Southeast Home Landscaping, 4th Edition E-Book

Roger Holmes

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

Seitenzahl: 425

Beschreibung

An updated edition within the Creative Homeowner's award-winning, best-selling series of regional home landscaping books, Southeast Home Landscaping, 4th Edition will show you inspiring ideas for making your home landscaping more attractive and functional. The 54 featured landscape designs are created by professionals from the area and use more than 200 annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs that thrive in the southeast region. Drought-resistant plants that are proven performers in the southeast region are also used in the designs and described in full detail. Step-by-step instructions for landscape projects, such as paths, patios, ponds, and arbors, are also provided. Updates to this edition include an emphasis on the importance of native plants, identifications of invasive and banned plants, new information on the impact of climate change on the southeast region, new hardiness zone maps, and more.

Leseprobe

Other titles available in the Home Landscaping series:

CALIFORNIA

MID-ATLANTIC

MIDWEST

including South-Central Canada

NORTHEAST

including Southeast Canada

NORTHWEST

TEXAS

WESTERN

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.

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. She is the author of numerous award-winning books and is a contributor to many gardening magazines.

COPYRIGHT © 1998, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2023

Southeast Home Landscaping, 4th Edition (2023) is a revised edition of Southeast Home Landscaping, 3rd Edition (2010), published by Creative Homeowner, an imprint of Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. Revisions include new sections, updated information, and updated landscape designs with native plants.

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.

SOUTHEAST HOME LANDSCAPING WORDWORKS

EDITORS

Roger Holmes, Rita Buchanan

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Monica Norby, Sarah Disbrow

COPY EDITOR

Nancy J. Stabile, Sarah Disbrow

INTERIOR DESIGN

Deborah Fillion

ILLUSTRATORS

Frank Dyer

COVER AND INTERIOR DESIGN

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

FOURTH EDITION

MANAGING EDITOR

Gretchen Bacon

EDITOR

Christa Oestreich

TECHNICAL EDITOR

Mark Wolfe

DESIGNER

Mary Ann Kahn

Southeast Home Landscaping, 4th EditionPrint ISBN 978-1-58011-588-9eISBN 978-1-63741-209-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022946176

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

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, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, and in the United Kingdom by Grantham Book Service, Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 7XQ.

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 res pirator 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

Kim Hawks is founder and owner of Niche Gardens, based in Chapel Hill, N.C., a national retail mail-order nursery specializing in nursery-propagated North American native plants, particularly those of the southeastern United States. Holder of a degree in horticulture from North Carolina State University, Ms. Hawks has written for gardening magazines and lectures widely on native plants, gardening, and garden design. Her designs appear on pp. 40–43, 48–51, 64–67, and 96–99.

Glenn Morris has designed southern landscapes for many years. Trained as a landscape architect at North Carolina State University, he specializes in homeowner-directed problem solving and has received an award for design excellence from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Mr. Morris has also written extensively about gardening and design. His designs appear on pp. 28–31, 36–39, 56–59, 80–83, 100–103, 108–111, and 112–115.

Stephen and Kristin Pategas own Hortus Oasis in Winter Park, Fla. They provide services in residential, commercial, and specialty garden design and consultation. Stephen is a registered landscape architect; Kristin is a horticulturist and a Florida Certified Landscape Designer. In addition to creating award-winning landscape designs, Stephen and Kristin regularly contribute to magazines and appear on television gardening shows. Their designs appear on pp. 76–79.

Dan Sears is principal in the Sears Design Group of Raleigh, N.C., a firm specializing in residential land planning and landscape design. In 25 years as a landscape architect, he has won numerous regional and national design awards and has had many projects published in magazines and journals. Mr. Sears has been a member of the North Carolina Board of Landscape Architects. His designs appear on pp. 20–23, 32–35, 52–5560–63, 68–71, 104–107, and 116–119.

Jimmy and Becky Stewart are professional gardeners in Atlanta, Ga., where they design and install residential gardens. As designers, they strive to create year-round interest in their gardens. As avid plant enthusiasts, they are constantly experimenting with new and different plants to see which do best in the Atlanta area. Their designs have been featured in many publications. Their designs appear on pp. 44–47, 88–91, 120–123, and 124–127.

Contents

About This Book

Seasons in Your Landscape

As Your Landscape Grows

Landscaping in an Unpredictable Climate

Portfolio of Designs

An Elegant Entry

Mix classic symmetry and comfortable plants

Greeting Place

Make the most of a small lot with an entry garden

Southern Hospitality

Make a pleasant passage to your front door

A Foundation with Flair

Flowers and foliage dress up a raised entry

On the Street

Give your curbside strip a new look

An Eye-Catching Corner

Beautify a boundary with easy-care plants

A Postal Planting

Make your daily mail run a perennial pleasure

Landscaping a Low Wall

Two-tier garden replaces a short slope

Gateway Garden

Arbor and plantings make a handsome entry

A Pleasant Passage

Reclaim a narrow side yard for a shade garden

“Around Back”

Dress up the family’s day-to-day entrance

Angle of Repose

Make a back-door garden for a sheltered niche

Down to Earth

Harmonize your deck with its surroundings

Make a Fresco of Flowers

A vertical garden beautifies a blank wall

Garden by the Pool

Enhance your poolside pleasures

Make a No-Mow Slope

A terraced planting transforms a steep site

A Tropical Corner

Showcase exotic foliage and flowers

A Beginning Border

Flowers and a fence make a traditional design

Patio Oasis

A freestanding patio offers open-air activities

Garden in the Round

Create a planting with several attractive faces

Create a “Living” Room

Enclose a patio with foliage and flowers

Elegant Symmetry

Make a formal garden for the backyard

A Shady Hideaway

Create a fragrant oasis in a corner of your backyard

Back to Nature

Create a wooded retreat in your backyard

Splash Out

Make a handsome water garden in a few weekends

Under the Old Shade Tree

Create a cozy garden in a cool spot

At Woods’ Edge

Shrub border borrows a backdrop from nature

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

Same materials and techniques as for paths and walkways; 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

Selecting wood, layout, setting posts, basic construction; plans for building the fences, arbors, and trellises 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; training an espalier; making a hedge

Caring for Perennials

Routine care, pruning, dividing

Problem Solving

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

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 can lie 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 Southeast 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.

Complementing the Portfolio of Designs is the second section, Plant Profiles, which provides information on all the plants used in the book. The book’s third section, the Guide to Installation, will help you to install and maintain the plants and structures described in the designs. The following discussions 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 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 ahead 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,” pp. 12–15.) A site plan shows 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 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.

PORTFOLIO OF DESIGNS

PLANT PROFILES

GUIDE TO INSTALLATION

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 environmental conditions, such as soil, moisture, and sun or shade, and give advice about planting as well as 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 for purchase at nurseries and garden centers; if they’re not in stock, they can be ordered, or you can 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 botanical 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. Botanical 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 botanical 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: preparing the site; laying out the design; choosing materials; building paths, trellises, or other structures; amending 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. Hardscape elements, such as paths, trellises, fences, and arbors, 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 to 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.

SOUTHEAST HARDINESS ZONES

This map is based on one developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It divides the region into “hardiness zones” based on minimum winter temperatures. While most of the plants in this book will survive the lowest temperatures in the region, a few may not. These few are noted in the Plant Profiles descriptions, where we have usually suggested alternatives. When you buy plants, most will have “hardiness” designations, which correspond to a USDA hardiness zone on the map. A Zone 7 plant, for example, can be expected to survive winter temperatures as low as 0°F, and it can be used with confidence in Zones 7 and 8 but not in the colder Zone 6. It is useful to know your zone and the zone designation of any plants that you wish to add to those in this book.

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 chest-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 pp. 70–71) 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 year.

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

Spring

The spring flower season begins in February across most of the Southeast and peaks in March and April, when the dog-woods and azaleas bloom, the lawns turn green, and the trees leaf out. In this garden, a pink dogwood is joined by spring-blooming perennials such as white evergreen candytuft, blue ajuga, and pink verbena. Meanwhile, summer-blooming plants are just starting to grow. The evergreen Japanese cedar and heavenly bamboo have traded their winter colors for plain green. Do a thorough cleanup in early spring. Remove last year’s perennial flower stalks and foliage, cut ornamental grasses to the ground, prune shrubs and trees, renew the mulch, and neaten the edges between flower beds and lawn.

Summer

In summer, both evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs grow new shoots covered with fresh foliage. Flowering perennials and shrubs such as the verbena, veronica, purple coneflower, and butterfly bush 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.

Fall

The bright fall foliage and ripening berries of dogwoods and other trees and shrubs brighten the Southeast landscape in late October or November. Meanwhile, butterfly bush, verbena, and veronica continue blooming from summer into fall, joined in September or so by ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum, hardy chrysanthemums, and switchgrass. These fall flowers last for many weeks as the weather cools off and the days get shorter. You can leave grasses and perennial stalks standing all winter, if you choose, or clear them away whenever hard frosts or heavy rains turn them brown or knock them down. Toss the stems on the compost pile, along with any leaves that you rake up. After the first frost, replace any summer annuals with pansies or other cold-weather annuals, and plant tulips or other spring-blooming bulbs now. Fall rains usually soak the ground, so you can stop watering.

Winter

In winter, when much of the landscape turns tan and brown, you appreciate evergreen plants such as the bronze Japanese cedar, crimson heavenly bamboo, emerald evergreen candytuft, and purple ajuga shown here. Welcome in winter, too, are clumps of rustling grass; dried perennial flower stalks; and shrubs and trees with handsome branch patterns, conspicuous buds or berries, or distinctive bark. Normally, garden plants need little if any care in winter. If a heavy snow or an ice storm snaps or crushes some plants, you can trim away the broken parts as soon as it’s 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 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 corner planting (pp. 38–39) might appear in spring immediately after planting. The fence and mulch look conspicuously fresh, new, and unweathered. The crape myrtle is only 4 to 5 ft. tall, with trunks no thicker than broomsticks. It hasn’t leafed out yet. The spirea and barberries are 12 to 18 in. tall and wide, and the Carolina jasmine just reaches the bottom rail of the fence. Evenly spaced tufts of mondo grass edge the sidewalk. The bluebeards are stubby now but will grow 2 to 3 ft. tall by late summer, when they bloom. Annuals such as vinca and ageratum start flowering right away and soon form solid patches of color. The first year after planting, be sure to water during dry spells and to pull or spray any weeds that pop through the mulch.

Three to Five Years—Shown in summer now, the planting has begun to mature. The mondo grass has spread to make a continuous, weed-proof patch. The Carolina jasmine reaches partway along the fence. The spirea and barberries have grown into bushy, rounded specimens. From now on, they’ll get wider but not much taller. The crape myrtle will keep growing about 1 ft. taller every year, and its crown will broaden. As you continue replacing the annuals twice a year, keep adding compost or organic matter to the soil and spreading fresh mulch on top.

Ten to Fifteen Years—As shown here in late summer, the crape myrtle is now a fine specimen, about 15 ft. tall, with a handsome silhouette, beautiful flowers, and colorful bark on its trunks. The blue-beards recover from an annual spring pruning to form bushy mounds covered with blooms. The Carolina jasmine, spirea, and barberry have reached their mature size. Keep them neat and healthy by pruning out old, weak, or dead stems every spring. If you get tired of replanting annuals, substitute low-growing perennials or shrubs in those positions.

Landscaping in an Unpredictable Climate

It’s no secret that our dynamic climate is not the same today as it was 100, 50, or even 25 years ago. The thirty-year rolling temperature averages used to map USDA hardiness zones reveal cold winters moving steadily northward. Frost dates end earlier in spring and begin later in fall, extending the growing season. We’ve also experienced an increase in damaging storms and severe drought. On top of the infusion of beauty and the increase in property value, landscaping projects can also protect your property and neighborhood from the unpredictability of a changing climate.

This backyard plan includes pavers and plenty of low-level shrubs to reduce the amount of flooding that could occur. Reducing lawn space means there is less to mow and more space for plants to grow.

The projects in this book can help you build a more resilient landscape. Well-chosen, well-placed shade trees cool the home and reduce the energy used for air conditioning. Decreasing lawn area and increasing the area planted with layers of low-maintenance trees, shrubs, and perennials cuts back energy used on mowing, edging, and blowing, improves the soil’s ability to absorb rainfall, and conserves water. Choosing native plants that are adapted to flooding and winds from tropical storms alleviates some of the risk of storm damage in coastal areas. Installing flagstone or pavers instead of a poured concrete slab patio or walkway means that more rainwater can soak into the ground rather than running off into the streets.

While the designs in this book were drawn up as easy-to-follow, broadly effective guides, you will gain even greater benefits by adapting the plant selections to your unique growing conditions. Consider the effects of intense rainfall, strong winds, severe drought, and inconsistent temperatures in your yard. If your property is exposed to wind, then choose deep-rooted, wind-resistant trees and shrubs. For flood-prone areas, plants must be able to withstand occasional root saturation or even partial submersion. Hedge against wild temperature swings by selecting a diverse mix of plants with cold and heat tolerance. In any case, following the landscape maintenance best practices outlined later in the book will help you establish strong, healthy plants.

If trees cast shadows on your home, then it can greatly reduce energy costs. Consider where the sun and shade would fall in your garden to create a beautiful plan.

There are plenty of great-looking patio options that still allow rainwater to soak through. Incorporating gravel, cobblestones, stepping stones, and pavers creates both texture and interest.

Portfolio of Designs

This section presents designs 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 to 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. Texts explain the designs and describe 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

MIX CLASSIC SYMMETRY AND COMFORTABLE PLANTS

A formal garden has a special appeal. Its simple geometry is soothing in a sometimes confusing world, and it never goes out of style. Traditional homes with symmetrical facades are especially suited to the elegant lines and balanced features of this design. The look is formal, but it is an easy formality featuring gentle curves, as well as straight lines, and plants whose tidy forms are produced by nature, not shears.

Unlike many formal gardens whose essentials can be taken in at a glance, this one imparts an air of mystery for visitors approaching from the street. A matching pair of crape myrtles at the corners of the property obscure that view, so that it’s only when you approach the gate that the entire garden reveals itself.

A wide brick walkway creates a small courtyard with an eye-catching column of roses at its center. Neat rectangles of lawn are defined by beds of colorful annuals and perennials backed by the graceful curve of a low informal evergreen hedge. Distinctive evergreen shrubs and trees mark the corners of the design and stand guard near the front door. A picket fence reinforces the geometry of the overall design and adds a homey touch. A ground cover of low evergreen shrubs between sidewalk and fence looks good and makes this often awkward area easy to maintain.

Plants & Projects

As formal gardens go, this one is very easy to maintain. The shrubs exhibit compact growth that need little pruning, and the perennials require little care.

A‘Natchez’ crape myrtle (use 2 plants)These showy, multitrunked, small deciduous trees frame the garden with large clusters of crepe-papery white flowers blooming all summer, colorful leaves in fall, and handsome bark in winter. See Lager-stroemia indica, here.

B‘Yoshino’ Japanese cedar (use 2)A pair of these naturally cone-shaped, fine-textured evergreen trees mark the corners of the house. Foliage is rich green in summer, bronze in winter. See Cryptomeria japonica, here.

CHollywood juniper (use 2)An uneven branching pattern gives this small evergreen tree an informal, sculptural look. It’s narrow enough to fit on each side of the door. See Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’, here.

DDwarf pittosporum (use 12)This evergreen shrub makes a lush, dressy but informal hedge with shiny green leaves. Its creamy white flowers scent the air in early summer. See Pitto sporumtobira ‘Wheeleri’, here.

EIndian hawthorn (use 2)Flowers cover the dark foliage of this low, spreading evergreen shrub in spring, followed by blue berries. Select any compact cultivar. See Rha phiolepisindica, here.

FParson’s juniper (use 22)Rugged, gray-green evergreen shrubs edge the sidewalk, their horizontal branches held slight ly above the ground. See Juniperus davurica ‘Expansa’, here.

G‘Blaze’ climbing rose (use 1)This cultivar will cover the central post with glossy green leaves and deep red flowers all summer. Buy a “rose post” at a nursery, or use an old column or other post. Plant salvias around the base. See Rosa, here.

HDaylily (use 12)Mix early- and late-blooming cultivars of this useful perennial. For this design, use orange- and yellow-flowered ones. See Hemerocallis, here.

I‘Stella d’Oro’ daylily (use 10)From early summer until frost, this hardy perennial’s extended show of golden yellow flowers can’t be beat. The grassy foliage is attractive, too. See Hemerocallis, here.

JPurple verbena (use 24)This perennial’s clusters of purple flowers keep blooming from early summer to frost. See Verbena bonariensis, here.

KAnnual salvia (use a total of 60)Red or purple flowers greet visitors for months. Autumn sage (see Salvia greggii, here) is a good perennial substitute. See Annuals, here.

LWalk and mowing strip A wide brick walk (here)creates a small courtyard. The brick mowing strip (here) eases lawn maintenance.

MPicket fencePaint or stain the fence to complement the house. See here.

Graceful geometry

A curvaceous formality characterizes this welcoming design. Its outline is reminiscent of a classical amphitheater, with a variety of perennials and evergreen shrubs rising from the “stage” (lawn) in graceful ordered tiers. Making use of the existing walk-way, the design relies entirely on plants for its elegant effect.

Evergreen foliage gives the planting its structure, while its eye-catching variety of leaf color and texture provides considerable interest. Flowers add color, starting with the fragrant spring blooms of daphne and dianthus, followed by the distinctive globes of hydrangea in early summer and crimson sage blossoms in summer and fall.

Take care during installation to lay out the curving beds precisely. The contrast between sheared hedges and looser “natural” hedges is pleasing to the eye, and it makes maintenance more manageable.

Plants & Projects

AWax myrtle (use 2 plants)Airy, open, multitrunked, evergreen trees with silvery bark and fragrant gray-green foliage. See Myrica cerifera, p.154.

BFoster holly (use 2)These slender evergreen trees are perfect for corners of the house. Lots of red berries. See Ilex, Evergreen hollies: Ilex x attenuata ‘Foster #2’, here.

CVariegated winter daphne (use 2)Intensely fragrant white flowers on this compact evergreen shrub greet visitors at the door in spring. Glossy leaves are edged with gold. See Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’, here.

DLittleleaf boxwood (use 2)A classic evergreen for the formal garden that can be sheared into any shape. In this design, it takes the form of two tall, glossy green cones, sentinels at the garden’s entrance. See Buxus microphylla, here.

E‘Nikko Blue’ hydrangea (use 18)Thick, shiny green leaves of this deciduous shrub make a handsome “natural” hedge. Bears blue or pink snowball-like flowers in June. See Hydrangea macrophylla, here.

F‘Compacta’ Japanese holly (use 6)Leathery dark green leaves of this evergreen shrub contrast with the daphne; its mounding form fits below the windows. See Ilex, Evergreen hollies: I. crenata, here.

G‘Helleri’ Japanese holly (use 16)This evergreen shrub’s neat mounds of matte green foliage are the right height to create a “layered” effect in front of the hydrangeas. See Ilex, Evergreen hollies: I. crenata, here.

HDwarf yaupon holly (use 10)An evergreen shrub that forms compact mounds of small, matte green leaves, ideal for a low hedge. See Ilex, Evergreen hollies: I. vomitoria ‘Nana’, here.

IAutumn sage (use 30)This bushy, low-growing perennial brightens the planting from summer through fall with loose clusters of crimson flowers. See Salvia greggii, here.

J‘Bath’s Pink’ dianthus (use 48)Mats of grassy blue-gray foliage form an edging around the lawn. Bears wonderfully fragrant pink flowers in spring; sheared after bloom, the foliage looks fresh the rest of the year. See Dianthus, here.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

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

Formal needn’t mean square. This circular design comes as a pleasant surprise to a visitor entering through the modest gate at the top of the photo.

Your front yard may not be this extensive, but it can look equally stunning with a similar combination of curved paths and beds of naturalized daffodils.

Greeting Place

MAKE THE MOST OF A SMALL LOT WITH AN ENTRY GARDEN

A trend in many new neighborhoods is to crowd larger houses onto smaller and smaller lots. As a consequence, homeowners need to take advantage of every opportunity for landscaping and outdoor living their property offers. One area for doing so is the main entrance to your home.

This design makes imaginative use of the approach to the front door. Instead of a small bed of flowers by the driveway, generous beds planted with attractive trees, shrubs, and ground covers flank a spacious walkway. Made of precast pavers, the walk is really two small connected patios. Abutting the driveway, a semicircle affords ample room to get in and out of the car and to greet family and friends. Halfway to the house, a circular patio provides a place to enjoy the garden; there’s even room for a bench, if you’d like.

The plants are chosen for a Florida setting, though a number will do well in other parts of the Southeast. Pink loropetalum blossoms greet visitors in spring; white African irises continue into summer. And lantana offers flowers most of the year. The evergreen trees and shrubs need little pruning and they won’t outgrow their spaces. As the Japanese ligustrum matures, its shady canopy and scented white flowers will keep the entry inviting on hot summer afternoons.

Plants & Projects

Little pruning is needed in this planting unless you’d like to coax more blooms from the loropetalum and lantana by deadheading or light pruning. Asian jasmine can be kept tidy by trimming it once in spring.

AJapanese ligustrum (use 1)An elegant tree for a narrow space. Slender trunks are topped with a crown of glossy evergreen foliage all year. In early summer the dark foliage showcases airy clusters of white flowers, and in fall, blue berries that attract birds. Grows quickly, keeping its attractive shape without pruning. See Ligustrum japonicum, here.

BWeeping yaupon holly (use 1)The drooping branches of this small evergreen tree are clothed in small oval gray-green foliage. Female hollies bear red berries. See Evergreen hollies: Ilex vomitoria ‘Pendula’, here.

C‘Bronze Beauty’ cleyera (use 2)This shrub is grown mainly for its smooth, heavily lacquered foliage. New leaves of this cultivar are bronze-tinted; mature leaves are a dark green. Flowers are small and inconspicuous. See Ternstroemia gymnanthera ‘Bronze Beauty’, here.

D‘Ruby’ loropetalum (use 4)An evergreen shrub, it produces layers of small rounded burgundy foliage and a lavish fringe of bright pink flowers in spring. See Loropetalum chin-ense var. rubrum ‘Ruby’, here.

E‘Nana’ yaupon holly (use 13)Popular as a small foundation plant or tall ground cover, this evergreen holly grows about 3 to 5 ft. tall and wide. It keeps a pleasing rounded shape. Leaves are small and gray-green. See Evergreen hollies: Ilex vomitoria, here.

FWhite African iris (use 5)From spring to early summer, lovely white flowers open above this perennial’s dark green leaves. The swordlike foliage adds a dramatic vertical accent all year. See Dietes vegeta, here.

G‘Obsession’ heavenly bamboo (use 7)Low and compact, this evergreen shrub will fill in and make a good ground cover under the tree. Its fine-textured green-gold foliage turns orange in fall and bronzy red during winter. See Nandina domestica, here.

HTrailing lantana (use 4)Masses of lavender flowers blanket this bushy perennial for much of the year. An occasional trimming encourages more blooms. See Lantana montevidensis, here.

IAsian jasmine (use 15)This evergreen vine creates a dense mat of shiny leaves that smother weeds and tolerates some foot traffic. See Trachelospermum asiaticum, here.

JContainers (use 3)Grow annuals in large pots to accent the planting. Shown here are complimentary bronze-leaf begonias with pink and white flowers.

KPavingIf you don’t want to trim precast pavers, consider concrete or a free-form flag-stone design. See here.

A lush entry in the shade

Less traditional than the previous design, and less expensive too, this entryway retains the existing walkway and uses lush, well-adapted plants, one of them a Florida native, to brighten a shady entrance.

All of these plants have naturally pleasing forms and maintain a size that won’t overrun the small space. The ferns, mondo grass, and zebra ginger maintain a low profile that helps create a sense of spaciousness around the entryway. The taller lady palm and anise provide balance and structure near the house. Both are as undemanding and long-lived as they are beautiful. A garden bench provides a place to sit and enjoy the striking display.

Plants & Projects

ALady palm (use 1)This exceptional small palm produces many reedlike stems adorned with dark, lustrous, richly patterned foliage. Lady palm may grow up to 7 ft. tall, but does so slowly. See Rhapis excelsa, here.

BYellow anise (use 1)Often sheared into hedges, this evergreen shrub also makes a nice specimen by itself. It has a pleasing conical shape and dark green leaves that smell like licorice when crushed. See Illicium parviflorum, here.

CZebra ginger (use 1)This bold shrub will brighten the doorstep with its enormous yellow-striped green leaves. Its white flowers bloom on long pendant stalks in the summer. See Alpinia zerumbet ‘Variegata’, here.

D‘Xanadu’ philodendron (use 3)With its compact mounding habit and large and shiny foliage, this evergreen shrub makes a handsome setting for the bench. See Philodendron ‘Xanadu’, here.

ECast-iron plant (use 9)This unusual perennial is a favorite ground cover. Its evergreen leaves are stiff, have a leathery sheen, and emerge from the ground like pickets. See Aspidistra elatior, here.

FHolly fern (use 11)This extraordinary fern bears stiff, erect, dark green fronds with coarsely fringed margins. See Ferns: Cyrtomium falcatum, here.

GJapanese autumn fern (use 14)This fern’s new growth is coppery red, gradually turning green with age. See Ferns: Dryopteris erythrosora, here.

HMondo grass (use 19)Though not a true grass, this evergreen perennial has narrow dark green leaves that resemble unmowed turf. See Ophiopogon japonicus, here.

IContainersImpatiens in pastel colors fill terracotta pots in spring. Plant other annuals as the seasons change.

JPavers and benchPavers provide a level footing for a stone bench. See here.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

These designs offer garden settings that are interesting in their own right, not just as accompaniments to a trip to the front door.

A water garden and lush plantings turn an entry approach into a viewing platform.

This formal design, right, suits its architectural setting; its split path permits a leisurely garden stroll.

A very colorful entry to a stuccoed bungalow, below, is capable of stopping traffic for a longer look.

Southern Hospitality

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 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 extends a helpful “Please come this way” to visitors, while creating a roomy planting area near the house. The walk bridges a grassy “inlet” created by the free-flowing lines of the beds. The flowing masses of plants, lawn, and pavement nicely complement the journey to the door.

Two handsome trees and a skirting of shrubs form a partial screen between the walk and front door and the street. A striking collection of evergreens transforms a foundation planting near the house into a shrub border. Ground covers edge the walkway with pretty foliage, flowers, and berries. A decorative screen by the stoop marks the entry. Fragrant flowers and colorful foliage cover the screen year-round, enticing visitors to linger awhile.

The rest of the planting contributes to the all-season interest with flowers spring, summer, and fall (several fragrant). Colorful foliage and berries grace the autumn and winter months.

Plants & Projects

Preparing the planting beds and laying the walk are the main tasks in this design. The plantings require only seasonal cleanup and pruning once it’s installed.

ARiver birch (use 1 plant)The multiple trunks of this deciduous tree display pretty peeling bark. Leaves are glossy green in summer, colorful in fall. See Betula nigra, here.

BJapanese maple (use 1)This small deciduous tree will thrive in the shade of the taller birch, providing colorful delicate leaves and a graceful tracery of branches in winter. See Acer palmatum, here.

CBurford holly (use 1)This evergreen shrub is easily maintained in a conical form by shearing. Its large leaves are a great backdrop for a fine show of red winter berries. See Ilex, Evergreen hol-lies: I. cornuta ‘Burfordii’, here.

D‘Gulf Stream’ heavenly bamboo (use 1)An evergreen shrub with leaves that change color each season. Non-fruiting cultivars are eco-friendly. See Nandina domestica, here.

E‘Emerald Heights’ distylium (use 8)This compact, dense, broadleaf, evergreen shrub makes an outstanding foundation plant with excellent resistance to pests and diseases. Late winter produces red flowers along the stem. See Distylium, p. XX

F‘Helleri’ Japanese holly (use 9)This evergreen shrub won’t outgrow its place under the windows, instead filling the space with mounds of small, shiny leaves. See Ilex, Evergreen hollies: I. crenata, here.

GCreeping willowleaf cotoneaster (use 7)An evergreen ground cover, this shrub displays dark purple leaves and red berries in winter. See Cotoneaster salicifolius ‘Repens’, here.

HJackman clematis (use 1)A vine that will cover the screen with violet-purple flowers in summer. See Clematis x jackmanii, here.

ICarolina jasmine (use 1)This evergreen vine offers something year-round. Fragrant yellow trumpet-shaped flowers greet visitors in early spring. Neat green leaves complement the blooming clematis in summer, then turn maroon for the winter. Prune annually. See Gelsemium sempervirens, p.143.

J‘Stella d’Oro’ daylily (use 11)This cultivar is one of the longest-blooming daylilies, producing golden yellow flowers from late spring to frost. Even without the glowing flowers, this perennial’s grassy light green foliage contrasts nicely with the nearby lilyturf. See Hemerocallis, here.

KCreeping lilyturf (use 44)This evergreen perennial makes a grasslike mat of dark green leaves along the walk and under the birch. Small spikes of violet, purple, or white flowers appear in summer. See Liriope spicata, here.

LWalkFlagstones of random size and shape are ideal for the curved walk. See here.

MScreenA simple structure with narrow vertical “pickets,” this is easy to make and sturdy enough to support the vines. See here.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

While they differ in many ways, each of these entryway landscapes looks just right for its house and site.

Neat as a pin, this entry features a brick courtyard, door-step garden, and a sweeping border lining a flawless lawn.

Magnificent live oaks and a lush shade garden create a fairy-tale approach to a cottage.

A curving stroll garden leads to this front door, its brick path lined with colorful annuals and perennials.

A shady welcome

If your entry is shady, receiving less than six hours of sunlight a day, try this planting scheme, which replaces the sun-loving plants from the previous design with others that prefer the shade. Overall, the emphasis is still on year-round good looks.

Shade brings out the best in southern plants. In spring, shown here, the planting is awash with flowers and fragrance. During the summer, the dogwoods make a lovely covered walkway to the front door, while shrubs, hostas, and ferns provide a cool display of attractive foliage. Much of the foliage carries on right through the winter; then the Lenten rose announces the arrival of spring and the cycle begins anew.

Plants & Projects

ADogwood (use 3 plants)This is one of the finest small trees, with white flowers in spring and lovely green foliage that turns crimson in fall, when bright red berries ripen. You can prune the lower branches to create headroom for the passage to the door. See Cornus florida, here.

B‘Roseum Elegans’ rhododendron (use 1)This evergreen shrub is a stately presence at the corner of the house, with its glossy leaves and striking clusters of pink flowers in late spring. See Rhododendron, here.

CChinese mahonia (use 1)Leathery horizontal leaflets of this upright evergreen shrub stand out against the vertical pickets of the screen near the door. In early spring it produces fragrant golden yellow flowers, followed by showy clusters of blue berries. See Mahonia fortunei, here.

DEnglish boxwood (use 1)Sheared or pruned to a more “natural” shape, this evergreen shrub joins the mahonia in framing the entry. The dark green leaves exude a distinct fragrance. See Buxus sempervirens, here.

EPink Gumpo azalea (use 11)These spreading evergreen shrubs are eye-catching from the street. Mounds of frilly pink flowers extend the season of bloom into early summer. See Rhododendron, Gumpo azaleas, here.

F‘Elegans’ hosta (use 12)The large, blue-gray, textured leaves of this perennial add color to the shade from spring until frost. White flowers are a bonus in summer. See Hosta sieboldiana, here.

GJapanese painted fern (use 12)The loveliest of ferns, its delicately colored deciduous fronds blend green, silver, and maroon. They add a lush look beneath the dogwoods. See Ferns: Athyrium goeringi anum ‘Pictum’, here.

HLenten rose (use 18)Among the first to flower in spring, this perennial’s nodding cuplike blooms range from light green to rose, pink, or white When the flowers have faded, the evergreen foliage continues to justify the plant’s prominent place in the garden. See Helleborus orientalis, here.

IVinca (use about 130)Dark green shiny leaves and small blue flowers in spring give this creeping perennial ground cover a dainty look. It will soon carpet the beds. See Vinca minor, here.

See here for the following:

JCarolina jasmine (use 1)

KWalk

LScreen

A Foundation with Flair

FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE DRESS UP A RAISED ENTRY

A home with a raised entry invites down-to-earth foundation plants that anchor the house to its surroundings and hide unattractive concrete-block underpinnings. In the hospitable climate of the South, a durable, low-maintenance planting need not mean the usual lineup of clipped junipers. As this design shows, a foundation planting can be more varied, more colorful, and more fun.

Within the graceful arc of a low boxwood hedge is a balanced arrangement of shrubs in sizes that fit under windows and hide the foundation. Larger shrubs and a small tree punctuate the planting and contribute to the variety.

The predominantly evergreen foliage looks good year-round, and in spring and early summer it is a fine backdrop for a lovely floral display. White flowers sparkle on the trees and shrubs, with irises in blues, purples, and pinks at their feet. Twining up posts or over railings, the Star jasmine greets visitors with its deliciously scented creamy flowers.

Plants & Projects

Once established, the plants in this design require little maintenance beyond seasonal cleanup and a yearly pruning. To keep it tidy, the boxwood hedge will need trimming once or twice a year. Clear iris leaves as they fall.

AStar magnolia (use 1 plant)