A home in Medford had two large ugly foundation shrubs in the front yard.  This style of planting was very common in the 50’s and 60’s, and does very little to improve the landscape.  These shrubs dominated the small width of the front yard.

The shrubs were cut to the ground, with the stumps buried under two piles of soil.  The stumps were intentionally left in place so that the decomposition would keep bacteria and fungus in the soil  These microorganisms will be needed for the new plantings.  The soil mounds were bordered with flat field stone, and planted with edible, herbal, and medicinal plants.  In addition the entire area had a drip irrigation system installed, so that water could be conserved.  The area was finally covered with composted leaf mulch, which would help with water conservation.