A Warm and Welcoming Drive

"I use the term 'area rug' when I'm trying to explain it to clients," Tom says. "It's like having a big hardwood floor, and you want to lay a rug in there to break it up without covering the whole thing."

Additional brick paver strips crossing the driveway approximately every 15 feet serve as expansion joints and help dissect the long expanse of concrete. A dark stain, mixed into the concrete before it was poured, helps to tone down the attention-grabbing, bright finish the material usually has.

Three wide and gracious new steps linked to the base of the old steps create an easy transition between house and driveway during arrivals and departures. A low retaining wall running parallel to the front of the house makes the driveway level. Two lampposts atop the wall light the way for nighttime visitors. Simple plantings blend with the elegant, symmetrical architecture of the home.

"I try to start with the face of the house and work out," Tom says. "I wanted the architecture to reflect in the landscaping. Then as we came forward, we loosened up with perennial borders flanking the drive and an annual bed in the center." Verbena, sedum, black-eyed Susans, variegated miscanthus, and daisies form a casual, colorful mix in the perennial borders. Dwarf cannas and other tough annuals stand front and center between an evergreen combination of tree-form Burford hollies and low-growing dwarf yaupon hollies.

"Dropping the grade and adding the wall also gave a little visual lift to the house," Tom says. The result is a driveway that flows well, welcomes guests, and looks good. It actually complements the home. And there aren't too many driveways that can make that claim.