So you have just moved into your new home and everything feels complete. Well, almost complete. There is still something missing. The yard is bare and ordinary. You have decorated the inside of your new home with your personal touch, and it gives you a warm and comforting feel every time you walk in the front door. Yet, there is no reason whatsoever that you cannot do the same thing with the outside of your home. It is, after all, the first thing you see when you pull into the driveway after a hard day at work. There are many things you can do to spruce up your yard with your own personal touch and create a stunning display of natural beauty.
Border Plants
There are many uses for landscaping with border-type plants and there is also a large variety to choose from. First and foremost is to decide how to use them. They can be used as edging along a driveway or to hide unsightly areas of the yard. They can be planted around the base of the home to soften its edges. They can be used as natural borders along fences, around a mailbox, and around trees. Essentially they can be used in any area that you would like to either disguise or bring attention to. It simply depends on the types of plants you chose and how you position them.
Although there are quite a lot of different plants to choose from when planning the landscape of your yard, there are a few that stand out from the rest in popularity. Ferns add a whimsical feel to the area with their feathery-like leaves. Hostas can provide a striking contrast with their variegated leaves of white, yellow, and green. Tricolor sage is an excellent choice if you desire a multi-purpose plant. It not only acts as a border but also provides a wonderful scent when brushed up against and can also be used for its herb qualities. Moss phlox is a superb plant for low edging and offers a gentle cascading appearance that blooms with flowers that attract butterflies.
Flower gardens
Another way to create stunning appeal to the yard is with flower gardens. They can add year round color and beauty to any area. Flower gardens can provide the yard with colors pleasing to the eye, whether it be a constantly blooming annual garden, a permanent perennial garden, strategically placed baskets, and flower pots, or even a rock garden bursting with blooms.
Annuals can be planted if you want something new and interesting every year. These types of flowers will give continuous blooms all growing season. They do die off in the fall, so you will get the chance to create an entirely new flower garden each spring. There are so many varieties of annual flowers to choose from and they are not as finicky when it comes to planting zones. Some of the favorites and easiest to find are impatiens, fuchsia, and begonias for shady areas and marigolds, zinnias, and petunias for sunny locations. Annuals are also the perfect choice for planting in hanging baskets on the front porch or in window boxes.
Perennials are another choice of flower for the garden. These only need to be planted once and then simply maintained by trimming or pruning when necessary. When choosing perennials for a garden it is important to plan according to the mature size expected from the plants. Each growing season these beauties will fill out and grow more to their potential. You can also have blooms in your garden all growing season when planting perennials by choosing a variety of those that have spring, summer, and autumn blooming times. Another thought to consider with this type of garden is if you would like to have bouquets of flowers in your home. Creating a cut flower garden can keep that flower vase full of blooms throughout the season.