Where back yards are for living, front yards generally work to frame the architecture, create curb appeal and hopefully act as the first “hello” in the “welcome to my home” process as guests arrive. The plants should look decent year round and great in peak seasons. The hardscape can guide, amuse, entertain and surprise: one home has an entry deck hidden from the street; the other a sculpture behind a screen wall. Both clearly guide visitors to the front door, passing by features such as specimen trees, a fountain or that sculpture.
One house sits above the surrounding landscapes, with an entry door well above street level. This led to a feeling of being on stage every time the owners left the house. A specimen multi-trunk strawberry tree, combined with a low smooth plaster wall separate the entry from the street and create a more private feel. When people arrive, they land on a spacious deck instead of a narrow landing. During parties, they can linger here, sit on the wall and enjoy the front yard.
Another result of being elevated is that you see everything: the funky vehicle one neighbor parks in his driveway, more concrete and cars opposite. The solution here was to screen one neighbor with Carolina cherries and the other with a combination of tapering the driveway for more planting space and a tall photinia hedge. The zigzag edge of the driveway compliments the home’s mid-century modern style, too.
Just to make things more fun, we shot these at the beginning of winter, just to show that water-conserving landscapes can look decent, if not great, in a difficult season. Ever notice that most landscapes are shot in spring, followed by autumn? That’s when they look best. Fresh foliage and flowers in spring, a summer’s worth of growth, deep colors and perhaps flowers in autumn.
The homes’ mid-century modern aesthetic is echoed by clean, geometric hardscape materials using non-symmetrical balance to keep them edgier and interesting. Smooth plaster, broom finish concrete, ipe decking, wood and metal screen fences enhance linear, expansive lines found in the homes.
The plants have architectural forms and are massed to unify areas and consolidate the design. Interestingly enough, many of the plants were not in use here in the middle of the century: lomandra being a good example. It fits perfectly with the mid-century aesthetic with bold grass-like foliage and year-round good appearance.