Plant Selection

• Herbaceous border
  
  Check the areas you want to landscape around the home. Decide what you want to plant while keeping in mind the kind of weather or planting zone of your location. You may want plants that will last to the end of spring or plants that are hardy enough for your planting zone to keep until late fall or winter.
  
  Find your shaded areas. Some plants grow well in these areas and some need lots of sun. A well-designed landscape will have plants of various colors and heights that are well spaced with different blooming cycles for color year-round. Be sure to determine your soil type. You may need to do some tiling or purchase enriched top soil.
  
  One mistake that people make when landscaping is not checking how plants will look at maturity. Tiny shrubs from the nursery could grow to massive heights. Large shrugs planted too near your house could crack your foundation.
  
  

Front Lawn Landscaping Ideas

• Container plants
  
  If you have a walk or a large driveway in the front lawn area, low growing plants will look great edging the walk or driveway. If your driveway is large and wide, plant large shrubs or trees to edge the driveway. Plant flowers along the walkway for a spring showing, hardy plants, such as chrysanthemums for fall colors and trailing periwinkle for winter. Trailing periwinkle produces dark green foliage in winter and blue flowers for the spring. If your walkway is shaded, several varieties of evergreen ferns available at your favorite nursery will do.
  
  Evergreen shrubs look elegant near your house. Boxwood is deer-resistant and does not grow very high. When growing shrubs near your foundation, the rule of thumb is plant shrubs that will not grow past your windows. Intersperse your shrubs with evergreen perennial plants, such as coral bell. These plants tolerate shade and when grown in clusters, give off showy foliage in the winter.
  
  Creeping phlox is attractive near stoops cascading along the sides. Creeping phlox offers white, pink or violet flowers and when grown with tulips or daffodils.
  
  

Patio Landscaping

• Plant landscaping
  
  Container plants filled with flowers or herbs on a patio, bordering plants along the sides and perhaps hanging plants off the railing provide an inviting look to your patio. Rose bushes look exciting and trailing plants, such as morning glory that trail up and around your patio railing or in containers, gives the patio flare.
  
  With a patio that has no railing or border, consider creating a few rock gardens around the area. Space the rock gardens with small shrubs for variety. Large plants or shrubs in containers gives the patio a garden look when placed in corners. Shrubs can be strung with outdoor lights as an added attraction during the evening hours. For an enchanting look, plant flowering shrubs designed to attract butterflies. Imagine dining on your patio garden and watching these beautiful creatures winging their way in and out of your vision.