Question
We recently bought a home and can't stand what the previous owners had for "landscaping" in the front yard! All of the bushes are deciduous and our house looks so bare in the winter! We are going to redo the front landscaping, which currently consists of a 30' wide x 5' deep raised bed. We are going to use lanscape bricks to add a space outside this raised bed, so it will have a lower tier. (We're adding this second area because the raised bed is in good condition, but is all right angles. We'd like it to look curvy from the curb. We plan to use the same style bricks for the lower tier too.) I was hoping you might be able to give some bush/decorative tree suggestions.

Our house is a small, sage green, 1-story ranch and the door is towards one end of the front. The front yard is on the north side of the house and we live near Chicago. Neither my husband or myself has a real "green-thumb" and we also don't want to spend a lot of time on maintenance. I'd like a good mix of deciduous and evergreen bushes that are hardy and don't require a lot of work, and have an interesting mix of color. I'm primarily looking for plants or small decorative trees that will look pretty though several midwest seasons. No hedges! Can you give any recommendations? I've heard we should look at Viburnum and boxwoods, but there are so many varieties!

Also, is it important to get your soil tested? How do you get this done?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide!
Nicole

Answer
I'll start with your last question, forst - soils tests:  Here is a link of local firms with websites for you to chose from.  Here, a standard test runs about $35, but worth the money.

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/soiltest/

OK.  Now on to plants: You live in the USDA zone 5 (greater Chicago area), and there are lots of plants to chose from.

Here are some suggested accent trees:

Cercis occidentalis ?Redbud (Deciduous)
Chionanthus virginicus ?Fringe Tree (semi-Deciduous)
Cornus spp.?Dogwood (D)
Hibiscus spp.?Rose of Sharon (D)
Juniperus scopulorum ?Juniper (Evergreen)
Laburnum x watereri  - Golden Chain Tree (really cool-looking)
Picea glauca 慶onica??Dwarf Spruce (E)
Platycladus orientalis ?Oriental arborvitae/Thuja (E)
Syringa reticulata - Japanese lilac tree (D)

(The 'D's & 'E's stand for deciduous/evergreen, BTW)

Viburnum and dogwood will work, too, but as with any planting, you also have to consider sun-exposure (shady on the norht side of your house, etc).  And maybe also where the snow goes in the winter...snow off of a large roof or plowed road can really put the "hurt" on a plant in the wintertime.  There are some lovely Azaleas or Rhododendrons that may work here- will accent the sage green nicely - but they will not look their best in the wintertime, when they go dormant.

For further plant selection, try this website (remember, you are in a zone 5):

http://www.growit.com/PlantInfo/LandScape.Htm

If you & your husband are not really inclined to garden, pick "safer" plants like juniper, holly, etc.  A good mix of shrubs under the patio tree is fine.  In a planter bed, put these shrubs in groups of at least 3 each, as "ones & twos" look akward (except in the case of "framing" columns or entry posts with vertical evergreens - one on each side)

Finally, regarding raised beds...sounds like a great idea.

Regards ~M