A landscape plays a supporting role to the house in creating a pleasing sense of home. Here are some landscape design ideas aimed at highlighting the main structure on your Stony Brook, NY, property. The act of highlighting your home’s architecture starts with the front yard.
Related: THE 7 MUST-HAVES FOR BACKYARD DESIGNS IN HUNTINGTON, NY
Plan for the Future
Before starting on a landscape makeover, keep in mind that some aspects of the landscaping effort may need some time to mature and reach its full potential. A common mistake some landscapers make is to plant too many shrubs or trees close together or too close to the home, to reduce the feeling of exposure, but that does not take into account how the landscaping will evolve. Within a decade or so, as plants reach their mature sizes, the space can feel cramped and overgrown.
That is why it can be recommended that changes to the landscape are planned out several years. New trees are often given a comfortable distance from the house to give growing tree roots and branches room to mature and to avoid obscuring the beauty of your main building.
Clear Sight Lines and a Welcoming Walkway
The focal point of a front yard could be your front door. If this is exactly where you want guests to be drawn to, you want it to be in clear view. A front door obscured by dense shrubs and overgrown trees feels unwelcoming and contributes to a home that feels as though it’s lost in the wilderness. The strategic placement of trees, shrubs, and the walkway can bring attention to exactly where you want it.
Foundation Plants
It’s typically recommended that plants are not installed close to the house. Select plant varieties that will not block windows or grow into the walkway. Multiple plants at varying heights and colors make your home a focal point by drawing the eye to it, unlike solid hedge rows that can present a visual barrier.
Proportion
Think in terms of proportion. For a one-story house, foundation plantings should extend outward at least 3-4 feet; for a two-story home, extend foundation plantings at least 8 feet out. Ground covers, low shrubs, small ornamental trees, and a mix of annuals and perennials will help integrate the home into the landscape without suffocating it.
Also keep proportion in mind when choosing trees to avoid overwhelming the home or making the home stick out. The mature size of trees will be factored in and placed in such a way that they are in proportion with the home without competing with it.
Stone Walls
A low masonry wall does so much more than define spaces. Low walls could draw the eye to the home, for example, along a driveway, and then to create a sense of warm embrace around the front walk and entry. Masonry walls are an opportunity to install subtle landscape lighting without the visual clutter of light posts or prominent fixtures and to complement the materials used on the home’s exterior.
Landscape Lighting
Keep your home’s best exterior features in full view with the use of landscape lighting. A clearly lit walkway and entryway extends a welcoming hand to visitors, and you can use uplights to highlight the home’s texture—this approach can particularly stunning on homes with a masonry exterior.
