Improving street frontage
Improving the view from the road, i.e. kerb or street appeal, is one of the many ways in which you can add value to your home. First impressions are important not only for potential buyers, also for visitors and of course for yourself. It does not need to be very expensive, in particular when you can use existing vegetation and hard surfaces.
Each spring the weeping cherry becomes a fountain of pink, and briefly dominates the scene. During the rest of the year its graceful habit is an attractive feature that complements the property by softening the building.
The narrow curved planting strip behind the weeping cherry is a challenging area to plant without interfering with the symmetrical elements of the house architecture. Plants along this strip would also make the curved line more pronounced and conflicting with the straight lines of the house.
There is a height-level difference between the road and the ground surface next to the house. In the past this issue was solved with a retaining wall on the right behind the weeping cherry, and a sloping lawn on the left.
A simple solution for the conflict between the curving retaining wall behind the cherry tree and the straight lines of the house, is to straighten the retaining wall. If the retaining wall is built right next to the path without a planting strip in between, the front garden is better in proportion with the house. The lawn on the left may be leveled in the same way, or, alternatively, left as a sloping lawn. In fact, the lawn on the right could then also be developed into a sloping area. In that scenario, a retainer is required around the base of the weeping cherry tree to keep the extra soil away from the trunk if it is to remain in its current position.
The canopy shape of the weeping cherry gives a good contrast with the horizontal lines of the building, the steps, and the (new) retaining wall. In keeping with the house symmetry in the front door area, an additional weeping cherry could be planted on the lawn to the left.
The path to the front door is widened, but pots on either side in the foreground still give this area a hint of separation from the footpath.