Front Yard Makeover

BY FRAN SORIN

When I moved into my newly constructed home 20 years ago, I truly questioned whether or not I could transform the front property from cold, characterless and barren into something warm and welcoming.

I finally completed my front yard makeover five years later with the help and advice of a good friend, Chris Woods, an English-bred gardener (and now executive director of the prestigious Chanticleer Gardens, located outside of Philadelphia), who taught me a valuable lesson about front yards: "It isn't necessary to use evergreen material to make a front yard look beautiful," he told me. "You have to train yourself to stop believing that evergreens should automatically be placed in the front of a house."

Now, this doesn't mean that evergreens don't serve a purpose. I learned over the years that evergreens like boxwoods and junipers are essential in adding structure and visual continuity to the landscape. But since I was so unhappy with my shrubs, I decided on a compromise: remove some of the evergreens and add spring- and fall-blooming perennials. Most importantly, I started to view my front yard as a true garden -- not just a place to access my front door. And with that in mind, I began to create the English-inspired garden of my dreams -- right in my front yard.

next : Cottage-Garden Perennials