Landscaping Design for Colonial Homes

Picket Fence

• A picket fence is an ideal addition to the front yard of a colonial house. During the colonial period, the fence served the practical purpose of containing a family's animals, but it provides an attractive decorative element for a modern-day colonial. Because of its traditional look, it creates a warm, inviting look for your yard. You can buy prefabricated lengths of picket fencing, which makes installation extremely easy. You can also choose from fencing in a variety of sizes so you can match the fence to the scale of your home.

Brick Walkway

• Because colonial architecture has a stately, formal look, a brick walkway is an ideal complement to the home's style. If your home features a brick façade, the pairing is especially attractive, and you can match the bricks you choose for your walkway with those of the home's exterior. To give the walkway an even grander feel, plant a series of taller hedges on either side of the path. Keep the hedges symmetrical and neatly trimmed for a formal look.

Symmetrical Foundation Shrubs

• Neat, symmetrical shrubs are an ideal complement to the foundation area of a colonial home. In particular, placing a larger shrub on each side of the door creates a formal feel for your home's entryway. Triangular shrubs are a particularly attractive option. Along the rest of your home's foundation, plant a low wall of hedges to provide a tidy, uniform look.

Quadrant Garden

• During the colonial period, homes featured gardens that had geometric-shaped beds. In the backyard of your colonial home, consider adding a quadrant garden by creating a series of rectangular beds for your plantings. For a formal look, use bricks to create a border around each bed and pathways between them. You can angle the beds if you like so that you can fit another shape, such as a diamond, in the center. To give the garden a private feel, use a wall of hedges or a picket fence to enclose the area. A wooden bench is an ideal accessory for the space and provides a spot where you can enjoy the sights and sounds of your garden.

Practical Plantings

• When choosing plants for your garden, keep in mind that a colonial-period home garden typically contained practical items such as fruit, vegetables and herbs. To give your garden a true colonial feel while incorporating modern flair, pair herbs with flowers in your backyard. Plant basil, dill, sage, thyme, mint or any of your favorite herbs, and add daffodils, tulips and peonies for pops of color. You may also consider adding fruit trees to your backyard garden for shade and a grander look.