming Entry

MAKE A PLEASANT PASSAGE TO YOUR FRONT DOOR

Why wait until a visitor reaches the front door to extend a cordial greeting? Well-chosen plants and a revamped walkway not only make the short journey a pleasant one, they can also enhance your home’s most public face and help settle it comfortably in its surroundings.

The curved walk in this design offers visitors a friendly welcome and a helpful “Please come this way.” The first stage of the journey passes between two clipped shrub roses into a handsome garden “room” with larger shrubs near the house and smaller, colorful perennials by the walk. An opening in a hedge of long-blooming shrub roses then leads to a wider paved area that functions as an outdoor foyer. There you can greet guests or relax on the bench and enjoy the plantings that open out onto the lawn. A double course of pavers intersects the walk and an adjacent planting bed, and the circle it describes contrasts nicely with the rectilinear lines of the house and hedge.

Plants & Projects

Mixing shrubs and perennials, this planting offers colorful flowers and attractive foliage from spring through fall. The shrubs provide structure through the winter and are handsome when covered with new snow. The perennials are dormant in winter; cut them to the ground to make room for snow shoveled off the walk. Maintenance involves pruning the shrubs and clipping spent flowers to keep everything tidy.

A‘Sea Green’ juniper (use 3 plants)This rugged evergreen shrub anchors a corner of the first garden “room” with arching branches that provide year-round pale green color. See Juniperus chinensis, page.

BDwarf cranberrybush viburnum (use 5)This small deciduous shrub has a dense, bushy habit and dark green, maplelike leaves that turn shades of red in fall. It won’t outgrow its place beneath the windows. See Viburnum opulus ‘Nanum’, page.

C‘Frau Dagmar Hartop’ rose (use 18 or more)With its crinkly, bright green leaves, fragrant, single pink flowers, and colorful red hips from autumn into winter, this easy-to-grow deciduous shrub puts on a year-round show. Flowers all summer; forms a dense “natural-looking” hedge. Extend the planting along the house as necessary. See Rosa, page.

D‘Little Princess’ spirea (use 7)Another compact deciduous shrub, with dainty twigs and leaves. Bears clear pink flowers in June and July. See Spiraea japonica, page.

EBasket-of-gold (use 4)The planting’s first flowers appear on this perennial in spring. After the fragrant yellow blooms fade, the low mounds of gray leaves look good through late fall. See Aurinia saxatilis, page.

F‘Goldsturm’ black-eyed Susan (use 20)A popular prairie perennial, this bears large golden yellow flowers (each with a distinctive dark “eye” in the center of the flower) that are a cheerful sight in late summer. See Rudbeckia fulgida, page.

G‘Moonbeam’ coreopsis (use 22)For months during the summer, this perennial features masses of tiny, pale yellow flowers on neat mounds of lacy, dark green foliage. See Coreopsis verticillata, page.

H‘Moonshine’ yarrow (use 17)A perennial offering flat heads of sulphur yellow flowers for much of the summer. The fine gray-green leaves contrast nicely with surrounding foliage. See Achillea, page.

I‘Stella d’Oro’ daylily (use 30)This perennial’s fragrant, trumpet-shaped, golden yellow flowers hover over its attractive, grassy foliage from mid-June through early fall. See Hemerocallis, page.

JWalkMade of precast concrete pavers, the walk and decorative edgings require careful layout and installation. Consider renting a mason’s saw to ensure accuracy when cutting pavers. See page.

KBenchA nursery or garden center can usually order a simple bench like the one shown here.

A shady welcome

If your entry is shady, receiving less than six hours of sunlight a day, try this design. Near the drive, the walk is framed by a small tree and a selection of attractive shrubs and perennials. The wider paving here and near the door provides room to gather for hellos and goodbyes.

The path to the door curves gently around a small garden featuring a selection of hostas and ferns that enliven the shady site with striking foliage. A steppingstone path through the planting invites visitors to take a closer look or, in spring, to better enjoy the fragrant flowers of the azaleas.

Plants & Projects

AServiceberry (use 1 plant)