Front yard landscaping can be simple or complicated.  The only real rule of thumb is keep it tasteful and to a scale that you can keep up with.  I decided to feature my own house first on this page, since I have pictures of it, and since it is one example of a fairly easy-care, inexpensive, and colorful show right into summer and fall.  As you can see, we live modestly, demonstrating that even us poor folks can have a decent landscape.  

My island perennial bed is in the forefront of the picture below.  I tilled and scattered a canister ($10 at any home store) of perennial seeds in early spring 2001, and by May, this is what the garden looked like.  The multi-colored poppies and blue bachelor's buttons were in bloom at the time.  These followed the daffodils, which were a totally gorgeous sea of yellow in March and April. (I had planted 75 the previous fall at a cost of about $12). The show kind of dimmed during the brutal heat of the summers we have here, so I planted Lantana, Plumbago, Begonia, Salvias, and Petunias interspersed with a few herbs, such as Parsley and Sage to keep the show going through the hot months.  The walkway is lined with inexpensive matching containers in pairs that contain easy-care plants, such as Marigold, Begonia, Petunia, and Hosta.  I change these out as the seasons change using six packs of store-bought plants (about $1 each).  Lining the walkway along the house is a row of Impatiens that I propagate myself after buying one flat of plants in the colors I like (about $12).  See the Annuals link below for complete details.  Impatiens are also the main plant in the windowboxes.  The house faces north, so Impatiens are the perfect choice, as they only get limited sun, especially during the hot part of the day.  

Behind the Impatiens I have many perennials that I have bought or collected from friends over the years.  The taller plants are yellow and orange Cannas, which have multiplied every year since I planted the first one.  I also have Gladiolus and day lillies that add color and accent when they are in bloom, and I try to add a few Dahlias when time permits, though I neglected to do that this year.  I also intersperse various herbs with the other plants to fill in bare patches and for a handy flavoring for cooking.  The lawn in plain old Bermuda grass, that truthfully needs some work. Maybe this spring.....

The walkway is new, and goes straight to the mailbox.  Most landscaping experts will tell you that your entry walkway should be gracefully curving, but in my case, the traffic pattern is mainly coming directly from the street.  I had a stone walkway that curved it's way to the end of the driveway where nobody goes, so I removed it and used the stone on my backyard pond. I then built this new walkway, which is much easier to navigate, handles most of the traffic in the yard, and requires only sweeping to keep it looking it's best.   

So that's my story.  If you have a landscaping success story to tell, please send me an email and I will be glad to add a page and credit it to you.  Also, please Bookmark, as I add pages daily to this web site.