How to Landscape Ranch Style Homes

Use flowers and shrubs to accent the area leading to and ending at the front door you normally use. Tall and showy flowers, such as daylilies, roses and hollyhocks, can distract visual attention away from the garage.

Select more formal plantings, such as low-profile evergreen shrubs, for the formal and least-used front door. Plant masses of small spring bulbs around the porch or stoop to provide quick color in early spring. Balance the formal doorway with a pair of short-growing shrubs or Japanese maples.

Plant low-growing hedges, such as Chinese holly, beneath the bedroom windows to alert visitors that this is a private area. Between the hedges and the house corners raise a pair of lilac bushes.

Choose a compact and dense hedge, such as a privet, for the backyard to mark the transition from an activity area to private areas of your home. Create a path that leads into the backyard from the back door.

Install a mulch or paving stone pathway that extends from the outside corner of the garage to the backyard along the side of the house. This lets family and visitors reach the backyard without ringing your doorbell or walking through your living areas.

Plant a row of tall evergreens, such as Chinese juniper, in the area that separates your driveway and backyard from your neighbors' yards. In front of the greenery, create a single-row hardy perennial garden for color. Include a mass of coreopsis, shasta daisies or black-eyed Susans.