Landscape Ideas for a Brick Ranch Style Home

Foundation Plantings

• Often, low-growing evergreen shrubs are planted along the foundation of a ranch home. Spreading varieties of juniper and yew give quick coverage to these areas and give a brick exterior some textural softness. Leyland cypress can be used at corners and mid-range to draw the eye upward and break up the long lines of the home. Green Velvet boxwood and Crimson Pygmy barberry work well in sunny areas, according to Shaunna Lasher of the LandscapeDesignAdvice website.

Trees

• The ranch home generally needs vertical elements to balance out its long horizontal lines. Large shade trees, such as oak and maple can provide those vertical lines. Because your home is brick, you're already cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, and the shade trees can further enhance your energy savings. The green leaves in the summer can add depth to the color of the brick, and in the fall, the colorful hues can provide a welcome contrast. A tall conical evergreen placed at a corner of your home can serve as an end point for the horizontal lines, according to Todd Phillippi of the FineGardening website.

Shrubs

• Perennial shrubs add color and texture to relieve the overall heaviness of a brick ranch. Peonies, clematis, holly and viburnum all provide different shapes and tones of foliage, as well as colorful flowers and berries. These shrubs can be used along the backyard and patio, as well as along the foundation, mixed in with evergreens for a more varied look.

Bedding Plants

• Bedding plants can add lightness and color to a brick ranch exterior. Curved beds along the side and front can minimize the monotony of the horizontal lines of the brick. Annuals such as petunias, begonias and salvia make good mass plantings for colorful impact.

Front Entrance

• The front entrance of a brick ranch often needs a little extra attention to counter the hardness of the exterior. Small trees such as the Japanese maple planted near the front door can give your home a welcoming note. Small beds of flowers add more color and interest to balance the hardscape surfaces of sidewalks and driveways.