Northwest Home Landscaping, New 4th Edition E-Book

Roger Holmes

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 409

Beschreibung

The Pacific Northwest will be in full bloom with Northwest Home Landscaping, 4th Edition! Find inspiring ideas to make your home landscape more attractive and functional in this must-have resource that is an updated edition of Creative Homeowner's award-winning best seller on landscaping northwest-style. The 48 featured landscape designs are created by professionals from the region and use more than 200 plants that thrive in the northwest. Detailed instructions for projects, such as paths, patios, ponds, and arbors, are also included. Over 400 full-color photographs are complemented by easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. Updates to this edition include an emphasis on native plants and those more suitable to the region, identifications of invasive and banned plants, the impact of climate change on the northwest region -- from warming temperatures, increased wildfire risk, and insect and disease outbreaks -- updated plant profiles, and more.

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 Northwest region.

Front-Door Makeover

Sometimes the simplest landscaping projects pack a surprisingly big punch. This design uses only five different plants and can be easily installed in a single weekend. Yet this small investment of time and money can transform one of the most important parts of your property, welcoming visitors to your home as well as presenting a pleasing face to passersby.

Easy Pond

Create a handsome water garden in a few weekends! The plantings in this design are intended to settle the pond comfortably into an expanse of lawn. Flagstone paving invites visitors to stroll up to the pond’s edge. Framing the pond and path are a small broadleaf evergreen tree and perennial ground covers planted in contrasting waves of color and texture.

A No-Mow Slope

Steep slopes can be a landscaping headache. Planted with lawn grass, they’re a chore to mow. Consider replacing grass with tough, easy-care ground covers that will hold the hillside soil in place and require little supplemental watering during the summer. Mounding deciduous and evergreen shrubs contrast with the Siberian iris, fuchsia, and Russian sage, providing months of bloom in reds, pinks, purples, and lavender.

Other titles available in the Home Landscaping series:

CALIFORNIA

MID-ATLANTIC

MIDWEST

including South-Central Canada

NORTHEAST

including Southeast Canada

SOUTHEAST

SOUTHERN COASTAL

TEXAS

WESTERN

Publisher’s Note

I am pleased to present the newest edition of this classic book on Northwestern home landscaping. In this edition, you will find new content, including information on the impact of climate change on Northwestern landscaping and detailed descriptions of plants to avoid so you may cultivate the healthiest garden possible. Perhaps the biggest change to this book, however, is what you won’t find: invasive plants that we removed from designs and plant profiles and replaced with Northwestern natives or non-invasive plants. As you read and begin your landscaping journey with us, you can feel confident that no matter the home, it will be surrounded by lush, vibrant plants that invite pollinators, guests, and yourself into your yard every day of the year with a warm welcome. Also, I would like to give a special thank you to Felicia Brower, the technical editor for this edition, for lending her expertise in home landscaping.

Alan Giagnocavo, CEO and PublisherFox Chapel Publishing

COPYRIGHT © 2011, 2016, 2023

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.

NORTHWEST HOME LANDSCAPING, FOURTH EDITION

Managing Editor

Gretchen Bacon

Editor

Madeline DeLuca

Technical Editor

Felicia Brower

Designer

Freire, SL

Northwest Home Landscaping, Fourth EditionPrint ISBN: 978-1-58011-598-8ISBN 978-1-63741-289-3

CREATIVE HOMEOWNER® www.CreativeHomeowner.com, is an imprint of New Design Originals Corporation and distributed exclusively by Fox Chapel Publishing, 800-457-9112, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

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.

Don Marshall heads up the Environmental Horticultural Program at Lake Washington Technical College, in Kirkland, Washington, where he has been Horticulture Instructor for over 20 years. He is also the sole proprietor of Plant Designs, a landscaping company that designs, installs, and maintains commercial and residential landscapes.

About the Technical Editor

Felicia Brower is a Colorado-based freelance writer, editor, and master gardener. As a member of the Colorado Native Plant Society and Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes, Felicia has a deep interest in incorporating low-water plants native to the arid west into the home garden and landscape. She regularly attends courses and workshops to stay up-to-date on new trends in home landscaping, especially those catered towards growing in the Rocky Mountain region.

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—dos 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 listed online. 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

John Ahrens, with Barry Landry and Nena Scott, King’s Creek Landscape Management, Austin, Texas. Their design appears on pp. 58–59.

Lee Buffington and Gordon Iwata, Arcadia Design, Mercer Island, Washington. Their designs appear on pp. 54–57, 94–97, and 106–109.

Laura Crockett, Sylvan Designs, Hillsboro, Oregon. Her designs appear on pp. 16–19, 46–49, and 82–85.

Kate Day is a landscape architect and certified arborist in the Seattle area. Her designs appear on pp. 28–31, 70–73, and 88–91.

Rosa Finsley, with Cheryl Bryant, King’s Creek Gardens, Cedar Hill, Texas. Their design appears on pp. 86–87.

Lucy Hardiman is the principal of Perennial Partners, a garden-design collective in Portland. Her designs appear on pp. 74–77 and 66–69.

Daniel Lowery, Queen Anne Gardens, Seattle. His designs appear on pp. 22–25, 36–39, and 108–111.

Glenn Morris has designed southern landscapes for many years. His design appears on pp. 64–65.

Ruth Olde, Blasig Landscape Design and Construction Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia. Her designs appear on pp. 60–63, 78–81, and 98–101.

Jana Ruzicka operates her own landscape design business in Laguna Beach, California. Her design appears on pp. 106-107.

Dan Sears, Sears Design Group of Raleigh, North Carolina. His design appears on pp. 40–41.

Carolyn Singer owns Foothill Cottage Gardens, Grass Valley, California. Her design appears on pp. 20–21.

Jimmy and Becky Stewart are professional gardeners in Atlanta, Georgia. Their design appears on pp. 92–93.

Mary Wilhite and Sharon Lee Smith, Blue Moon Gardens, Tyler, Texas. Their design appears on pp. 26–27.

Phil Wood owns Phil Wood Garden Design in Seattle. His designs appear on pp. 32–35, 42–45, and 50–53.

Contents

About This Book

As Your Landscape Grows

Portfolio of Designs

Up Front and Formal

Garden geometry transforms a small front yard.

Front-Door Makeover

Enhance your main entry in a weekend.

A Foundation with Flair

Create a front garden of striking foliage.

Another Fancy Foundation

Flowers and foliage create a lush garden.

First Impressions

Make a pleasant passage to your front door.

An Eye-Catching Corner

Beautify a boundary with easy-care plants.

Streetwise and Stylish

Give your curbside strip a new look.

Front-Yard Border

Arbor and plantings make a welcoming entry.

A Pleasant Passage

Reclaim a narrow side yard for a stroll garden.

Landscaping a Low Wall

A colorful two-tier garden replaces a bland slope.

Angle of Repose

Make a back-door garden in a sheltered niche.

Beautify a Blank Wall

A vertical garden makes the most of a narrow site.

Decorate a Sunny Wall

Perennials, vines, and a flowering shrub enliven a tight space.

A No-Mow Slope

A terraced planting transforms a steep slope.

Easy-Care Hillside

Landscaping tames a severe slope.

A Beginning Border

Flowers and a fence offer a traditional design.

Create a “Living” Room

A patio garden provides privacy and pleasure.

Garden in the Round

Create a planting with several attractive faces.

A Shady Hideaway

Build a cozy retreat in a corner of your yard.

Splash Out

Make a water garden the focus of outdoor activities.

Easy Pond

Make a handsome water garden in a few weekends.

Down to Earth

Harmonize your deck with its surroundings.

A Postal Planting

Make your daily mail run a perennial pleasure.

A Green Space for Recycling

Screen off bins with a fence, foliage, and flowers.

Gateway Garden

Arbor, fence, and plantings make a handsome entry.

Elegant Symmetry

Make a formal garden for your backyard.

An Island Retreat

Create a freestanding patio garden.

A Woodland Link

Create a shrub border for nearby woods.

Plant Profiles

Using the Plant Profiles

Northwest Hardiness Zones

Climate Change and the Impact on Northwest Home Landscaping

Removing Invasive Species and Planting Natives for a Healthy Ecosystem

Plants to Avoid in the Home Landscape

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.

Water for Your Plants

Water-wise practices; water systems.

Making Paths and Walkways

How to choose materials, prepare the base, install edgings, and lay 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, and growing pond plants

Building a Retaining Wall

How to lay out, excavate, and assemble a precast modular wall system and steps

Fences, Arbors, and Trellises

Everything you need to know to construct fences, trellises, and arbors, including plans for building them, shown in the Portfolio of Designs.

Preparing the Soil for Planting

How to dig and improve the soil, and how to create edging for beds.

Buying Plants

Where to go, what to look for, and 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; how to make a hedge.

Caring for Perennials

Routine care, pruning, and dividing.

Problem Solving

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

Glossary

Photo 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 areas for several different activities.

Unlike with some home improvements, the rewards of landscaping can be 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 especially satisfying.

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 designs for more than twenty-eight common home-landscaping situations, created by landscape professionals who live and work in the Northwest. Drawing on years of experience, these designers balance functional requirements and aesthetic possibilities, choosing the right plant or structure for the task, confident of its proven performance in similar situations.

Complementing the Portfolio of Designs is the second section, Plant Profiles, which gives information on all the plants used in the book. The book’s third section, the Guide to Installation, will help you install and maintain the plants and structures called for in the designs. The discussions that follow take a closer look at each section; we’ve also printed representative pages of the sections on pp. 9-10 and pointed out their features.

Portfolio of Designs

This section is the heart of the book, providing examples of landscaping situations and solutions that are at once inspiring and accessible. Some are simple, others more complex, but each one can be installed in 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 sample pages on the facing page show, the first design is displayed on a two-page spread. A perspective illustration (called a “rendering”) depicts what the design will look like several years after installation, when the perennials and many of the shrubs have reached mature size. (For more on how plantings change as they age, see “As Your Landscape Grows,” pp. 12–13.) The rendering also shows the planting as it will appear at a particular time of year. A site plan indicates the positions of the plants and structures on a scaled grid. Text introduces the situation and the design and describes the plants and projects used.

The second design, 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 to create a different look. 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 a selection of the plants featured in the two designs. The photos showcase noteworthy qualities—lovely flowers, handsome foliage, or striking forms—that these plants contribute to the designs.

Installed exactly as shown here, the designs will provide years of enjoyment. But individual needs and properties will differ, and we encourage you to alter the designs to suit your site and desires. Many types of alterations are easy to make. You can add or remove plants and adjust the sizes of paths, patios, and arbors to accommodate 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’d like to make, consult with staff at a local nursery or with a landscape designer in your area.

PORTFOLIO OF DESIGNS

PLANT PROFILES

GUIDE TO INSTALLATION

Plant Profiles

The second section of the book includes a description of each of the plants featured in the Portfolio. These profiles outline the plants’ basic preferences for environmental conditions—such as soil, moisture, and sun or shade—and provide advice about planting and ongoing care.

Working with plant experts in the Northwest, 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 they’re not in stock, they could be ordered, or you could ask the nursery staff to recommend suitable substitutes.

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 latinized 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. Scientific 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 scientific name allows you to ensure that the plant you’re ordering is the same one 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; addressing basic irrigation needs; 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, and arbors all use basic, readily available materials, 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 the techniques that you need by following the cross references in the Portfolio to pages in the Guide to Installation, or by skimming the Guide. 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 several weekends; some will take a little longer. Digging planting beds and erecting fences and arbors can be strenuous work. If you lack the energy for such tasks, consider hiring a neighborhood teenager to help out; local landscaping services can provide more comprehensive help.

NORTHWEST REGION

The green portion of the map indicates the area covered by this book. All but a handful of the plants in this book will do well throughout this area. (Alternatives for those that don’t are usually provided in the Plant Profiles.) For a Hardiness Zone map, see page 114.

As Your Landscape Grows

AT PLANTING

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.

Continuing 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 become 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.

THREE TO FIVE YEARS

At Planting—Here’s how the corner planting (pp. 32–35) might appear in spring immediately after planting. The branches of the orange honeysuckle, 2 to 3 ft. long, have been tied to the fence, where they can begin to twine. The serviceberry is 4 to 5 ft. tall, and the shrubby wild lilac is about 18 in. tall. Bought in 1-gal. containers, the rosemary, Grey’s senecio, coneflower, artemisia, and blue oat grass are about a foot in height; the crocosmia a little taller. Silky leaf woad-waxen hugs the ground near the fence. In addition to mulch, you can fill the spaces between the small plants with short annuals.

Three to Five Years—As shown here in early summer, the planting has filled out nicely. The serviceberry rises to a height of about 8 ft. Below, the honeysuckle twines along much of the fence. The wild lilac has filled in significantly. Its blue flowers pair attractively with the carpet of yellow woadwaxen flowers. The rosemary, senecio, coneflower, and artemisia have become bushy plants with handsome foliage and flowers. The blue oat grass has grown into bristly clumps 12 to 18 in. tall; the taller crocosmia now forms a small patch.

Ten to Fifteen Years—Shown again in early summer, the serviceberry, now 10 to 12 ft. tall, has a graceful habit and casts dappled shade over the planting. Its lower limbs have been removed as the tree has grown, making room for the wild lilac, which has overgrown the woadwaxen. Annual pruning has kept the honeysuckle vigorous but confined to the fence. The crocosmia has been divided over the years to keep it in scale (and provide starts for other clumps around the yard). The rosemary, senecio, coneflower, artemisia, and blue oat grass commingle, with just enough pruning each year to keep the planting tidy and the clumps defined.

TEN TO FIFTEEN YEARS

Portfolio of Designs

You can use any of the forty-eight professional landscape designs presented in this section outright or adapt them to suit your property or personal preferences. Each design solves a common landscape problem and provides a plan to create a stunning landscape with plants that thrive in the Pacific Northwest. 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 recycling area. Large color illustrations show what the designs will look like, and site plans delineate the layout and planting scheme. The text explains the designs and describes the plants and projects appearing in them. These designs can make your property more attractive, more useful, and—most importantly—more enjoyable for you, your family, and your friends.

Up Front and Formal

GARDEN GEOMETRY TRANSFORMS A SMALL FRONT YARD

Formal gardens have a special appeal. Their simple geometry can be soothing in a hectic world, and the look is timeless. Homes with balanced or symmetrical facades are especially suited to formal makeovers, which complement and accent the architecture.

This design enhances both approaches to a front door—from the sidewalk and the driveway—while echoing the house facade when viewed from the street. The result is formal, but comfortably so.

Visitors approaching from the sidewalk or drive are drawn to a small “courtyard” at the intersection of the two walkways where they can pause to enjoy the plantings before proceeding to the door. A nearby bench encourages lingering under the shade of a small tree. Low wooden screens provide privacy from the street.

Overcrowded, intricate plantings can make a small space seem smaller. So here, a limited palette of plants is arrayed in bold masses to impart a comfortably spacious feel to a small garden. Flowers can be enjoyed from spring through fall, and a balance of deciduous and evergreen foliage ensures a year-round presence.

Plants & Projects

Installing new paving and wooden privacy screens is a big job, but not complicated. Contact a landscape contractor if you prefer to expend your energy on the planting. Once established, these plants are not particularly demanding. Clip the hedges regularly to keep them tidy. Prune trees and shrubs as needed.

AJapanese stewartia (use 1 plant)This deciduous tree provides white flowers in midsummer, dappled shade in summer, colorful fall foliage, and flaking bark for winter interest. See Stewartia pseudocamellia, p. 144.

B‘Flower Carpet Pink’ rose (use 8)This deciduous shrub’s green foliage is covered from spring to fall with pink flowers. See Rosa, p. 139.

C‘Ramapo’ rhododendron (use 12)This compact evergreen shrub forms a mound of silvery blue foliage. Bright-violet flowers bloom in early or mid-spring. See Rhododendron, p. 139.

D‘Preziosa’ hydrangea (use 3)Prized for its long-lasting, showy midsummer flowers, this deciduous shrub grows to 5 ft. tall and also has attractive foliage. Flowers start out white, then turn red, mauve, or blue. See Hydrangea macrophylla, p. 132.

E‘Green Island’ Japanese holly (use 16)This evergreen shrub’s small shiny green leaves are borne on compact, twiggy branches ideal for shearing. Trim as a tidy, but loose, hedge. See Ilex crenata, p. 133.

F‘Helleri’ Japanese holly (use 10)Similar to ‘Green Island’, this evergreen shrub makes a smaller, tighter mass of dark-green leaves. Trim formally to neat geometric lines. See Ilex crenata, p. 133.

G‘Sarabande’ Chinese silver grass (use 6)A perennial grass, this forms a large clump of slender leaves that arch at their tips. White-striped green leaves appear to be silver from a distance. See Miscanthus sinensis, p. 135.

HPeony hybrids (use 6)These perennials bear large fragrant flowers in late spring or early summer on bushy clumps of compound foliage. A cultivar with burgundy-red flowers suits this design well. See Paeonia, p. 136.

I‘Tropic Night’ Siberian iris (use 6)In late spring and early summer, elegant deep-purple flowers rise on long stalks above this perennial’s slender upright leaves. Foliage continues to look good after bloom has faded. See Iris sibirica, p. 133.

J‘Little Grapette’ daylily (use 10)Echoing the irises closer to the house, this perennial also forms a clump of long slender leaves and bears rosy purple flowers on long stalks. Blooms in early summer. See Hemerocallis, p. 131.

KGround covers (as needed)Of the three ground covers used in this design, two are shrubs. Nearest the house, ‘Silver Queen’ euonymus (see Euonymus fortunei, p. 127) forms a low mass of small green leaves edged in white. Space plants 2 ft. on center. Around the low screens, ‘Massachusetts’ kinnikinnick (see Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, p. 120) forms a dark-green carpet. Its white spring flowers produce red berries. Plant 18 in. on center. Edging the walkways is moss phlox (see Phlox subulata, p. 136) a perennial with grayish evergreen leaves and pink spring flowers. Plant 18 in. on center.

LScreenLow wooden screens adjacent to the walkway help separate the public and private spaces in the front yard. See p. 178.

MPavingRectangular, random-sized flagstones are durable and reinforce the formality of the design. See p. 157.

Free-spirited front yard

If formality isn’t your style and you prefer gardens to lawns, consider this design. Here, sweeping masses of shrubs and perennials create a colorful undulating landscape. The foliage is varied in form, color, and texture, and there are flowers and striking seed heads from spring through fall.

Though informal, the composition is subtly purposeful. Eye-catching plants define the planting at the corners. Distinctive pines frame the doorway, while walkways from drive and sidewalk invite entry.

But for the visitor or resident inclined to dally, a meandering flagstone path leads not to the front door but to a comfortable bench where the plants can be enjoyed at leisure. You might consider removing any concrete walkway from the drive to emphasize the garden stroll.

You need undertake no major construction for this design, and you can install the planting in stages, retaining lawn in areas yet to be planted.

Plants & Projects

AChaste tree (use 1 plant)Long clusters of fragrant lavender-colored flowers bloom on this deciduous shrub summer through early fall. See Vitex agnus-castus, p. 146.

BIndian grass (use 1)A perennial grass with upright blue-green foliage that turns orange and yellow in fall and hints of those colors through winter. See Sorghastrum nutans, p. 143.

C‘Victoria’ wild lilac (use 1)This upright shrub offers attractive evergreen foliage and clusters of deep-blue flowers in spring. See Ceanothus, p. 123.

DRockspray cotoneaster (use 1)A low deciduous shrub with pinkish-white spring flowers and long-lasting red berries. Leaves turn red in fall. See Cotoneaster horizontalis, p. 126.

EDwarf eastern white pine (use 3)This evergreen tree or shrub grows slowly and has soft blue-green needles. See Pinus strobus ‘Nana’, p. 137.

FGrey’s senecio (use 3)An evergreen shrub with small gray leaves and yellow daisylike flowers in summer. See Senecio greyi, p. 142.

G‘Hidcote’ English lavender (use 23)The gray foliage of this compact evergreen shrub bristles with spikes of dark-purple flowers in early summer. See Lavandula angustifolia, p. 134.

HPenstemon (use 9)This late-spring and summer flowering perennial has showy dark and blue-and-purple tubular flowers on a spike. See Penstemon serrulatus, p. 136.

I‘May Night’ salvia (use 7)For months in summer this perennial bears numerous spikes of deep-purple flowers above dark-green leaves. See Salvia x superba, p. 141.

J‘Magnus’ purple coneflower (use 13)Large daisylike purple flowers with orange centers rise on stiff stems above this perennial’s dark-green leaves. See Echinacea purpurea, p. 126.

K‘Lucifer’ crocosmia (use 3)This perennial makes a clump of long narrow leaves. In summer, arching stalks bear sprays of red-orange flowers. See Crocosmia, p. 126.

L‘Autumn Joy’ sedum (use 18)A perennial with fleshy graygreen foliage and flat clusters of tiny flowers that turn from pink to russet from summer through fall. See Sedum, p. 142.

MGround covers (as needed)Woolly thyme (see Thymus pseudolanuginosus, p. 145) runs through the center of the planting. Plant 1 ft. apart. Bearberry cotoneaster (see Cotoneaster dammeri, p. 125) carpets areas at the front of the planting and to the left of the stoop. Plant 2 ft. on center.

NPotsLarge, colorfully planted pots accent the planting. Try combinations of boxwood, amaranth, zinnias, verbena, coleus, scaevola, and helichrysum.

OPath and seatingA path of irregular flagstones leads to a seating area of crushed rock (for both, see p. 156) and a comfortable bench.

See p. 17 for the following:

P‘Sarabande’ Chinese silver grass (use 2)

PLANT PORTRAITS

These plants add character to front yards that are geometric or free-ranging, formal or informal.

• =  First design, pp. 16–17

=  Second design, pp. 18–19

Moss phlox (Phlox subulata, p. 136) •

‘Ramapo’ rhododendron (Rhododendron, p. 139) •

Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus, p. 146)

‘Preziosa’ hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla, p. 132) •

Front-Door Makeover

ENHANCE YOUR MAIN ENTRY IN A WEEKEND

Sometimes the simplest landscaping projects pack a surprisingly big punch. This design uses only a few plants and can be easily installed in a single weekend. Yet this small investment of time and money can transform one of the most important parts of your property, welcoming visitors to your home as well as presenting a pleasing face to passersby.

Small plantings often suffer from busyness—too many different kinds of plants in too little space. This design makes a bold display with just five different plants. Potted shrubs and upright viburnums with a skirt of candytuft frame the doorway, while low masses of pinks and daylilies border the walkway. There are pretty flowers and a variety of foliage textures to catch the eye, as well as a subtle mix of scents. The planting is enticing to visitors but not overpowering. And it offers a pleasant spot to chat as guests enter or leave the house.

Plants & Projects

This simple planting is easy to maintain. Clip the candytuft after its spring bloom to encourage rebloom in the fall. Deadhead the daylilies and pinks to keep them tidy. As the years pass, you may need to prune the viburnum in spring or fall to keep them an attractive size.

A‘Spring Bouquet’ viburnum (use 2 plants)This compact evergreen shrub blooms from late fall to spring, bearing white flowers with a rosy pink tinge and light fragrance. Dense, dark-green foliage looks good year-round. See Viburnum tinus, p. 146.

B‘Little Gem’ evergreen candytuft (use 6)Forming a solid mass at the feet of the viburnums, the dark leaves of this evergreen perennial are covered with white flowers for several weeks in spring; in some areas, they bloom all year. See Iberis sempervirens, p. 133.

CCottage pink (use 6)This perennial is prized for its delicious scent. Single or double flowers in shades of white, pink, and red float on wiry stems above a mat of graygreen foliage from late spring into summer. See Dianthus plumarius, p. 126.

D‘Stella de Oro’ daylily (use 6)A remarkably long-blooming daylily, it bears cheerful yellow flowers on sturdy stalks from late spring through fall on mounds of grassy foliage. See Hemerocallis, p. 131.

EBlack chokeberry (use 2)Planted in containers, this evergreen shrub greets visitors with showy white flowers in mid-spring, long-lasting dark-purple berries in summer, and colorful eye-catching red foliage in fall. See Aronia melanocarpa, p. 120.

A Foundation with Flair

CREATE A FRONT GARDEN OF STRIKING FOLIAGE

Rare is the home without foundation plantings. These simple skirtings of greenery hide unattractive underpinnings and help integrate a house with its surroundings. Useful as these plantings are, they are too frequently no more than monochromatic expanses of clipped evergreens, dull as dishwater. But, as this design shows, a low-maintenance foundation planting can be varied, colorful, and fun.

The planting enhances the house as seen from the street, frames the walkway to the front door for visitors, and can be enjoyed when viewed from inside the house as well. Extending the planting beyond the ends of the house helps “settle” an upright, boxy house more comfortably on its site.

The design combines trees and shrubs in a deep, gently curving bed. Small maples and a plume cedar lend height and presence, while providing some screening and privacy from the street. Lower evergreen shrubs and ferns add a variety of leaf textures and colors that make an eye-catching display for much of the year, peaking in fall, the season shown here. In addition to woody plants, carefully chosen perennials accent the entry and, in spring, swaths of tulips brighten the scene.

Plants & Projects

This is a low-care planting. Once established, the plants will thrive without much more attention than seasonal cleanup and renewing the mulch in the summer to conserve water. Shear the candytuft after bloom and divide and refurbish the tulips every fall.

ASpicebush (use 3 plants)This multi-stemmed deciduous shrub offers months of interest. In spring, tiny fragrant green-yellow flowers are followed by red berries. Leaves turn yellow in fall and have a spicy fragrance when crushed. Male and female plants required to cross-pollinate. See Lindera benzoin, p. 134.

BPlume cedar (use 1)Making a neat cone, this evergreen tree contrasts nicely with the nearby maples. Needlelike blue-green foliage turns bronze in winter. Peeling, cinnamon-colored bark is also attractive. See Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans’, p. 126.

CDwarf Hinoki cypress (use 2)Flanking the steps, a pair of these small evergreen trees form mounds of layered emerald-green scalelike foliage. Plant has a sculpted look. See Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’, p. 123.

DDavid viburnum (use 11)A compact evergreen shrub with handsome, leathery, dark-green leaves. In spring, pink buds produce flat clusters of small white flowers. It bears metallic-blue fruits in fall. See Viburnum davidii, p. 146.

ERed chokeberry (use 8)This multi-stemmed bushy shrub explodes with small white flowers in late spring before being covered in bright-red berries in summer. Glossy green foliage turns bright-orange and red in the fall. See Aronia arbutifolia, p. 120.

FBarnes’ narrow male fern (use 9)This semievergreen fern forms a narrow clump of upright fronds with slightly ruffled leaflets. See Ferns: Dryopteris filix-mas ‘Barnesii’, p. 128.

G‘Lucifer’ crocosmia (use 6)Clusters of bright-red-orange flowers hover on graceful arching stems among this perennial’s swordlike leaves from summer into fall. See Crocosmia, p. 126.

H‘Little Gem’ candytuft (as needed)This perennial ground cover forms mounds of glossy evergreen leaves. Flat clusters of white flowers cover the foliage in spring. See Iberis sempervirens, p. 133.

ITulips (as needed)Plant a generous number (100 or more) of these colorful bulbs in the candytuft for a striking spring display. See Bulbs: Tulipa, p. 122.

Setting for a shady porch

This foundation planting graces a front porch on a site shaded from the afternoon sun. Like the previous design, this one mixes the year-round attractions of evergreens with deciduous trees and perennials. From spring through fall, many-stemmed vine maples screen porch sitters from activity on the street. In late winter, fragrant flowers entice visitors to linger on the porch.

Here again, foliage is the key. Conifers, broad-leaved evergreens, ferns, and leafy hostas combine a pleasing variety of forms, leaf textures, and colors. Unlike many plantings, this one reaches its flowering peak in late winter (shown here). Seasonally planted hanging baskets and containers accent the foliage during the rest of the year.

Plants & Projects

AVine maple (use 6 plants)This deciduous Northwest-native tree forms an open thicket of stems that is interesting year-round. Green leaves turn red, yellow, and orange in fall. See Acer circinatum, p. 118.

BWeeping hemlock (use 1)A slow-growing evergreen tree, its arching branches form a wide mound of soft blue-green foliage. A striking contrast to the vine maples. See Tsuga canadensis ‘Pendula’, p. 146.

CBird’s-nest Norway spruce (use 3)This slow-growing evergreen tree makes a hassocklike mound of dark-green needles. Commonly has a slight depression on top, which gives rise to its name. See Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’, p. 137.

D‘Setsugekka’ sasanqua camellia (use 3)An evergreen shrub prized for its winter offering of white, semidouble flowers displayed against a backdrop of glossy green foliage. See Camellia sasanqua, p. 123.

EFragrant sarcococca (use 6)This evergreen shrub forms a mass of glossy green foliage beneath the porch. In late winter, small, but very fragrant, white flowers cluster among the leaves. See Sarcococca ruscifolia, p. 142.

FVariegated winter daphne (use 3)The glossy green leaves of this evergreen shrub are edged in gold. Fragrant, rose-tinged white flowers bloom from late winter into spring. See Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’, p. 126.

GSoft shield fern (use 18)Clumps of lacy bright-green fronds accent the planting in several spots. The foliage is evergreen and soft to the touch. See Ferns: Polystichum setiferum, p. 128.

HLenten rose (use 12)A popular late-winter-blooming perennial has distinctive fleshy flowers and shiny evergreen leaves. See Helleborus orientalis, p. 130.

IHosta (use 20)This popular perennial is prized for its foliage. To complement this planting, choose a medium-size cultivar with variegated white-and-green leaves. See Hosta, p. 132.

JContainers and hanging baskets (as needed)For winter, we’ve shown trailing glacier ivy and primroses in the baskets hanging on the porch columns. For the large pots on the porch and by the steps, use a tall plant (such as a dwarf conifer, evergreen fern, or spike plant) underplanted with seasonal annuals. Here we’ve shown winter pansies and kale.

Another Fancy Foundation

FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE CREATE A LUSH GARDEN

By adding smaller plants in front of the taller shrubs near the house and including a small flowering tree, a mix of shrubs and perennials, and a flowering vine along the railing, the design transforms a foundation planting into a small garden. Here, there’s something for everyone to enjoy, from porch sitters to passersby.

Starting in early spring with fragrant jessamine and rosemary and the eye-stopping flowers of the esperanza and verbena, the garden reaches full exuberance in summer, with bright flowers in yellows, purples, blues, and oranges. Foliage in a mixture of greens and grays and a variety of textures showcases the flowers, several of which attract beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds. And the evergreen leaves of many of the plants extend this foundation planting’s appeal through the winter.

Plants & Projects

This is a low-care planting that offers a dazzling display of color in summer and fall. In addition to routine seasonal pruning, cut the firebush back in midsummer to keep it in check. If the verbena quits blooming, shear it back to about one-third to encourage new bloom. Train the jessamine up porch columns by attaching the vines to wires with twist ties. Add trellising if you want additional shade on the porch. For winter color in the beds, consider planting pansies or snapdragons when perennials fade.

A‘Catawba’ crapemyrtle (use 1 plant)Next to the steps, this small shrublike tree greets guests with showy purple flowers in summer and brilliant orange leaves in fall. See Lagerstroemia indica ‘Catawba’, p. 134.

BRed chokeberry (use 5)This multi-stemmed bushy shrub is covered with small white flowers in late spring before being bright-red berries in summer. Glossy green foliage turns vibrant orange and red in the fall. See Aronia arbutifolia, p. 120.

CFirebush (use 6)Small red-orange flowers light up this bushy tropical shrub in summer, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. See Hamelia patens, p. 130.

D‘Gold Star’ esperanza (use 6)Known also as Texas yellow bells, this shrub bears big bright clusters of yellow flowers from spring to fall, creating a colorful contrast with the crapemyrtle and firebush beside it. See Tecoma stans ‘Gold Star’, p. 144.

ERosemary (use 2)This shrubby perennial herb forms a tight bouquet of branches clad in small needlelike leaves and topped with small blue flowers in early spring. It makes a fragrant edging next to the steps, in easy reach to snip a few leaves for cooking. See Rosmarinus officinalis, p. 140.

FChinese maiden grass (use 3)This beautiful fine-textured grass looks like a fountain. Flower plumes appear in late summer, and both leaves and flowers stay attractive through winter. See Miscanthus sinensis, p. 135.

G‘Autumn Joy’ sedum (use 3)This bold-textured perennial grows in neat mounds of grayish-green succulent leaves. Dense clusters of tiny burnt-orange flowers appear in fall, turn pink, and gradually fade to tan. See Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, p. 142.

H‘Blue Princess’ verbena (use 8)Butterflies can’t resist this perennial’s lavender-blue flowers, which bloom continuously from spring to fall in clusters the size of silver dollars. See Verbena x hybrida ‘Blue Princess’, p. 146.

I‘Goldsturm’ black-eyed Susan (use 4)In early summer golden dark-eyed daisylike flowers rise above this perennial’s deep-green heart-shaped foliage. See Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’, p. 140.

JCarolina jessamine (use 3)Shiny neat evergreen leaves and a show of fragrant yellow flowers in spring make this vigorous vine ideal for training up porch columns or along a railing. See Gelsemium sempervirens, p. 129.

First Impressions

MAKE A PLEASANT PASSAGE TO YOUR FRONT DOOR

Why wait until a visitor reaches the front door to extend a cordial greeting? An entryway landscape of well-chosen plants and a revamped walkway make the short journey a pleasant one. They also enrich your home’s most public face and help settle it comfortably in its surroundings.

The flagstone paving here creates a walkway with the feel of a cozy courtyard, an atmosphere enhanced by the small trees, shrubs, and a bench. Extending along the driveway, the paving makes it easier for passengers to get in and out of a car. Attractive plants lead the way to the door and make the stroll inviting, while providing interest to viewers inside the house and on the street.

Flowering trees and shrubs bloom from spring through fall in whites and pinks. Perennial flowers add blues, reds, and purples. A mix of evergreen leaves and eye-catching fruit and bark make winter visitors welcome, too.

Plants & Projects

Preparing the planting beds and laying the flagstone walkway are the main tasks in this design. Once plants are established, they require only seasonal cleanup and pruning to keep them looking their best.

ASourwood (use 7 plants)This small deciduous tree provides light shade and helps create a casual privacy for the entryway. Leaves change from bronze to green to orangey red from spring to summer to fall. Clusters of bell-shaped white flowers dangle from the ends of branches in mid- to late summer. See Oxydendrum arboreum, p. 136.

BPeegee hydrangea (use 1)Pruned as a standard (a mass of foliage above a single bare trunk), this deciduous shrub greets visitors by the drive. Elongated clusters of creamy white flowers stand out against the dull-green foliage from midsummer into fall. See Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’, p. 132.

CBigleaf hydrangea (use 3)Large hemispherical clusters of white, pink, red, or blue flowers grace this vase-shaped shrub from midsummer into fall. Deciduous leaves are shiny green. See Hydrangea macrophylla, p. 132.

DCompact strawberry tree (use 3)Framing the window and door, this upright shrub offers glossy evergreen leaves with red margins and stems and colorful peeling bark. Bears clusters of white flowers and red fruit simultaneously in fall. See Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’, p. 120.

EBlack chokeberry (use 21)This versatile evergreen shrub can tolerate any lighting. It boasts showy white flowers in mid-spring, dark-purple berries in summer, and eye-catching red foliage in fall. See Aronia melanocarpa, p. 120.

F‘Goldflame’ spirea (use 10)This deciduous shrub has striking leaves—red in spring and fall and golden-yellow in summer. In addition, flattened clusters of carmine-pink flowers bloom in summer and again in early fall. See Spiraea japonica, p. 143.

G‘Harmony’ reticulata iris (use 9)Sky blue flowers with yellow throats bloom in spring before the grassy foliage of this perennial appears. See Iris reticulata, p. 133.

HPerennial salvia (use 7)This popular plant bears numerous upright spikes of violet-blue flowers on a mass of dull-green foliage. Blooms off and on from spring through fall. See Salvia x superba, p. 141.

I‘Autumn Joy’ sedum (use 9)The fleshy gray-green leaves of this perennial are topped by flat clusters of tiny flowers in late summer. Clusters turn from pale-greenish-pink to russet over a long period. See Sedum, p. 142.

JColumbine (use 3)From spring into summer, exquisite flowers of blue, pink, or purple float on wiry stems over this perennial’s airy blue-green foliage. See Aquilegia, p. 119.

KWintergreen (use 16)This low, creeping evergreen shrub displays small, glossy green leaves at the ends of short stems. In summer, bell-shaped, white-to-pink flowers dangle among the foliage. Red berries follow. Leaves and berries have wintergreen scent when crushed. See Gaultheria procumbens, p. 129.

LPavingLaid on a sand-and-gravel base, rectangular flagstones in a variety of sizes provide an attractive, level surface. See p. 156.

Native plants offer a shady welcome

If your entry is shady, perhaps with morning sun and afternoon shade, you can try this planting scheme. The configuration remains the same as that of the previous design, but here we’ve used Northwest-native plants and others well adapted to shadier conditions in the region. Overall, the emphasis is still on year-round good looks.

Following nature’s woodland models, the planting is layered. The vine maple’s leafy canopy casts dappled summer shade on flowering evergreen shrubs and richly textured ground covers below. Spring (shown here) bursts with bloom, and a profusion of evergreen foliage guarantees interest throughout the rest of the year.

Plants & Projects

AVine maple (use 7 plants)Choose multitrunked specimens of this deciduous tree to make the most of its striking form. Broad, lobed leaves are colorful in the spring and fall. See Acer circinatum, p. 118.

BSilk-tassel bush (use 1)