Landscaping plants for front of house

clockwise from top left: hydrangea, oleander, foxglove and mountain laurel Your garden may be a relaxing retreat, but it's not a place to let your guard down, especially when it comes to small children and the family pet. Some popular plants you prize for their ornamental beauty can turn into toxic killers within minutes if ingested, whether consumed out of curiosity or by mistake. With this list you'll know what flowers, shrubs, and berries to warn young, inquisitive minds about and which bushes and flowers to keep out of paw's reach. You'll also learn the symptoms of poisoning because—after prevention—rapid treatment is the only defense against death.

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Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum)

a rhododendron in full bloom with pink flowers (Rhododendron ponticum)">

Why we grow it: Give them moisture and shade, and rhododendron shrubs offer showy red, white, pink, or purple flower clusters in spring and thick, glossy leaves that thrive into the winter.

Deadly parts: The entire plant.

Toxic toll: Who knew both West Virginia and Washington's state flower was a silent killer? Swallow any part of this plant, and you're going to look as bad as you feel. While drooling from the mouth and teary-eyed, you'll begin vomiting violently, just as your pulse slows down and low blood pressure sets in. Death can occur shortly after falling into a coma or during a violent seizure.

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Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis)

(Convallaria majalis)">

Photo by Miika Silfverberg

Why we grow it: Low to the ground with spires of tiny, white bell-shaped flowers, lily-of-the-valley packs a potent, sweet-smelling scent despite its small size. It's also an excellent groundcover in shady settings.

a lily-of-the-valley starting to bloom a hydrangea with blue flowers in full bloom single narcissus flower foxglove flowers

Source: www.thisoldhouse.com

Landscaping Tips

Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.

1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.

2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?

3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.

4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.

5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.

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Interesting fact

Each person, at least once passing by the construction site, saw workers in helmets - roofers. Their profession is very important, because the construction of the roof is the final stage of the entire housebuilding. The roof determines how reliable and durable, how cozy and comfortable the house will be for its inhabitants. Excellent operational properties, beautiful appearance, reasonable price - all this is a modern roofing material – soft roof. The main advantage of a soft roof is its ability to “cover” pitched roofs of any complexity, even designs with decorative domes.