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My front yard landscape plan this year & ideas for year-round color in your garden
Last year I posted my perennial garden plans for partial sun or shade. This plan has been working out great for me. I’ve spent the last few unseasonably cold weeks researching new plants to add to my landscape… trying to build it out from the house and add more texture!
My front yard landscape plan
So here is the front yard landscape plan I came up with. Pretty, isn’t it? I like the combination of yellows and blues, along with the pop of red to add some more interest in the winter months.
- ‘Forever Goldie’ Arborvitae (zones 3-7) grow 15-20 feet tall and 3 feet wide. I plan on putting this on the corner of my house to anchor it. It has year-round seasonal interest with it’s golden yellow/green color, and as temperatures drop, the foliage takes on an orange cast, and red stems appear in fall and winter.
- Parry Agave (zones 4-11) grows 2-3 feet tall and wide. Native to regions in Arizona and Northern Mexico, this is a desert plant. However, this particular agave is one of the most cold-hardy species, giving gardeners in other regions (like me!) the opportunity to grow a living desert sculpture. I think the blue spikes will add great color and texture.
- Red Twig Dogwood (zones 2-7)Red Twig Dogwood in the summergrows 7-9 feet tall and 12 feet wide. In the picture, I have the dogwood stems in a bucket, but I’m planning on planting the actual shrub. The cool thing about this bush is that in the spring is has beautiful green leaves with white flowers that blossom in the summertime. As the fall comes, the steams and foliage both turn a brilliant crimson, and when the leaves fall off in the winter you are left with this beautiful red stems. It’s basically like a burning bush on fire.
- Heuchera ‘Coral Bells’ (zones 4-8) Heuchera is a perennial shade plant with 3 seasons of interest. It comes in over 50 varieties. the yellow/green and purple varieties I have pictured are what I’m interested in, but they also come in many other colors such as orange and pink.
- Blue Star Juniper (zones 4-8) grows 1-2 feet tall and 3-5 feet wide. I planted several of these evergreens last year and so far I think they are very beautiful. It’s a low growing, rounded shrub with very rich, silvery-blue needles year round.
- Emerald & Gold Euonymous (zones 5-9) grows about 2-3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The green and golden colors of this plant fit really nicely into my scheme. I planted these last year next to the Blue Star Junipers and they are doing quite well.
What Blooms with What?
Never know what to plant together? Find out with this FREE Plant Pairing Guide and become a pro at combining plants for the best garden design possible!
Color all year round
The hardest aspect of gardening for me is to find plants that will give color, texture and visual interest in all seasons. It’s quite difficult to find a list of plants for the beginner gardener that will look nice all year. Lucky for you, I’m going to share some “basic” ideas I’ve found to help you get started! If you have pets like I do, make sure you check out the ASPCA list of toxic and non-toxic plants before you shop!
- A simple example of a nice perennial collection that would work in most areas of the country would be daffodils for late winter, a daylily or hosta for summer, garden mums for fall, and iris or Artemisia for winter texture.
- Colorful Flower Choices for any Season
- Spring: Gold narcissi and daffodils. Forsythia shrubs are also one of the earliest spring bloomers. Lilacs, mountain laurels, and hawthorns will bring color in late spring.
- Summer: Long-blooming Rose of Sharon, Amber heleniums and golden crocosmias (all give late summer color)
- Fall: berries and fruits, sumac shrubs, 10 shrubs and vines for fall color, trees for fall color
- Winter: Snowdrops are perfect companions to hellebores, cyclamen, winter flowering shrubs or heathers, top 10 list for winter landscapes
- The Four-Season Landscape: Easy-Care Plants and Plans for Year-Round Color: I just picked up this book and I absolutely love it! I have actually read it cover-to-cover! There are photos, garden plans, and countless lists of plant recommendations for any (and usually all) seasons no matter what you are looking for!
More Gardening Posts You’ll Love
- Working with Landscape Designers Without Settling for Their Vision (Marte’s Story)
After 3 years and 4 different landscapers, the Design Your 4 Season Garden course helped Marte nail down exactly what she wanted from her garden designers. - 30+ Clever Curb Appeal Hacks Guaranteed to Make Your Neighbors Jealous
Pro curb appeal hacks to take your landscape to the next level and increase your property value. With 30+ tips and tricks, there’s sure to be several curb appeal hacks you’ll be excited to try! - Disappointed In Your Garden’s Performance? Here’s How To Love Your Garden AgainWhen things go wrong in the garden it’s really easy to feel disappointed and even blame yourself. Here are some tips to help you learn from your mistakes and finally love gardening again!
What Blooms with What?
Never know what to plant together? Find out with this FREE Plant Pairing Guide and become a pro at combining plants for the best garden design possible!
Amy Fedele
Amy is the founder of Pretty Purple Door and has been a garden designer since 2014 and graphic designer since 2005. She helps home gardeners design their own beautiful landscapes that are colorful in all four seasons, show off your personality and suit your lifestyle. Amy's work has been featured in publications like The Spruce, Family Handyman, Buzzfeed, Country Living Magazine and more. Read full bio.
Hi. Where can you buy the Parry Agave suited for Zone 4?
Where can you find the Parry Agave for Zone 4?
It’s a desert plant so most likely you won’t find it locally. I did find it on amazon though Agave Parryi Var. Truncata, Syn. Parry’s Century Plant, Parry’s Agave
I will check that out. Thank you!
Hi, I can send you one . I bought one quite some time ago , they spread like crazy
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice,
keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later on.
Cheers
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