Exterior

My New Colonial-Style Front Yard Landscaping Makeover

click to read all about my new front yard landscaping makeover

August 22, 2025

I’m Allison.
Design obsessed and self-taught DIYer, I'm so excited to share my journey with you, and be a source of inspiration as well as a resource.
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For the past few years, I’ve been slowly tackling the exterior design of my 1990s brick colonial home here in Nashville. While I’m a DIY enthusiast at heart, I’ll be the first to admit that landscaping is not my strong suit. This summer, I decided it was time for a major refresh—and for once, I hired out the work. The result? A classic, low-maintenance landscaping design that perfectly complements the traditional colonial vibe of my home. Today, I’m walking you through the before, the process, and the final reveal of my new colonial-style front yard landscaping makeover.

The Starting Point: Overgrown and Outdated

When I bought this house in 2018, I inherited very mature landscaping—and not the good kind. The deep garden beds stretched across the front of the house and were filled with:

  • Tall holly bushes that had grown leggy and difficult to maintain
  • Large yews (which I loved!) but sadly lost in a severe frost
  • Pachysandra groundcover that, unfortunately, became a hiding spot for snakes
  • Azaleas that were fading year after year, leaving me with more bare branches than blooms
the picture on the right was AFTER pruning if you can believe it!

Every summer I tried to hack back the weeds, trim the bushes, and salvage what I could. But honestly, it had reached a point where no amount of DIY could bring it back to life.

Phase One: Updating the House Exterior

Before tackling landscaping, I wanted to finish updates to the house itself. Last year, I painted the trim in Sherwin-Williams Black Fox, a rich, moody neutral that feels timeless and was so much better than the outdated cream / yellow I inherited with the house. I also replaced the gutters with sleek new black ones and painted my exterior doors in Tricorn Black to match. You can see the full reveal here!

Shop: Copper Lanterns

This spring I added these stunning copper lanterns that are perfectly scaled to the size of the house (see my guide here if you’re in the same boat). These changes gave the house the architectural presence it deserved, setting the stage for landscaping that would actually highlight the home instead of hiding it.

The Magnolia Dilemma

The toughest decision of this project was whether to keep or remove the two pink magnolia trees flanking my front entry. They hold so much sentimental value—I closed on this house in April 2018 when they were in bloom, and I have a photo of myself with the “sold” sign standing right beneath them.

Unfortunately, one tree lost a major branch in a storm, leaving it lopsided, and both had grown so tall they were nearly touching the roofline. I mocked up two exterior landscaping design scenarios: one with the magnolias and one without. After talking it through with my landscaping team, we decided we’d start by trimming them back heavily with the hopes of salvaging them and reassess.

The New Front Yard Landscaping Makeover

Once the magnolia decision was made, everything else fell into place. Here’s what we planted:

  • Baby boxwoods along the front for evergreen structure year-round
  • Snowball hydrangeas (my dream plant!) in the middle section—these will grow into big, lush shrubs covered in large white blooms each summer
  • Pencil hollies in the back for subtle height and evergreen interest when the hydrangeas go dormant
  • Arborvitae anchoring the far ends of the house
  • Japanese maples flanking each side of the front stairs for a pop of color and soft texture
  • Hostas in the side bed for easy greenery with room for me to add tulips and peonies down the line
click to read all about my new front yard landscaping makeover
My New Front Yard Landscaping Makeover!

We also cleaned up my existing dogwood and kept one of my original yews that (thankfully!) survived.

The end result is a layered, classic front yard design that’s both low maintenance and true to the traditional colonial style I love.

Can you believe the before and after of the left side bed? I’m part embarrassed and part relieved!

What’s Next: Backyard Landscaping Dreams

backyard pool patio retreat
Shop: Umbrellas | Chaise Lounge Cushions | Umbrella Tables | Chaise Loungers (similar)

The front may be complete, but I still have big plans for the back. My short-term list includes a poolside refresh: removing dead fir trees and installing concrete pavers with faux grass in a diamond pattern for a clean, low-maintenance look. I mocked up a couple scenarios and am loving the option with 3 pavers (but I think I’ll flip them to be diamond patterned).

Before / Now / The End Goal: DIY Paver details coming soon but I ordered 60 of these

For a short term privacy solution I added a faux boxwood fence while I troubleshoot why the original firs failed before investing in more trees. I’ll add pavers in front of this area as well, plus will continue the string lights around the entire fence line for some ambience at night.

This faux boxwood is a great short term solution for this area where the little pine trees died off.

Longer term, I have dreams of updating my back sun porch and deck—but for now, I’m focused on enjoying the fresh curb appeal this landscaping brought to the front of my home.

Final Thoughts

Hiring out for this project was the best decision I could have made. My front yard landscaping transformation has given my home new life, boosted curb appeal, and created a welcoming entry that finally feels like “me.”

If you’re looking to refresh your own exterior, my biggest advice is this: don’t be afraid to start fresh. Sometimes letting go of overgrown, outdated plants is the only way to create a design you truly love.

click to read all about my new front yard landscaping makeover
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