Front Lawn Landscaping Ideas

Rhododendron and Azalea Garden

• A rhododendron and azalea garden is a good way to catch the eye of passers by. Rhododendrons have large showy bright colored flowers that seem to never stop blooming. They are woody varieties of plants that grab the eye. There are over 800 species to choose from. Rhododendrons and azaleas take full sun and will tolerate partial shade. They are an ideal plant for a northern exposure because they are sensitive to extreme heat. They also prefer sheltered locations away from strong winds and take to well-draining, high organic matter soil with a slight acid tinge.

  Rhododendrons come in sizes ranging from small shrubs to trees. If you love the showy flowers that bloom from spring through summer you can set up your entire front yard with theses majestic plants. They are meant to be grown in mass plantings and can surround and accent bird baths, fountains, ponds and rock formations. These plants are also great for Japanese gardens.

  Rhododendrons are both evergreen and deciduous and grow at various heights. Tall plants should be in the background with low-growing plants such as azaleas in the foreground. Some varieties along with their heights and bloom color are: Alutaceum var russotinctum, seven feet, white; Brittenhill Bugle, seven feet, red; Airy Fairy, four feet, red; Alison Johnstone, four feet, yellow, Artic tern, two feet, white; and Bob Bovee, two feet, purple.

Rock Garden Ideas

• The heat can be relentless in the Southwest and water is conserved in these arid regions. Many gardeners do not plant lawns but use rock heavily to conserve water. Rock comes in all sizes and colors. Buying in bulk is the best way to get a good price so planning is important, especially when dealing with boulders 200 pounds and up. For front yard rock ideas use a combination of boulders and garden rock to imitate nature, and use different colors for contrast.

  Dry stream beds can be created with the use of drought tolerant trees like mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), which is a deciduous tree that is very heat tolerant and sought for its hard wood, and the Palo verde (Cercidium floridum) with its brilliant yellow blooms in the spring. Your front yard can be planted with various shrubs to surround the trees to mimic a dry river bed. Plants like red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora), a hardy succulent with bright red blooms; Texas ranger (Leucophyllum frutescens) with brilliant purple blooms; and the cassia (C. fistula) with bright yellow blooms are hardy mainstays in Southwest landscapes.

Tropical Ideas

• Tropical landscapes dominate the southern states and are particularly suited for moderate temperatures and mild winters. Lush tropical landscapes depend on colorful foliage and flowers grown in mass. Tropical shrubs typically have glossy colorful leaves and vary in color like the xylosma (X. congestum), pittosporum (P. tobira) and the Photinea (P. fraseri).

  Plant tropical flowers in mass groupings of three or use them as the focal point. Tropical flowers' main draw is the large blooms that can be 10 to 12 inches in diameter like the hibiscus flower (hibiscus arnottianus) and the two-inch wide brilliant pink trumpet flowers of the mandevilla (M.sanderi).

  Tropical shrubs are also used in mass plantings. Designers use multi-colored leaves to contrast the glossy dark green shrubs. Leaf size can also be used to contrast. An example would be to plant the philodendron (P. bipinnatifidum), which has large dark green glossy leaves that are four to five feet in length with the Australian tree fern, which has large five- to eight-foot elongated leaves. Here you contrast shapes and sizes. Then plant Heavenly bamboo (Nandina Domestica), with its colorful gold and red tiny leaves in the middle of these gigantic plants for a beautiful contrast of size and color.

  Tropical plants need well-draining soil and full sun. Water features such as fountains, ponds and waterfalls make great focal points for tropical foliage as well. Plant the foliage in front and around the water feature.