Take curb appeal to the street

An east-facing small patio next to the front door is the perfect spot for relaxing late in the day. The low wall nearby does double duty. It provides a sense of separation from the sidewalk and street as well as additional seating.

Containers full of annuals up high, where they can be seen from a distance, repeat some of the colors that are closer to the street. They also draw your eye further into the yard and to the entry.

An 18-in.-tall retaining wall of landscape blocks levels the yard and makes planting and maintaining this area easier. Since both sides of the yard are edged by a driveway, the retaining wall stops a few feet away on either end. Besides breaking up the hard line of concrete meeting the wall, this shorter length allows for the occasional “oops” of a tire running over the planting without any structural damage. A couple of large stones provide additional protection along with some interesting textures and shapes.

A parking strip full of perennials provides color throughout the season and means you don’t have to mow. But the plants there need to be drought- and heat-tolerant since this area gets a lot of reflected heat from the sidewalk and street. Reliable performers here include moss phlox (Phlox subulata), ‘May Night’ salvia (Salvia x sylvestris), bugleweed (Ajuga reptans), feather reed grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora), perennial geranium (Geranium hybrids) and artemisia (Artemisia hybrids).

Low voltage lighting is on a timer and doesn’t make a noticeable difference in the energy bill even though if lights come on every night.