Landscaping Project Story: An Inviting Entry

BEFORE

AFTER

GOALS

The existing front yard of this home presented some challenges. To get to the front door, you needed to find the narrow, awkward steps from the driveway that were hidden by overgrown junipers, then proceed across the sloped lawn, around the bend to the dilapidated front steps and landing. You could not see the front door until you got there. The other approach from the street was through a break in the overgrown hedge that blocked views to and from the house. Our goals were to:

– Create curb appeal

– Make the front door more inviting and accessible 

– Provide better parking and turn-around space in the driveway

– Provide plantings to compliment the home

Budget: $75,000 +

Services

  • Masonry walkway & steps
  • New driveway
  • Stone walls
  • Fence and plantings

APPROACH

Old junipers, steps and timber retaining by the garage were removed, and the grade was cut approximately five feet to accommodate a new parking spur closer to the front door. Our design solution included new colonial bluestone walls to retain the slope and create terraces for gardens. A new concrete paver walk provides a more direct route to the front door from the driveway. Steps with bluestone treads and stone risers are integrated in the walls creating a comfortable cadence to the front entry.

The materials were chosen to compliment the gray shingles on the home. Although the front door is still not visible from the parking area, an extended landing, where our client will add a decorative bench, provides a visual focal point and brings visitors closer to the entry. As you round the corner a Cypress draws your attention towards the front door.

Along the road, a large hedge was removed and replaced with a decorative rail fence that is surrounded by plantings to compliment the ranch style home and make for a more neighborly connection to the road. From the street approach, a concrete paver landing at the gate ties in visually with the front walk and serves as a gathering point while 2×2 bluestone step stones connect the street to the new paver walkway. Two Hydrangeas flank the entry gate for added curb appeal.

A new asphalt driveway with cobblestone edging was designed to provide better parking and turn-around space. 

VIEW PLAN

PLANTING COMPONENTS

  • A specimen Japanese maple is complimented by cotoneaster and variegated liriope above the colonial bluestone wall that replaced the old timber retaining.
  • Dead hemlocks, overgrown wild cherries and vines along border were removed and replaced with Thuja screening and flowering shrubs.
  • A large Holly was planted to block the view of the garage door and direct attention to the front walk instead.
  • Strategically placed evergreens such as Ilex, Rhododendron, Euonymus, Prunus ‘Otto Luyken’ and Taxus are just enough to anchor the property in winter, while varieties of hydrangea, carpet roses, and a Magnolia ‘Butterfly’, along with an abundance of perennials, provide a succession of blooms from spring through fall.
  • Reliable perennials such as Hemerocallis ‘Stella d’oro’, Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’, Echinacea ‘Magnus’, and Perovskia soften the fence and walls.
  • A climbing Hydrangea vine was planted at the base of the chimney to mask the dominant feature as it matures.

RESULT

This award winning project received a coveted gold medal from the Long Island Nursery and Landscape Association. The re-designed landscape has transformed this home’s un-inviting and hidden entry to a scene out of the countryside, with gardens and stone walkways that welcome guests into the home. The new driveway has more space and easier parking while an irregular bluestone inlay by the rear gate serves as an entrance to the back landscape. 

LINLA GOLD AWARD WINNER

WHAT THE CLIENT SAID

“From beginning to end, Hicks Landscapes and its subcontractors, did an amazing job! It was seamless.          I can’t say enough.”

– Larry G.

Let's Start a Conversation

Fill out the inquiry form on this page or call 516-334-0068 to speak with a member of our staff. 

You can also stop by the Nursery Services Help Center in the tree & shrub yard at Hicks Nurseries to learn more. Open during regular store hours.  

Thank you. We look forward to hearing from you!