For nine years, our Lustron has needed curb appeal like leafy greens need ranch. Last month we worked with Plants Creative Landscapes here in Decatur to finally put some “ranch dressing” on our bland front yard.
Since the bones of our ’49 prefab are slick and boxy, we created softness with three curvy beds. Taking inspiration from all those modern landscapes I’ve been ogling on trips to Southern California, I picked a topiary pine, a blue agave, and boulders as my must-have focal points. We filled out the beds with shrubs for year-round color (wintergreen boxwood, variegated yucca, gold mop false cypress), sculptural perennials (variegated iris, autumn ferns), vivid grasses (blue fescue, dwarf acorus, silver liriope), and cascaders for the retaining wall (chartreuse creeping jenny, pink-flowered phlox). Black bark mulch makes everything pop.
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We united the two existing silver maples with a pear-shaped bed. When our funds rebound, I’d like to add irises and hostas around that lonely boulder. 
A second sculptural tree, a Hinoki cypress, is the star of the bed along the street. I can’t wait until the creeping jenny and phlox stretch their tendrils over the granite wall! 
If you want more peeks into our life in a Lustron, you can take the grand tour here and see the latest living room makeover here. Also, photographer Amy Herr took great photos of our kitchen and dining room for TheKitchn online magazine.
