Before
Clients contacted Phil Kelly of McHale Landscape Design to improve their front yard, which lacked visibility from the street and offered no sense of arrival. Kelly and his team transformed the original, problematic space into a formal yet welcoming front yard.
| Then | Now |
| Tall hedges completely blocked the house from view. From the street, it was difficult to see where the front door was. | The hedges are gone and a flagstone walkway leads visitors right to the front door. |
| The hedges also limited the view from the house. A set of bay windows in the dining room overlooked a wall of shrubbery. | There’s a sense of openness to the view from the house. A water feature is a focal point. |
| The one-story house was low to the ground and needed to be more imposing. | Kelly excavated soil and built retaining walls and steps to create a sense of height. The walls are faux finished to match the home. |
| The drab front yard lacked interest. | Boxwoods, knockout roses, nandina and dwarf crape myrtle provide varied color, texture and form. |
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: PHIL KELLY, McHale Landscape Design, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. PHOTOGRAPHY: KEVIN McHALE.