At this couple’s house, we worked in the front and rear. Out front, we enlarged the bedded area to embrace the front walkway and to be more proportionate with the large covered porch. Then we brought in conditioned bio-soil to improve the existing site. Next, we transplanted some larger crowded Boxwoods throughout and added shrubs, perennials and bulbs to the bedded area to make a more welcoming feel to the front of the house and giving it year-round interest.
In the rear, we enlarged the beds around the patio, created pathways to the lawn and made a step way/walkway to the patio from the driveway. For the latter, we used slab flagstone steppers and river rock to check the flow of water coming from uphill during heavy rains. We added water-loving shrubs and perennials to create an inviting feel to the rear area.