Arlington homes commonly feature landscapes in the English Colonial tradition, with hedges, foundation planting, neat rows of flowers, and specimen trees. Lawns are nearly ubiquitous. Hardscape materials also trend toward the traditional, with stone and brick featuring heavily, along with concrete pavers with blended colors and roughened edges that evoke the look and feel of traditional cobbles.

Boxwood hedges are a hit, as are holly species for structural shrubs and privacy screens (try Ilex opaca for a native holly). For flowers, perennials like Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Helenium, and Hemerocallis are all popular options. Small landscape trees make great focal points and are commonly located near the house to draw attention to entrances. If you’d like a habitat winner, try Prunus americana, which boasts lovely white flowers, or downy serviceberry, which has a delicate, airy canopy.

Mind the hot, humid summers. Select species that can tolerate the full sun in an Arlington August, as well as the snowy winters. Fungus is a common issue affecting many plants in the Arlington region. Your local nursery can guide you to species and cultivars that will resist the threat of fungal damage. Being a verdant landscape, weeds will grow anywhere that soil is left bare. Our advice: plant native groundcover species in between pockets of larger ornamentals. Not only will these species suppress weeds, but they’ll also insulate the soil and improve stormwater management, leading to happier plants and reducing maintenance requirements.

Now! Any time of year is great to begin work on a landscape project. When possible, we suggest utilizing the winter to work through the design phase – this sets you up to get on contractors’ books early in the build season, so you can have your design installed and ready to enjoy in time for summer. If winter has passed, don’t worry, it’s never too late in the year to begin work on a landscape design project.