Take a good look at the front of your house. Cross the street if you have to and take a look again.
Does the landscaping around it compliment it? Landscaping should make your house attractive and add value to it.
The front of your house is very public as it is viewed by passing cars and pedestrians.
The front entrance should be inviting and welcome visitors but not detract from the architecture of the house.
The house should be framed with trees. A large house needs a large frame created by using larger trees (Maples, Linden, Green Ash, Spruce or Pine.)
But a small, one story house should be framed with small to medium trees (flowering crabapples, mountain ash, Pool Landscaping amur maple) unless a large tree is needed for shade.
Larger shade trees can be used in the back yard to frame the house from behind.
You can make a house look lower and wider by extending the foundation planting on the corners and arcing into the foreground.
These wing-like plantings serve to funnel the view from the street toward the house and center it on the front door. This is very useful in two storey buildings.
Use taller plants towards the corners of the house. Plants at the corner locations should not be higher than two-thirds the distance from the ground to the eave.
Lower shrubs should be planted towards the front door, Pool Landscaping and should not be higher than 1/4 to 1/3 the distance from the ground to the eave. This leads the viewer’s eye in a definite direction – towards the front door.
Make the foundation planting wide enough, at least 122 centimetres wide, to make a bold statement of plant material. The lines can be either straight or curved.
If setting out a curve, use a garden hose to play around with the curve, make sure it is bold – not wiggly.
The plants should be planted at least 45 cm from the foundation and not directly beneath the eaves, otherwise they will not receive adequate rainfall and snow cover.
Take time to research the mature height and spread of the plants you have selected.
I think the most common mistake I see are evergreens that have overgrown upwards and outwards beside a one story house.
Some of those junipers have a spread of 213 cm. Sidewalk?
What sidewalk? There are excellent dwarf conifers to consider when it comes to planting in small areas.
For example, the dwarf globe cedar Hetz Midget reaches a mature size of 61 cm x 61 cm whereas, the globe cedar grows 152 cm x 152 cm. Make sure you research the mature sizes before planting.
I know everyone would like an instant garden but have patience, fill in the bare spots with a few annuals while you are waiting for things to fill in.
Keeping it simple is the best rule.
Larger groups of the same plant make that plant more noticeable rather than a collection of one of a kinds.
Use specimen plants sparingly.
A specimen has a unique shape or colour. If you have too many your eye doesn’t know where to look.
A specimen near the front door will define the entryway and give it an added focal point.
Make life easier for yourself and use groups of plants with similar growing conditions.
For example, rhododendrons, ferns and hosta all prefer a moist well-drained soil in a shaded location.
Have a mix of both evergreen and deciduous plants for interest all year long.
Try to use plants that provide more than one season of interest.
One of my favourites is the Bridal Wreath spirea with its arching white flowers in spring and brilliant fall colour.
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