Improve your yard with tips from pros turned authors

George Kay has strong opinions about landscape design.

Walkways should turn at 90-degree angles, not curve. Do you have curvy rooms inside your house?

The views from inside the house are as important as your curb appeal.

You need space - say 12 feet - for plantings between a front walkway and the house. And it's good to leave space between the patio and the rear of the house, too.

While you may not agree with everything Kay says about landscaping, his 50 years of experience have taught him principles that should come in handy when you plan your yard.

That's why he and his son, Brian, wrote "Yard and Garden Makeovers," (Ball Publishing, $39.95).

The book not only explains what they've learned and lists plants they like, but also shows photographs of homes landscaped by their firm, George Kay and Associates of Geneva.

Dos

Think of your guests' arriving at your home. If they drive, you want them to park where they are looking at something other than your garage doors. And the way to get to the front door should be obvious.

The walkway to your front door should start where guests park, be at least 4 feet wide and have an even-wider area - it can be round or square - where you can greet them and say good bye.

Remember trees and shrubs - even so-called dwarf ones - will grow bigger more quickly than you expect. Extreme pruning is labor intensive and not good for most trees. Plant them away from the house, don't put them under the windows.

If you have a typical suburban lot, plant the larger trees and evergreens on the perimeter where they can provide privacy, block anything unsightly and improve the view from inside the house or from a patio.

The materials and design should fit the style of your house. A cottage in the woods can be landscaped more informally than a Georgian.

Keep your design simple. Use five types of flowers in your front yard, not 30.

Plant lots of ground cover because flowers and grass require work. However, if you enjoy gardening, plant those flowers but remember they leave bare spots in the winter. Bluegrass is fine where there's sunshine and you have a purpose for it such as children's activities.

In many situations multi-stem trees like serviceberry or European beech work better than single-trunk ones.

Stone walls hold up well and are good looking. A retaining wall should be at least 15 inches tall.

Patios are more flexible than decks and don't dominate the landscape. But a small deck is needed to get you from a higher level in the house to the ground.

A patio should be 300 square feet unless you entertain large groups.

Don'ts

Statues and other artwork - especially whimsical ones - belong in the back yard, not in the front where you share the scenery with folks who might have different tastes.

Variegated plants are distracting.

Don't even consider bragging about your hostas of many hues. The Kays think this beloved shade plant is overused.

Why plant colorful trees like a red Japanese maple unless you want to use it to highlight one of the house's features?

Don't go for what's new and hot. Tried-and-true plants will probably live longer.

Don't try too hard to impress with your landscaping.

Circular drives belong only on estates. They will dominate a typical suburban landscape.