Prepare Soil Before Planting
With the hardscape complete, it was time to remove the old plantings. The scraggly azaleas were pulled out and thrown away. The new beds' lines were mapped out in the yard with spray paint. (If you prefer not to use spray paint, you can lay a garden hose on the ground to outline planting areas.) Then new topsoil was tilled into the existing soil in the planting areas and raked smooth.

Large Plants First
When installing shrubs, put in the bigger ones first; then work smaller specimens around them. The Luxes chose two 'Natchez' crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) to frame the front porch. These white-flowering trees offer long-lasting color throughout the summer, and their beautiful cinnamon-colored trunks provide year-round interest. Eventually, the trees will grow tall enough to shade the porch and walk. A large 8-foot-tall wax myrtle anchors the right corner of the house. The big evergreen helps to soften the structure so it doesn't look too boxy.

A staggered row of dwarf Burford hollies (Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii Nana') creates a hedge between the Luxes' property and their neighbor's. In time, these sturdy evergreens will become a dark green buffer.

Seasonal Shrubs
Forsythia, spirea, and nandina also work well in the landscape. Forsythia (Forsythia intermedia) is a wide, sprawling shrub that produces a profusion of yellow blooms in late February and early March. Van Houtte spirea (Spiraea x vanhouttei) provides flowers from mid- to late-spring. Its flat clusters of white blooms line long, arching branches. Finally, nandina (Nandina domestica) has bunches of tiny pink to white blooms in late spring or early summer. The flowers aren't showy, but nandina produces bundles of radiant red berries in winter that sparkle when most shrubs are dormant. These three old-fashioned plants are easy to grow and help provide color through the seasons.