A well-planned design, a little leg work, and these tips, landscaping can make a typical lawn into something stunning from the street.

Easy

• Use local plants as they will require less maintenance after planting because they already thrive in your climate.
• Mulch beds provide texture above the grass while creating less weeding over time.
• Planters are easy to maintain and plant, not to mention the fact that they come in a variety of sizes to fit nearly any space.

Medium

• Frame your home. Install solid roots-bushes, shrubs, tall grasses-at the corners of your home to provide a visual frame for the street view.
• Cover the ground. Make sure to invest in ground covers of any stripe as they will provide added texture to the ground-giving a solid feeling to the yard and keeping weeds away.
• Flowers create vibrant color. Flowers or flowering plants are the showpieces of any landscaping. They grab the eye and add a pleasing aroma to the visual experience.

Comprehensive

• Trees. A great deal of work up front, trees provide an anchor to your landscaping, not to mention shade and above-ground color. Small species, like Japanese maples, add color and spindly texture without having to wait years for maturity.
• Contact a landscape architect. If you’re going to go big, you should go smart, too. She’ll know your soil type, your budget limits, and how best to work in your space.
• Get closer to the street. Build the landscaping toward the eyes in the street, not just toward the property lines. Making your landscaping deeper rather than wider gives guests something to walk through, not past, while visually drawing them closer.