Residential Landscape Design Makeover for Portland Front Lawn
Front Yard – After installation photo complete with Mary’s zinnias on the corner.
Clients Wish List
Mark and Mary have a beautiful double lot in NE Portland and their large backyard is dreamy. They have lived in their Georgian style home for decades. They felt their existing front yard didn’t play with the house and that the street appeal was lacking. They wanted the front yard to be at the same level as the amazing backyard. They hired Landscape Design in a Day via a referral from neighbor friends, Chris and Stacey. See their backyard transformation.
They like their covered front porch for greeting visitors
Front Yard – Before
out of the rain, and wanted a secondary space for seating in the front yard. Mary specifically dreamed of a spot to be able to relax in the evening and look up at the night sky.
Mark wanted to retain much of the lawn and Mary wanted to make sure her Zinnia’s still had a spot in the final landscape.
Designers perspective
Before our new landscape was installed, the house didn’t feel connected to it’s
Close up of the zinnias.
land and the plantings were too sparse to be good company for the house. So, the first task was to create a strong walkway to visually ground the strong Georgian style of the house.
Usually a front walkway feels more inviting when originating from the sidewalk and not the driveway. The intersecting street butts directly into the front yard nearly lining up with the front porch. We were all cautious about having the front walkway start directly from the sidewalk. Since their lot is deep, they don’t park in front section of their driveway so the walkway can still be accessed with ease by their friends and family. The shape of the walkway also gave us a perfect spot for a dramatic tree and interesting plantings near the front door.
Side Yard Transforms into Sit Spot
Side Yard – Before Landscape Design w Fatsia Japonica – Japanese Aralia
We combined those Belgian Blocks and the homeowner’s desire for a sit spot into one serene solution. The new stone patio directly to the left of the front porch re-used the old front walk material nicely. This patio is close enough to the porch to give the sense of expanding the front entry. But because it is a few steps down, it allows the homeowners to be in their front yard and see the beautiful views while feeling separated from the function of a front door and the busyness of the sidewalk.
While it was easy to fulfill their lawn and zinnia requests, it took a bit of a discussion to select th
Side Yard – During installation with Sam with D and J Landscape Contracting
e exact small tree for our final planting plant. The graceful form of the perfectly sized Japanese Maple helps balances out the tall evergreens in the neighbors yard. It provides some weight to that side of the landscape and anchors the house. Plus, you can watch the tree’s seasonal changes through the windows of the house – what a treat.
Installation
We referred the project to D&J Landscape Contractors . They installed the landscape design and replaced the driveway.
Plants
Side Yard – Just Finished
The large upright Japanese Maple is Acer palmatum ‘Shin Deshojo’
For summer and fall fun – the ornamental grass Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Little Bunny’.
The purple-red tones of the Sedum ‘Xenox’ and Heuchera ‘Cherry Cola’ echo the brick of the house.
For evergreen texture – hens and chicks (Sempervivum sp.) and dwarf pines (Pinus mugo) ‘Sherwoods Compact’.
Side Yard: Year 2, Alana returned to design a small section of the backyard and couldn’t help but snap a few photos of how the front has filled in.
Other plants: Heathers, American Switch Grass and dwarf varieties of Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Euphorbia, Hydrangea, and Lavender.
Planting Close up – Little Bunny Ornamental Grass, Sedum ‘Xenox’, Daylilies
Materials
New walkway is Bluestone, patio is re-used Belgian Block
Reflection
“Mary and I are thrilled with our front yard…it turned out just incredibly beautiful. There’s so much more dimension to the front now and it is so creatively laid out. We just really want to thank you for your fine work. I hope you’ll have the chance soon to stop by and see the final product. From the bottom of our hearts…thank you.” – Mark and Mary
Happy Clients
Contact us
Would you like to create a welcoming entry experience that makes your house look and feel it’s best? We would love to work with you. Call us at 503-223-2426 or use our contact form.
