In a Bit of a Hurry

Dear Homework,
My husband and I moved to a villa recently. We have renovated the inside and would like to continue with the yard. It took a while to fix the landscaping at our previous house, and we can’t wait that long this time. What sort of tree do you suggest for the front, and how can we make it look special in this sea of sameness?
Sincerely,
—In a Bit of a Hurry

Dear In a Bit of a Hurry,
I would start your landscape scheme with a serpentine-shaped planting bed that extends from your entry walk to the neighboring driveway. Plant a continuous line of variegated Liriope grass and add gradually taller plants as you work toward the façade. At the far edge of the new bed, plant a Japanese maple. On the left side of the façade, plant a trio of graduated, upright evergreens and on the right, a round boxwood. Various ornamental grasses and annuals fill in the rest of the bed.

To balance the overall scheme, add a line of grasses along the entry walk and an upright evergreen to the right of the garage door underplanted with a few more ornamental grasses.

The sweep of the main planting bed softens the entire presentation and should work well with adjacent properties. It also should be a fairly low-maintenance proposition.

Hope this is useful,
—Homework

Homework is penned by Paul Doerner, founding partner of The Lawrence Group. If you would like your home critiqued, contact us at homework@townandstyle.com.