Curb Appeal
Garden tip from Lynn Wyndham Morris IIDA, Allied Member ASID, Director of Communication, ASID
A Touch of Tradition Home & Garden Shoppe
7313 Carroll Road, Suite D
Sorrento Mesa
760-633-4474 or 619-669-8871
Lynn Morris is the principal designer for A Touch of Tradition Home & Garden Shoppe (TOT-HOME), a full-service interior and landscape design studio. The shop carries products for the DIY homeowner as well as furnishings, lighting, fabrics, window coverings and accessories.
Summer is here. Make the front or side of your home inviting and beautiful so you can invite guests and enjoy the time outdoors. Keep the look or make small changes to update it seasonally.Here are some ideas to get you started:
Container gardens are wonderful to use even if your “yard” is fully paved. Large pots filled with bright or fragrant flowers can transform a space with architectural elements and color. Select pots that complement the hues of your home (hint: using a trim color often is ideal). Terra-cotta pots work well with nearly every style and color home. Install a simple drip-irrigation system to make container gardens easier to maintain.
Many small homes don’t have visual interest to call attention to them. Sometimes, finding the pathway to the door can be a challenge. Use an ornamental arbor — a free-standing one is okay — or fence to call attention to the house and mark the entrance. Remember that white structures stand out against a non-white home. Add vines or plants for color and softness. You can even place a planter of greenery or a vine next to the arbor legs if you don’t have soil nearby.
Blend natural and artificial elements to give your yard an established, comfortable look. One example is to use boulders near your walkway and then use ground-covering plants to fill around them. Flowering shrubs, such as azalea and rhododendron, soften the look of the stone.
Look for structural features from your house to guide your design. For example, small trees can echo pillars on a porch. Try a water feature based on the shape of one of your home’s architectural elements. Mimic mullioned windows with a trellis or create a brick feature to balance a large chimney. No yard? Small patios or balconies can be dressed up with wall-mounted water features and hanging architectural elements.
Select bold elements to help your landscape make a statement. I recently used dwarf flowering trees to flank my client’s front walkway, creating a sense of grandeur and formality. Stepping the plantings along a walkway up and down in scale, can lead guests to the doorway.
Follow nature’s lead. Select plants and other landscape materials native to your region. The birds and butterflies your front yard attracts will enchant you and your guests. Incorporate a birdbath or bird feeder in your yard to attract even more birds. You can make or buy a hanging birdbath if you live in a condo or apartment without a yard.
Transform your front walk into a stylish statement by edging it with easy-care plants such as variegated hosta and boxwood. Can you put a gentle curve in the path? Choose an interesting material like bricks, flagstone, and pavers, which have more character than traditional cement.
