How to Landscape Property With a Long House

Measure your home and property and plot it on paper. If you have the original home plans showing existing structures and landscape, you can either copy it to work with or use it as a reference. If the home is long and situated parallel to the street, with the front door facing the street, you have numerous options.

View the full length of the home from all angles. Observe any rooms where you want shade or sun provided. Face the street from your entryway and note any unsightly objects that could be blocked with plants. Mark these observations on your sketch.

Design your property's landscape by using elements that will break up the appearance of a long, solid wall of house. Adding curved walkways, curved or S-shaped beds, berms to change the yard's elevation levels, and trees that grow to different heights will help bring much more interest to the yard.

Plan to set trees that will become the tallest at the perimeter of your property. Tall shade trees can be set at least 20 feet away from the house. Use trees that have wide, full canopies to soften the house lines. Large shrubbery can go in closer, but be sure not to lay out plants too close to the house; they'll need room to bush out. Perennial plants work well nearer the house as well as in beds.

Lay out pathways and walkways and mark with stones where you will place outdoor lamps and lights. If the lights are electrical, get them wired in and stabilized. If they're simply solar lamps that need no wiring, you can place them in position. Dig out any sod, and either frame in a walkway to fill with gravel or pebbles, or simply fill the dug-out areas with the rocks. Stepping stones and concrete may also be used. Avoid straight lines.

Choose your plants from a reputable nursery in early spring. "Stage" them on your property. Once you have determined that you want, for example, four evergreen trees and six deciduous trees in the front, nearer the street, with a large specimen tree in the center-right of your front yard for shade and blossoms, place them in the designated areas. Walk around your yard and view the intended places before digging to ensure the layout brings balance and harmony.

Dig the holes for your trees when you're satisfied with the locations. Prepare the soil and dig holes three times the size of the root balls. Backfill with soil, and water well.

Add shrubs next. Place several types of shrubbery in curving lines between the taller growing trees. Stand on your front porch to verify that the placement works to break up the long line of the house and property.

Dig and plant your flower beds by marking the outlines with a spade or shovel, then remove sod and add soil and seeds or starter plants. Mounding beds in berm style will help to soften the lines of the house. Beds can be areas that are separate from the house, between trees, near the house, or framing walkways. The primary thing is to elevate the original level of the soil a couple of feet in beds to add height and curvature to the yard.

Follow the same guidelines for the back yard. Add ornamentation as desired. Water everything regularly until plant roots have taken hold.