Front Yard Landscaping

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Evergreens tend to be adversely affected by hot, dry summer weather and should be watered every 10 to 14 days at this time. Be sure the water reaches the deep-root growth, at least 6 inches deep. A mulch of grass clippings or peat moss will also protect the tree from loss of water in dry weather.

Pruning in late spring before new buds appear seems to help an evergreen thrive. Prune so that the inner branches can develop and the tree or shrub is more compact.  Formal trees can be kept trim, with no ragged branches sticking out, and badly shaped or deformed trees can be corrected through shaping.

Evergreens are susceptible to “winter-burn” from too much wind and winter sun, so that they dry up and their branches crack under the weight of snow or the force of wind.
 
A precaution is to water them deeply before the ground freezes in the late fall. They may also be protected in winter by screens of burlap or straw mats. Where wind and winter sun are not too strong, shielding only on the sunny side is necessary. Burlap boxes or covers should be well ventilated. Thin, tall shrubs or small evergreen trees may be tied with strips of cloth, so that the branches will not crack. Old trees with heavy limbs may be propped with boards to prevent breakage under heavy snow or ice.

Front Yard Landscaping

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Evergreen trees and shrubs are more expensive in general than deciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves in winter). But they are worth their cost because of their year-round beauty, hardiness and longevity. Evergreens range from the broadleaved shrubs like rhododendron and laurel to the tall-needled cone-bearing pines and stately spruces.

The giant spruces and firs are most effective as windscreens; the spreading evergreen shrubs are widely used not only because of their attractiveness but also because they can be shaped and trimmed and do well in the shade (such as for foundation planting).

Pine is the most commonly known of the evergreens. White pine is noted for its long, soft, light silvery-green needles and rapid attainment of its 60- to 80-foot maturity. Red pine, as well as white pine, is splendid for backgrounds and windbreaks. Ponderosa pine, a broad, compact tree, is used for protection and ornamental screens. Austrian pine (black pine) with its rich, green color and spreading branches has great favor in the Midwest. Globe mugho pine is a small, rounded tree for ornamental planting.

Norway spruce is probably the most widely planted windbreak evergreen. Quick growing and. hardy, it has short needles of dark green; is a compact, pyramidal shape. Black Hills spruce grows to 40 feet in time, is hardy and drought-resistant. A slow grower, it can remain in close quarters for many years. White spruce has short, thick, light blue-green needles; it matures at 60 to 70 feet and is good for landscaping and screens. Colorado blue spruce is a good specimen tree and hardy, too, but it suffers in heat and drought. Of the cedars, red cedar is a fine ornamental evergreen for hedges and windbreaks. It withstands dry weather and the thick green foliage has a bronze in winter.

Douglas fir is the best fir for windbreaks and screening. Hardy, healthy, drought-resisting, it grows quickly and compactly, and its lofty pyramid makes a good lawn specimen. Balsam fir, the Christmas tree, is noted for its fragrance and lustrous foliage. White fir, a specimen, has an attractive silvery color.

Arbor vitae, like cedar, furnishes the flat evergreen branch found in flower arrangements at Christmas. It is an ornamental tree of many varieties, and is best located in moist protected places. Un-trimmed, it is a broad pyramid, 35 to 50 feet tall, but it shears to any size or shape.

The juniper family is useful in planting, in tall forms such as the formal columnar juniper and the upright juniper, and as a spreading evergreen — the remarkable Pfitzer juniper—for banks, ground cover and edgings. The green feathery foliage grows rapidly; can stand crowding. Height at maturity is 8 feet, spread up to 12. Ground-covering junipers include prostrate, Sargent, Waukegan and creeping varieties.

Another evergreen with feathery foliage is the hemlock. The Canadian hemlock can be sheared in a symmetrical manner. Hemlock is most effective when planted in a grove with others.

Yew, with its thick glossy needles and dense, upward-reaching branches, is useful as both shrub and tree, growing well in sun and shade. Try using it not in the usual manner — as foundation planting only — but as a single handsome specimen against a wall of the garden. The low-spreading bushy dwarf yew can be clipped well. Other varieties are upright yew and Japanese yew, a tapering or conical tree or shrub used for hedges.

Front Yard Landscaping

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When trees grow naturally in the forest, the leaves fall around them, decay and form a good soil. The leaves also preserve moisture in the soil. On a lawn, however, the tree must compete with the grass for moisture and nutrients, and the leaves are raked up to prevent grass disorders, so that the successful gardener finds it wise to supply nutrients every two or three years.
 
Feeding should be done when the ground is workable, in the spring or in the fall.
A difficult but worthwhile method of feeding is to strip the sod from an area all around the tree extending at least 2 to 3 feet beyond the outer branches, since the root system extends this far. Apply stable or barnyard manure to this area, spreading it 3 inches thick and digging it in. Then firm the soil, rake it level and return the sod.

An easier method is to drill holes over the same area, 12 to 18 inches deep and spaced about 15 inches apart. Fill each hole with a commercial fertilizer (made up of bone meal, tankage, peat moss or humus) plus chemicals, in a formula containing 10% nitrogen,6% phosphoric acid and 4%  potash.  Many nurseries also provide stakes made from compressed fertilizer that you can drive into the ground around the tree.

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Kodiak Floral Shovel Round P

FLORAL SHOVEL 42 premium hardwood handle for strength Smaller head design is easier to use Great for gardens and tight spaces 16-gauge tempered steel blade Forward-turned step for secure foot placement 1941100 KODIAK FLORAL SHOVEL 6 x 8-12

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Luster Leaf Rapitest Soil pH Meter 1840

Rapitest, Soil PH Meter, Checks Which Plants Suit Your Soil, PH Tells You How To Alter Soil PH, A PH Preference Guide For More Than 400 Plants Is Included With The Meter.

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American Beech   

Beautiful tree with edible nut. Long-lived and relatively free from insect and fungal diseases. For accent planting. May be clipped, as hedge, for formal settings

American Elm   

Very  tall,  with  attractive  vase  form.  Early bloom. Excellent for shade but widely disappearing because of Dutch elm disease,  (pulvem necrosis)

American Linden   

Tall tree. Provides dense shade. Has fragrant yellowish flowers. Prefers a moderately moist soil.

Chinese Elm   

Medium height. Small dense foliage. A rapid grower, excellent for screening or windbreak. A   wide spreading   tree   with   slender  limbs. Makes good shade in five years.

Hackberry

Usually a small tree, but with a wide spread. Has cherry-like fruit lasting late in winter. Survives drought, hardy in the cities.

Moraine Locust   

Majestic tree. Hardy to cold. Survives drought and flooding, smoke and soot. Lawns flourish under it since it is late in leafing, has no seeds to clutter lawn. Fast growing.

Norway Maple

Trees of medium height. Most widely planted street and lawn tree.  Dense  growth.  Symmetrical. Orderly habits—free of insects and disease. Leaves turn bright yellow in fall.

Pin Oak   

Remove lower branches if used for lawn tree. Least threatened by disease of all shade trees. Not good in alkali soil. Makes good windbreak. Symmetrical  and  pyramidal  in  shape with clean, glossy leaves. Turns scarlet in fall.

Red Oak   

Rapid-growing tree with rounded head. A large tree appropriate for large lawns. Has glossy, deep-cut green foliage, which turns deep red in fall.

Silver Maple   

Most rapid growing of all maples. A large spreading tree. Well-cut leaf with a silvery cast and silvery bark. Good sap for sugar making. Early blooming.

Sugar Maple   

Grows well in any soil. Ideal for street planting as it grows straight and tall and gives good shade. Turns beautiful orange and scarlet in the fall. Source of maple sugar.

White Clump Birch   

In natural setting or as lawn specimen, this multiple-stemmed tree is effective. White bark. Upright growth with horizontal branches.

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Planting and taking care of a landscaping plant or shrub is a little different then taking care of a tree.  For planting, early spring is usually the best time so that the landscaping plant can take advantage of a long growing season and get established before winter weather sets in. This may not be as important to a landscaping plant in more mild climates where transplanting can be done throughout the winter season.

The main cause a landscaping plant dies or grows poorly from transplantation is allowing the roots to get too dry during the process.  You can avoid letting the roots get too dry by digging a root ball with each landscaping plant and wrapping it in burlap and keeping it wet, or heeling it in, which simply means temporarily setting the landscaping plants in an area where the roots can be covered with dirt and kept moist.

If you get a landscaping plant from a nursery, be sure to water it immediately.  Other steps you can take to ease the process of transplantation for a landscaping plant are:

Provide some shade for the first little while.

Mulch the ground around the landscaping plant to help keep it from drying out.

Prune the landscaping plant back significantly (the older the plant, the more it should be cut back).

Although there are some landscaping plants that can be moved while they are in flower (Forsythia & Azalea for example) most landscaping plants should not be transplanted while in flower.
 
Another important step to help each landscape plant survive during the winter months is to water them deeply in the fall so that they have a source of moisture when the top of the ground freezes.

Pruning a landscape plant helps keep it more vigorous as it gets older.  That doesn’t mean just cutting off all the branches at the same length by topping the plant.  Pruning means cutting out the older branches and any damaged branches.  In early spring cut out any branches that have been damaged by winter-kill. 

Not all landscaping plants need pruning every year, but it is a good idea to check each landscaping plant to make sure that it is healthy and is not growing out of control.

Read our other posts to learn more about transplanting and maintaining a landscaping plant.

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There are many features required to make a front yard landscape both functional and attractive.  Some of the main considerations in your front yard landscape planning and design may seem basic, and they are, but they also create the foundation for a front yard landscape that stands out as exemplary.
 
Primary Front Yard Landscape Features to Consider:

Front Lawn – Think of the front lawn as a canvas to paint on.  Although a healthy green lawn may not stand out to the casual onlooker, a brown unhealthy lawn will.  Creating a good lawn and keeping it healthy is an ongoing effort, not a one time job.

Trees – Trees are the crowning jewel in any landscape because they are such a long term investment.  Because they take so long to mature, trees should be planted as soon as possible unless you can afford to bring in a grown tree.  Don’t cheap out on trees either.  If you buy a low quality tree or don’t to a proper planting job for your front yard landscape and it dies, everyone will see it and you will have lost the years that you have put into it.

Front Yard Flowers – If planned properly you can have flowers blooming in your front yard landscape from early spring through the fall.  It does take some effort of course.  Some perennials will come up on their own without a lot of work, but to have color all year long will likely require planting some annuals now and then.

Planting Around Foundations – These plantings are the border between your home and your front yard landscape.  They should be designed to create a nice visual transition between the home and the front yard landscape.

Water Features – Fountains, ponds and waterfalls should be planned with care.  They can obviously add a lot to a front yard, but they may be safer in the back. Use discretion.

Driveways and Walkways – Although you may not have a lot of control over  the location and design of sidewalks or possibly even driveways, there are still a lot of choices of material that can make an important contribution to the overall appearance of your front yard landscape.  Different colors of concrete, brick pavers and outdoor tiles are only of few of the possible ways you can customize your front yard landscape.

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