Choosing the Best Plantings for Your Franklin and Arrington, TN Landscape: A Homeowner’s Guide
Turning your landscape into a stunning outdoor retreat in Franklin and Arrington, TN requires a thoughtful approach to planting selection. With the expertise of a professional landscape designer, your outdoor space can feature plantings that thrive in Tennessee's unique climate while adding year-round beauty. From bold seasonal blooms to evergreen structures, choosing the right plantings ensures your landscape remains captivating and functional throughout every season.
Related: The Benefits of Professional Mulching Services for Your Front and Backyard in Brentwood, TN
Understanding Local Climate
The climate in our area is part of USDA Hardiness Zone 7a, characterized by hot summers, mild winters, and plenty of rainfall throughout the year. Plantings selected for this region should tolerate summer heat and humidity while withstanding occasional winter cold snaps. The slightly acidic soil common in the area makes it an excellent environment for many blooming shrubs, trees, and perennials.
A landscape professional considers these factors to craft a design that harmonizes with the local environment and enhances the overall aesthetic of your property.
Blooming Trees for Seasonal Drama
Adding blooming trees to your landscape provides structure and a burst of seasonal color. Options like dogwoods, redbuds, and magnolias are iconic and thrive in Zone 7a. Dogwood trees offer white or pink blossoms in the spring, followed by vibrant red foliage in the fall. Redbuds deliver eye-catching purple-pink buds early in the season, while Southern magnolias create a showstopping display with their large, fragrant white blooms and glossy evergreen leaves.
These trees can serve as focal points, lining driveways or anchoring outdoor spaces like paver patios and seating areas. Their seasonal transformations bring dynamic beauty to your landscape.
Shrubs for Multi-Season Interest
Shrubs add layers of color and texture while providing lasting visual interest. Hydrangeas, such as the Endless Summer variety, produce showy blooms that transition from blue to pink depending on the soil pH. Azaleas, a southern staple, thrive in partial shade and deliver a stunning burst of spring buds in hues of pink, red, and white.
Spireas produce clusters of small blooms and foliage that transition to golden hues in autumn. These shrubs pair beautifully with taller plantings, creating depth in beds and along paver walkways.
Evergreen Plantings for Year-Round Structure
Evergreens are the backbone of any landscape, offering consistent greenery and structure. Boxwoods and hollies are excellent for framing entryways, bordering paver patios, or defining paver walkways. For added height and privacy, arborvitae or Southern wax myrtle provide lush screens that remain vibrant even in winter.
Your landscape professional can incorporate a variety of evergreen shapes and sizes to maintain visual balance and ensure your landscape feels full and inviting throughout the year.
Ornamental Grasses for Texture and Movement
Ornamental grasses introduce soft textures and graceful movement to your outdoor spaces. Varieties such as fountain grass or muhly grass thrive in our area’s climate and add dynamic visual interest as they sway with the breeze. These grasses work well in mass plantings near water features or as accents around outdoor seating areas.
The subtle tones of ornamental grasses also complement seasonal plantings and structural elements, making them versatile elements in any design.
Perennials for Vibrant Displays
Perennials provide reliable color year after year with minimal maintenance. Black-eyed Susans, purple coneflowers, and daylilies are resilient choices for landscapes, blooming profusely during the summer months. For shaded areas, hostas and ferns create lush green displays that enhance woodland areas or areas under large trees.
By staggering bloom times, your landscape professional can ensure your planting beds remain vibrant throughout the growing season.
Groundcovers for Challenging Areas
Groundcovers are ideal for areas where grass struggles to grow, such as slopes or shaded spots. Creeping thyme, ajuga, and mondo grass are hardy options that create lush carpets of greenery while suppressing weeds. These low-growing plantings are also excellent for softening the edges of paver walkways and natural stone patios.
Related: How Can Landscaping Services in Brentwood, TN, Turn Your Backyard Into an Outdoor Paradise?
About the Author
In 1990, at just 14 years old, Jayme Niedergeses took the first step in starting his own company when he started mowing lawns around his hometown. From that one-man lawn-mowing operation grew a reliable, full-service landscaping company that serves the entire Middle Tennessee Area. Niedergeses landscapers are fully licensed, insured, highly trained, and extensively experienced. Every full-time and seasonal member of our crew is dedicated to providing excellent customer service as they create and care for beautiful landscapes.
