Garden Design Maine | Perennial Garden Designer in Limerick ME

Easy-Care Classic Garden Design for Portland Colonial

Portland Colonial | Front Yard Garden Design in Portland Maine

This front yard garden design project for a colonial home in Portland focused on creating a simple, classic planting that complements the home’s traditional architecture. The homeowners wanted an attractive entrance garden with easy-care plants and low-growing shrubs along a newly installed retaining wall.

Garden Design Maine developed a planting plan that combines flowering shrubs, structural plants, and low-growing groundcovers to create a welcoming front yard that will continue to mature and fill in beautifully over time.

Garden Design Goals

The design for this project focused on improving the visual balance of the front entrance while introducing plants that would thrive in Maine’s climate.

Key goals included:

Create a classic garden design appropriate for a colonial-style home
Replace slow-growing shrubs that felt out of scale with the entry
Introduce flowering shrubs for seasonal interest
Add structure and color along the new retaining wall
Select plants that are easy to maintain and hardy in Maine
Preserve existing plants the homeowners wished to keep

Before the Garden Installation

Before the redesign, the front garden included several plants that had grown slowly and no longer worked well with the scale of the entrance. Dwarf spruces flanked the front steps, and while healthy, they appeared undersized and out of place near the doorway.

The homeowners also wished to keep several existing plants, including a holly shrub, hydrangea, and hosta. The challenge was to incorporate these elements into a more cohesive design while improving the overall balance of the front landscape.

A newly installed retaining wall also created an opportunity for fresh planting that would soften the stonework while maintaining a clean and structured look.

Garden design rendering of shrubs at maturity

Hydrangea and layered shrubs create a balanced entrance planting, as shown in this design rendering.

Garden Design Concepts

During the design process, several planting ideas were explored to improve the entrance while maintaining a classic, understated look appropriate for the home.

Balanced Entrance Planting

To strengthen the front entry, Garden Design Maine recommended removing the dwarf spruces flanking the stairs and replacing them with taller flowering shrubs.

Hydrangea paniculata was selected because it grows quickly and can reach about seven feet tall, creating a balanced and refined entrance planting that frames the front steps.

Layered Foundation Planting

A mix of flowering shrubs and low-growing groundcovers was selected to create contrast in foliage color and texture. This layered planting approach adds visual interest while maintaining a tidy, classic look that complements the colonial architecture.

Portland Maine colonial garden design along retaining wall

Autumn Moon Japanese maple and Anna's Magic Ball thuja complete the design along the newly constructed retaining wall, as shown in this rendering.

Photo taken after installation.

Designing Front Gardens for Colonial Homes in Maine

Front gardens for colonial-style homes often work best when planting reflects the balance and symmetry of the architecture. Structured shrubs, small ornamental trees, and layered perennial plantings can enhance the home while softening hard edges around foundations and walkways.

In Maine landscapes, plant selection must also consider winter hardiness, soil conditions, and the desire for long-lasting seasonal interest. By combining hardy shrubs, flowering plants, and compact evergreens, it is possible to create front gardens that remain attractive throughout the year while requiring relatively low maintenance.