Question: I have a zero-lot-line house, but I still want an attractive landscape. How do I modify my design ideas?

Answer: You don’t change a thing, other than to choose plants that stay more compact. Smaller gardens should have the same design elements as their larger cousins. You still want to frame the house, and you still need shade or sound deadening. You still want fragrance, and you’re still looking for color. All you have to do is to scale things back to the space you have available, then choose plants that fit within the boundaries. We’ve been blessed, over the past several decades, with scores of new dwarf shrubs and trees.