• Carefully chosen plants and shrubs add curb appeal.Nick M Do/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Before landscaping with plants and shrubs, gardeners must evaluate soil and light conditions and determine goals for their garden project. Does the green space need to provide color and visual interest? Will the plantings furnish a screen from unwanted views? Is there a preference for evergreen or deciduous plants? What are the maintenance needs of the chosen plants? Although landscape design requires time, money and effort, the benefits of an attractive garden area last for many years and can add value to a property.
  
  

Girard's Fuchsia Azalea

• Azaleas add color and texture.azalea rhododendron image by Canoneer from Fotolia.com
  
  Girard's Fuchsia Azalea (Rhododendron spp. 'Girard's Fushia'), a showy evergreen shrub, features shiny dark green foliage. Best planted in hardiness zones 6 to 9, it prefers full or part sun. Gardeners choose this popular cultivar for the masses of reddish-purple blooms that cover the plant in spring. The ruffled flowers can be as large as 3 inches across. At maturity, this shrub will reach 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide. This azalea prefers well-drained, acidic soil, rich with organic matter. While often used as a foundation shrub near a home, Girard's Fuchsia Azalea requires good air circulation. Poor airflow results in Botrytis blossom blight. Infestation of root weevils is another concern for this shrub.
  
  

Purple Flame Garden Phlox

• Purple Flame Garden Phlox excels as a fresh-cut flower.pink phlox on white plumage image by Fadeeva from Fotolia.com
  
  Purple Flame Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata 'Barfourteen' Purple Flame) thrives in hardiness zones 4 to 8 and grows 1 to 1.5 feet tall and 1 foot wide. This herbaceous perennial grows best in rich, well-drained soil under full sun. This cultivar requires constant moisture and does not tolerate drought. Botanists at the Missouri Botanical Garden warn to avoid overhead watering, which can lead to powdery mildew. In addition, this perennial is susceptible to spider mites and plant bugs during hot summer months. Purple Flame Garden Phlox enjoys mulch around the root bed to keep roots cool and retain moisture. Fragrant blossoms appear in early summer and bloom until fall.
  
  

Hosta

• HostasHosta image by Michele Maakestad from Fotolia.com
  
  Hostas (Hosta spp.), grow best in hardiness zones 3 to 8. Reaching a height of only 2 feet, gardeners favor them for their attractive variegated foliage. Hostas enjoy rich, well-drained organic soil and full or part shade. While preferred for their attractive leaves, the cultivar Hosta plantaginea exhibits fragrant white or lilac flowers in late summer. A native of Japan and China, hostas need division in early spring when new leaves emerge. Horticulturists at North Carolina State University recommend planting blue leaved varieties in shade, while green leaved types flourish in part sun.