Growing Together: Renovating an aging landscape is a gift to the neighborhood

FARGO If yards could communicate, the question would not be Does this landscape make me look fat? but rather Do these shrubs make me look old and overgrown?

The grounds at Windsor Castle may look great, but the queens legion of gardeners meticulously pampers and primps the centuries-old landscaping. Aging yards arent always so pretty.

A slow drive through older neighborhoods provides a good example of the expected longevity of an average home landscape. Plantings installed during the 1950s through the 1980s show that after 30 or more years, action is usually needed.

Its important to address front yard landscapes that have outlived their expiration date so they dont detract from interesting homes in established neighborhoods.

If an aging front yard landscape needs a redo, try a 12-step process.

1. Take a hard, objective look at the landscape.

Photos as viewed from the street help us see our front yard as it appears to passersby. Look especially for evergreens, both pyramidal and spreading, that are sparse, bare at the base and unsightly by most standards.

Were shrubs or trees planted too closely to the home or to each other? Is the home still the focal point of the yard, or are overgrown plants the first impression given to viewers? Give an honest self-evaluation.

2. Decide what can stay and what should go.

Deciduous (leafy) shrubs that are leggy can be rejuvenated by pruning. Cut back branches to 6 inches above ground level in spring before the shrubs leaf out. New growth sprouts below the cuts, so dont go half-way with the pruning. Grit your teeth, and cut back all the way.

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Growing Together: Renovating an aging landscape is a gift to the neighborhood