The Best Trees for Your Front Yard
Planting trees in the front yard of your home can add immense value to the property with very little work. Sprawling ornamental trees or perfectly pruned evergreens create dimension and incorporate color into the landscape.
Depending on where you live, certain trees will grow better than others. Consult with a professional landscape designer in your area to determine the best trees for your front yard.
Understanding Tree Hardiness Zones
All different types of plants and tree species flourish under specific conditions. For example, it’s unlikely that you’d see a towering palm tree swaying in the Minnesotan breeze, yet you will find thousands of them lining the streets of downtown Miami. The tree’s degree of hardiness determines its ability to thrive in one location over others.
Plant hardiness describes the ability of the plant or tree to survive under adverse climatic growing conditions. Specifically, the plant’s ability to tolerate heat, cold, drought, wind, flooding or other predations are all measurements of plant hardiness.
In the Midwest, most gardeners and landscapers look for trees within zones 4 and 5. Trees that fall within these zones are typically very hardy since the climate is cold for a more extended period during the year.
To determine the best trees and plants for your location’s zone, the United States Department of Agriculture created a helpful interactive plant hardiness zone map for the entire country.
The Best Trees for Your Front Yard
Once you understand the plant hardiness zone that your property falls into, the selection of the perfect front yard tree can begin. Often, homeowners opt for smaller, flowering, ornamental trees in the front of their homes to enhance curb appeal.
Ornamental trees are a fantastic option for the front yard because they grow out instead of up. The branches spread out above the lawn, and when the tree buds bloom, it is truly a sight to behold. There are quite a few ornamental tree options available within plant hardiness zones 4 and 5 to create a beautiful front yard landscape.
Ornamental Trees
Apple
Red Dogwood
Downy Serviceberry
Shade Trees
Shade trees are a fantastic option for families with small children who like to play in the front yard. Just like the name suggests, they cast more shade than smaller ornamental trees, making them the perfect refuge for an exhausted kid on a hot summer day.
Red Maple
River Birch
Ginkgo
Evergreen (Coniferous) Trees
If you prefer that your property has a little pop of color all year round, plant some coniferous trees. Also known as evergreen trees, since they never lose their “leaves” or needles, these are a great option, especially if you love to decorate around the holidays.
Coniferous trees also offer a secure and inviting habitat for adorable critters like birds and chipmunks. There are tons of different species of coniferous trees that thrive in zones 4 and 5, so consult with your local nursery if our picks don’t pique your interest.
Colorado Blue Spruce
American Arborvitae
Wrapping Up
Adding a tree or two to your front yard can increase your property value and your landscaping beauty. Sweeping branches of flourishing flowers create shade for you to sit back and enjoy the newfound nature in your front yard.
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When Pergolas Don’t Last, There’s Always a Reason After nearly two decades of building outdoor spaces across Medina, I’ve seen what happens when pergolas aren’t designed for Minnesota’s conditions. You can spot them a mile away—posts that lean, beams that twist, and concrete pads that have heaved out of level after just a couple of winters. It’s not because homeowners cut corners intentionally. It’s usually because whoever built it didn’t account for what our climate really does to structures that aren’t anchored right. Medina’s heavy clay soil doesn’t drain well. It holds moisture, freezes solid, and then expands like a hydraulic press pushing on everything above it. When pergolas are set on surface-level post bases, that pressure has nowhere to go but up—and the whole thing moves. Even small shifts can cause joints to separate, wood to crack, and hardware to loosen. That’s how a $15,000 structure starts looking tired after a few years instead of standing straight for decades. The truth is, pergolas here aren’t just about shade or looks. They’re about structure, drainage, and how every piece ties into the patio beneath it. A pergola that stands tall through Minnesota winters is built on the same principles as a good foundation—it’s only as strong as what’s underneath it. If you live in Medina and want to enjoy your backyard without worrying about your investment warping or sagging, start with design that respects the environment it’s built in. That means thinking beyond lumber and stain colors. It means understanding soil movement, water management, and the importance of integrating your pergola with the patio below it.
Solutions for Properties in Minnetonka You can always tell a Minnetonka yard that’s fighting its slope. Water doesn’t lie, it finds the weak spots every time. I’ve walked plenty of properties where a backyard starts beautiful in June, but by September, the patio is heaving, the grass near the pool looks like a marsh, and the homeowner is wondering how it got so bad so fast. The truth is, when you’re dealing with rolling terrain and heavy clay soils like we have around Minnetonka, you can’t just move dirt and hope gravity behaves. You need a plan that manages water from the surface all the way down through the subsoil. This is what I’ll walk you through here. You’ll see what actually causes drainage issues on sloped properties, how poor planning leads to cracked patios and shifting pool decks, and the smart drainage systems that can stop those problems for good. Whether you live near Lake Minnetonka or up in the higher ridges closer to Deephaven or Woodland, understanding how your yard sheds water is the difference between a property that lasts and one that’s constantly under repair. The Real Challenge of Sloped Minnetonka Yards Minnetonka is known for its hills, lakefront properties, and mature trees, but all that beauty comes with a set of challenges below the surface. Most of the soil here is dense clay. It holds water like a sponge and drains slowly, which means after every heavy rain, that water looks for a way downhill. If it doesn’t have a proper outlet, it ends up collecting right where you don’t want it, like along your patio, at the base of a retaining wall, or near your pool deck. I see this every season: homeowners trying to solve slope problems with a quick regrade, a layer of rock, or a simple surface drain. Those things might help for a while, but they don’t address what’s really happening underground. Clay soil doesn’t just get wet—it becomes saturated, expanding and contracting with every freeze-thaw cycle. When that happens under a patio or wall, it doesn’t matter how well-built the surface looks. The ground will move, and that movement cracks stone, shifts pavers, and slowly tears apart everything on top. The other challenge with sloped lots is how water interacts with gravity. It accelerates downhill, gaining momentum as it goes. When it hits a flat area like a patio, the water loses speed but not volume, pooling instead of flowing. That’s why I tell clients that “flat spots” on a sloped property are both an opportunity and a responsibility. They’re the best spaces to create usable outdoor areas, but they have to be engineered to handle water movement. I’ve worked on plenty of Minnetonka yards where the backyard has a beautiful view but terrible grading. You can have a perfect slope on paper, but if it directs water toward your house or creates a bowl effect between structures, you’ll end up with soggy soil and standing puddles that never dry. The goal is to move water off and away while keeping the surface level enough for comfort and usability. It’s a fine balance, but when it’s done right, it completely transforms how a property functions.