Dear Homework,
We would love your suggestions to enhance the front of our home. We love and agree with your suggestions for homes shown in your column. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
—Looking for That Finishing Touch

Dear Looking for That Finishing Touch,
To start with, I think your house looks pretty darn good. The huge sweet gum tree, angled driveway and asymmetrical plantings give the property a rather romantic feel that balances nicely with the apparently symmetrical facade. I would like to enhance this romantic feel with a few new additions.

First, I would like to plant the mulch bed under the sweet gum with some ferns and ajuga ground cover that has purple flowers in summer. There are probably lots of tree roots in this area so it might take a little trial and error to find some plant material that will work.

I also have removed the tallish bush between the bedroom windows. Next, I would like to put in a new cobblestone walkway extending into the asphalt drive that will bring some nice texture and color to this area. Finally, I would find some much, much bigger plant urns brimming with something colorful and bold. To my eyes, those would be the finishing touches to an already good start.

Hope that helps,
—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.