5 Areas of Your Lawn That Benefit From Carefully Selected Plantings in Westchester County, NY
The best landscape design often has to do with how the various plants interact, creating a visually layered, healthy, and appealing look that enhances the look of your home and provides a gorgeous and usable outdoor space. A successful landscape design will tastefully combine the lawn and various plantings to complete the picture. It’s important to make some conscious choices to help both the lawn and plantings benefit each other. Here are five areas of your lawn that benefit from carefully selected plantings in Westchester County, NY.
Related: 8 Ways New Plantings Can Add Color to Your Landscape in Hopewell Junction and Wappinger Falls NY
Directly Underneath the Trees
The space directly underneath the trees surrounding the trunk is an area that is particularly difficult for a lawn to grow. This is because the roots of the tree tend to grow in such a way that the soil is pushed upwards and often compacted between roots, and very little sunlight makes it through a dense tree canopy.
This area could benefit from some carefully selected plantings such as those in the shade-loving ground cover category: wild ginger, Pennsylvania sedge, and lily of the valley. Beautiful stone edging will help separate the lawn from this gorgeous focal point.
The Sides of the House
The area immediately next to the home is a challenging space in landscape design. The home itself can create a considerable amount of shade where grass struggles to grow, and of course the opposite side can become a virtual oven as the southern sun reflects off the house, baking the soil and drying out any grass that’s trying to grow there.
It’s better to anchor the sides of the house with shrubs that are either sun-loving or shade-loving. Some sun-loving shrubs to consider for the south side of the home are the butterfly bush or the California lilac. Some shade-loving shrubs ideal for the north side of the home are the mountain laurel or the Japanese rose. These will make excellent transitions from the lawn to the sides of the house.
Along the Driveway, Walkways, and Sidewalks
The lawn is particularly vulnerable along the driveway, walkways, and sidewalks. The higher rates of foot traffic and snow plow damage can easily destroy a lawn if left unchecked. A buffer between your lawn and walkways is a fantastic design choice that can protect and enhance the space. A low seat wall between the planting area and the lawn will keep mulch out of the lawn and lawn clippings out of the garden. Inside the planting area, you can put sun loving flowers such as zinnias, marigolds, petunias, and peonies for stunning seasonal color.
Near the Patio
An abrupt transition between the patio and the lawn is often too stark. It’s a look that lacks dimension and interest. Creating a transitional space between the patio and lawn means that while you’re on the patio you’ll feel closer to nature, and what when you’re enjoying some barefoot fun in the grass, you will feel that the lawn is its own wonderful space. Fill this transitional space with ornamental trees; annuals and perennials; shrubs; and ground covers to create a layered effect with variety and interest.
Where There’s an Unattractive View
Instead of an open lawn that draws the eye to an unappealing view, why not create a living wall instead? A background of dense evergreens, a mid-ground of shrubs and taller flowers, and a foreground of low flowers and groundcovers will block the view while giving you something truly beautiful to look at.
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